Education re-thought

Only the educated are free.
Epictetus

Think of it.  A free education.

He is thinking of it.

Not for him; no, he learns by teaching.  Bill Gates has seen to that.

No, Sal is going to try to teach the world, for free.

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Unfortunately, most will not listen, at least most adults, for they are stupid and not curious.  But maybe some lucky children and some adults will listen.  And learn…

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Only the self-educated  are free.
DMK

So what is stopping you?

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‘Like many innovators, Sal Khan rethinks existing assumptions and imagines what education could be if freed from them. And his core idea-liberating teachers from lecturing and state-mandated calendars and opening up class time for truly human interaction-has become his life’s passion. Schools seek his advice about connecting to students in a digital age, and people of all ages and backgrounds flock to the site to utilize this fresh approach to learning.

In THE ONE WORLD SCHOOLHOUSE, Khan presents his radical vision for the future of education, as well as his own remarkable story, for the first time. You will discover, among other things:

How both students and teachers are being bound by a broken top-down model invented in Prussia two centuries ago.

  • Why technology will make classrooms more human and teachers more important.
  • How and why we can afford to pay educators the same as other professionals.
  • How we can bring creativity and true human interactivity back to learning.
  • Why we should be very optimistic about the future of learning.

Parents and politicians routinely bemoan the state of the American education system. Statistics suggest Americans have fallen behind the rest of the developed countries in literacy, math, and sciences. With a shrewd reading of history, Khan explains how this crisis presented itself, and why a return to “mastery learning,” abandoned in the twentieth century and ingeniously revived by tools like the Khan Academy, could offer the best opportunity to level the playing field, and to give all of our children a world-class education now.’ [The One World Schoolhouse advertisement, revised]

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Salman Amin ‘Sal’ Khan, Mastermind Rational, (Bengali: সালমান খান; born October 11, 1976) is a Bangladeshi American educator and the founder of the Khan Academy, a free online education platform and nonprofit organization. From a small office in his home, Khan has produced over 3,000 videos elucidating a wide spectrum of academic subjects, mainly focusing on mathematics and the sciences. As of September 2012, the Khan Academy channel on YouTube attracted 400,000 subscribers. In 2012, Time named Salman Khan in its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world: Time 100. Forbes magazine put Salman Khan on its cover story ‘$1 Trillion Opportunity’. [Wikipedia, revised]

Masterminds are best at analysis.  Sal has analyzed the educational system and found it lacking… big time.

Masterminds are rare, comprising no more than one to two percent of the population, and they are rarely encountered outside their office, factory, school, or laboratory. Although they are highly capable leaders, Masterminds are not at all eager to take command, preferring to stay in the background until others demonstrate their inability to lead. Once they take charge, however, they are thoroughgoing pragmatists. Masterminds are certain that efficiency is indispensable in a well-run organization, and if they encounter inefficiency — any waste of human and material resources — they are quick to realign operations and reassign personnel. Masterminds do not feel bound by established rules and procedures, and traditional authority does not impress them, nor do slogans or catchwords. Only ideas that make sense to them are adopted; those that don’t, aren’t, no matter who thought of them. Remember, their aim is always maximum efficiency. [Please Understand Me II]

In late 2004, Khan began tutoring his cousin, Nadia, in mathematics over the internet using Yahoo!’s Doodle notepad.When other relatives and friends sought his tutoring, he decided it would be more practical and beneficial to distribute the tutorials on YouTube where he created an account on 16 November 2006. Their popularity on the video sharing website and the testimonials of appreciative students prompted Khan to quit his job as a hedge fund analyst in late 2009 to focus on developing his YouTube channel, Khan Academy, full-time with the aid of his long time friend Josh Gefner.

His videos attracted on average more than 20,000 hits each. Students from around the world have been attracted to Khan’s concise, practical, and relaxed teaching method.

Khan outlined his mission as to “accelerate learning for students of all ages. With this in mind, we want to share our content with whoever may find it useful.” Khan also plans to extend his “free school” to cover topics such as English. Programs are being undertaken to use Khan’s videos to teach those in isolated areas of Africa and Asia. He delineated his motives: “With so little effort on my own part, I can empower an unlimited amount of people for all time. I can’t imagine a better use of my time.

He has plans.

Other Mastermind Rationals: Susan B Anthony, Issac Newton, Sharon Presley, Bill Gates, Masha Gessen, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Rosalind Franklin

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