Today I am reflecting on the beginning of the book entitled "Beyond the Hole in the Wall: Discover the Power of Self-Organized Learning," by Sugata Mitra.
What I have learned so far:
In 2003, a team of researchers carved a hole into an Indian slum's wall and installed the village's first computer complete with access to the internet. What followed, was that the local illiterate village children discovered the computer and taught themselves to use the computer solely with the help of each other - and without the help of a teacher. The children grew to master the technology and connected to the rest of the world and learning via the internet. This event led to the creation of the movie Slum Dog Millionaire, which is based on a true story.
The author of this book begins his book by writing about how we need to accept that in the digitized world in which we now live, learning happens increasingly without the teacher. He states that there is power in self-structured learning and describes the book as a first step in a movement to place the classroom learning in the hands of the students - allowing them to use natural intuition and group collaboration to drive their learning processes.
What this means for educators like me:
Reading this book looks to be a journey that will challenge me to allow my students to have more control of their learning in the class room. The book will describe the power of learning in groups, and the power of allowing students to determine how they get to their end result.
Crystal,
ReplyDeleteI watched a short documentary on this project. It was phenomenal on quickly these students learned despite their living environment. We still have no idea of the capabilities or limitations of the human mind AND spirit!
I love your background and your blog. Thankful for being honest about being a teacher. Especially teaching in the United States. I have a teenager now in college who did not do well in a traditional highschool/. She got her GED. That is what I am teaching. I love your holistic approach to Shakespeare and your use of global models. You inspire me to tutor and teach.I am juststarting. I love the urban side and honesty. Teenagers are a very hard population to reach. Kudos to you for teaching with excellence. The Tao of teaching is a good centering book. It brings the teacher to mindfulness but it doesnt punish the teacher. I wish you the best of luck. And remember, just because you do not think you are making an impact you are. I like shakespeare and I was a troubled kid. My English teachers made life alot better. Congratulations and thank you I will continue to follow your blog and future endeavours. This is very inspiring.
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