Name: Anonymous 2007-09-01 5:31 ID:bNThDBHW
Back in May 2000, the public radio program Einstein-A-Go-Go raised the argument of whether students should be taught or conversely just left to educate themselves.
Apparently, there is a considerable body of opinion that believes students should just be told what to read, and then left to their own devices to teach themselves. This way, the students find their own level. The best will thrive, and the rest should fall by the wayside. (I have heard this technique referred to as "Immersion" on one occasion.) This is probably in the best traditions of Economic Rationalism.
This troubles me. Since I was a young nigger, getting up early in the morning to watch Julius Sumner Miller on The International Summer Science School, the value of a teacher that teaches seemed to be self-evident.
Apparently, there is a considerable body of opinion that believes students should just be told what to read, and then left to their own devices to teach themselves. This way, the students find their own level. The best will thrive, and the rest should fall by the wayside. (I have heard this technique referred to as "Immersion" on one occasion.) This is probably in the best traditions of Economic Rationalism.
This troubles me. Since I was a young nigger, getting up early in the morning to watch Julius Sumner Miller on The International Summer Science School, the value of a teacher that teaches seemed to be self-evident.