I'm skeptical about efforts to revolutionize schooling
2 days ago
- #direct instruction
- #learning methods
- #education
- The author, Scott Young, is skeptical of dramatic reforms to make schools more effective, despite being asked frequently due to his book 'Ultralearning'.
- Research consistently favors direct instruction and practice over intuitive reforms like project-based learning, critical thinking focus, or gamified education.
- High-quality evidence from sources like Project Follow Through shows structured, direct instruction outperforms other methods in student outcomes.
- Learning requires accumulating vast amounts of knowledge and skills; there are no shortcuts, and expertise comes from mastering many small components.
- Improving education mainly involves increasing efficiency (e.g., optimizing learning methods) or changing curricula, both of which face practical and motivational challenges.
- Educational technology, such as gamification and AI tutoring, may offer marginal benefits but often lacks density in actual learning and cannot replace teachers.
- 'Ultralearning' methods assume high motivation and may not apply to typical school settings where motivation varies; they work best for self-driven learners.
- School stereotypes of old-fashioned drilling are often more effective than modern, playful approaches, but true reform is hard due to brain learning constraints and societal factors.