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posted by janrinok on Wednesday May 27 2015, @10:02AM   Printer-friendly
from the lucky-fourteen dept.

Jessica Hannan writes at I4U that Elon Musk pulled his children out of an established school after discovering they weren't receiving the quality of education that catered to their abilities and built his own school with only 14 students whose parents are primarily SpaceX employees. Musk wants to eliminate grades so there's no distinction between students in 1st grade and 3rd and students focus on the important elements of each subject. By integrating the thinking process to include a progressive step-by-step approach, children will be challenged and able to understand result through a systemic pattern. "Let's say you're trying to teach people about how engines work. A more traditional approach would be saying, 'we're going to teach all about screwdrivers and wrenches.' This is a very difficult way to do it." Instead, Musk says it makes more sense to give students an engine and then work to disassemble it. "How are we going to take it apart? You need a screwdriver." When you show "what the screwdriver is for," Musk explains "a very important thing happens" because students then witness the relevancy of task, tool, and solution in a long term application."

According to Hannan, Musk's approach to delete grade level numbers and focus on aptitude may take the pressure off non-linear students and creates a more balanced assessment of ingenuity. Admitting books were "comforting" to him as a child and to reading everything from science fiction to the encyclopedia and philosophers from "morning to night," Musk points out that not everyone will be strong in every subject, or be able to retain regurgitated standardized aptitude facts beyond the test. "It makes more sense to cater the education to match their aptitudes and abilities." So far, Ad Astra "seems to be going pretty well," according to Musk. "The kids really love going to school."


[Editor's Comment: Original Submission]

 
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  • (Score: 4, Insightful) by kaszz on Wednesday May 27 2015, @11:12AM

    by kaszz (4211) on Wednesday May 27 2015, @11:12AM (#188548) Journal

    Shaping future working drones and keeping the offspring of everybody's lawn, even their own parents.

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  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 27 2015, @11:24AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 27 2015, @11:24AM (#188554)

    I pity your bitterness. I'm figuring it is from thinking yourself so brilliant that school was holding you back because they had to cater to the unwashed masses, thus your disdain for "the sheeple" or "Joe Sixpack".

    • (Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 27 2015, @03:21PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 27 2015, @03:21PM (#188646)

      I pity your bitterness. I'm figuring it is from thinking yourself so brilliant that school was holding you back because they had to cater to the unwashed masses, thus your disdain for "the sheeple" or "Joe Sixpack".

      Or maybe the GP just went to public school. Public schools (in the US) do seem to be set up this way. IIRC, my high school principal would refer to the school as a plant, as in an industrial plant spitting out it's product, students. A system that does its best to be efficient (for some definition of efficient) by treating 50 million kids as if they are identical, is not a system that is trying to help every student reach their full potential. It's a system that is trying to create 'working drones'. It's also inhumane. My interpretation was that the GP was complaining about the public school system, not the students.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 27 2015, @08:39PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 27 2015, @08:39PM (#188767)

        Or maybe he is just projecting all his perceived faults and failures upon his primary school upbringing. "You don't understand. I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am, let's face it. It was you, public school."

        Besides, the UK system is horrible too. I saw all about it in this biography [imdb.com].