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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]
(Score: 4, Interesting) by martyb on Wednesday May 27 2015, @11:44AM
I see something missing here.
My years in school were simultaneously exhilarating and frustrating. Exhilarating in that I had an insatiable curiosity and did well in my classes. By no means an all "A" student, I had to study and at times, study hard. Yes, even with that, there was a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment as I gained some mastery in my classes. I was fortunate to be a part of a school system that challenged the students, and to have parents who placed an emphasis on my schooling.
Those years were frustrating because my accomplishments in my studies did not carry into my skills in socializing. I had few friends and most of those were similarly afflicted with social anxiety and awkwardness. The quintessential nerd, if you will. Yet, that was a valuable experience for me, too. Learning how to deal with disappointment and exclusion helped me build strength of character that has helped me endure and persevere in trials that might have caused others to give up.
Many years later, I've managed to build those social skills I had lacked and can now easily start and continue a casual conversation. With a school population of only 14 students, there's a limited number of social interactions available. Little opportunity to experiences and learn from social adversity. I'll bet they do well in their studies; I only hope that they also do well in learning how to deal with all kinds of people, too.
It's not just what you know, it's also who you know and how you get along with them.
Wit is intellect, dancing.