Alvin thinks Education

"If you read a lot of books, and talk to a lot of people, you can basically learn almost anything." Elon Musk

[alvinthinksedu-blog]

I’m very happy hearing such message from Simon Sinek.

He’s talking about the MILLENIALS, a generation of “entitled, narcissistic, self-interested, unfocused and lazy” young people born from 1984. Unhappy from the root, due to the world that was given to them. He insists that it isn’t their fault, “they were dealt in bad hands.”

According to him the problems generated by this tough generation are coming from:

• Parenting: failed parenting strategies => told that they were special and have been over-protected. Coming to the “real world” (after school), they figure out they are not that special. The difficulty of access to success leads to lowering their self-esteem.

• Technology: Social Medias are producing dopamine in the brain which is the same hormone launched by drugs/alcohol/gambling/addictive activities. We get stuck in a highly addictive and numbing loop.

+ “everybody sounds tough and like they all figured it out” when all is still to learn.

+ superfluous relationships because we act in real just like in social media. We don’t go enough through social cooping mechanisms.

• Impatience: Instant gratification is a pretty dangerous thing when unbalanced. We don’t learn to go through long processes and enjoy them. We need to see the mountain and climb it in order to achieve impactful things.

+ The best case scenario, he says,”is to have an entire generation going through life never finding deep joy”.

• Environment: Corporate environments are the worst environment to evolve as fulfilled beings. 

It is personally not the first time I hear such arguments, though Sinek breaks them down pretty clearly and simply. These are things I’ve been feeling and observing around me, and it helps me to put words on it, more and more. Most definitely, educational system for young kids need already to revise most principles and make them develop differently in this world, in order to be happy.

Different schools of thinking are happening simultaneously, as I am asking to myself: Do I want to reinvent myself constantly or do I want to specialize in something deeply? Where is the balance? 

[alvinthinksedu-blog]

So from September 2015 to August 2016, I had the honor to co-create and coordinate OpenLab (w/ Jim Brady), a student-driven learning course in Design Academy Eindhoven (DAE).

We create this because we believe adaptability is an essential asset for a creative, and this asset can be learnt from a design school where eclectic knowledge is already so abondant amongst students.

We started up 11, we ended up 17 peers. We hired our own mentors, we defined our own goals and assessments, curated 4 exhibitions, initiated collaboration with different schools and institutions, learnt how to deal with smaller and larger creative groups. It has been a social experiment.  It set up a mindset. It is about being fully responsible for our own learning, how to deal with it and incorporate it in daily life, but also creative process.

This was a pioneering step within DAE and we are proud and grateful of what has been done. I personally feel blessed of having put so much energy and time in this project, and having received support. Yes, along the process we received more and more support from school. Though such organic process requires a lot of sensitivity and communication to proceed. This is what is been working on right now for the next years in order to place such mindset in a dedicated course to explore.

This is my first active project in Education and I hope the first of an amazing adventure.

please contact to know more. alvinarthur.com

[alvinthinksedu-blog]

Finland Will Become the First Country in the World to Get Rid of All School Subjects

This is a real revolution in education.

“Finland’s education system is considered one of the best in the world. In international ratings, it’s always in the top ten. However, the authorities there aren’t ready to rest on their laurels, and they’ve decided to carry through a real revolution in their school system.

Finnish officials want to remove school subjects from the curriculum. There will no longer be any classes in physics, math, literature, history, or geography.

The head of the Department of Education in Helsinki, Marjo Kyllonen, explained the changes:

“There are schools that are teaching in the old-fashioned way which was of benefit in the beginning of the 1900s — but the needs are not the same, and we need something fit for the 21st century.“

Instead of individual subjects, students will study events and phenomena in an interdisciplinary format. For example, the Second World War will be examined from the perspective of history, geography, and math. And by taking the course ”Working in a Cafe," students will absorb a whole body of knowledge about the English language, economics, and communication skills.

This system will be introduced for senior students, beginning at the age of 16. The general idea is that the students ought to choose for themselves which topic or phenomenon they want to study, bearing in mind their ambitions for the future and their capabilities. In this way, no student will have to pass through an entire course on physics or chemistry while all the time thinking to themselves “What do I need to know this for?”

The traditional format of teacher-pupil communication is also going to change. Students will no longer sit behind school desks and wait anxiously to be called upon to answer a question. Instead, they will work together in small groups to discuss problems.

The Finnish education system encourages collective work, which is why the changes will also affect teachers. The school reform will require a great deal of cooperation between teachers of different subjects. Around 70% of teachers in Helsinki have already undertaken preparatory work in line with the new system for presenting information, and, as a result, they’ll get a pay increase.

The changes are expected to be complete by 2020.”

[alvinthinksedu-blog]

Here is Idriss Aberkane a neuroergonomist sharing ideas about the Knowledge Economy. It is fascination how his metaphores are sharp to communicate!

• Each revolution goes through 3 steps:

considered as ridiculous...

considered as dangerous..!

considered as obvious !!!

• Knowledge grows tremendously, way too fast to stay individual. We double the Humanity knowledge amount every 7 years and the speed increases.

• South Korea launched a ‘Knowlege Economy Ministry’ to invest in this field because they believe it is the future.

• Europe’s sociology is still slave of the ‘Fear of failure’.

• Rules of this economy:

trades are always positive. “When you share material goods you divide it, when you share immaterial goods you multiply it” Serge Soudoplatoff

trades are not instantaneous. It may take time to see the results of a trade.

trades are not linear. 1+1=3

K(a^b) > K(a) ^ K(b)    (K=knowledge)

• The purchasing power’s structure: K value = Focus * Time

ϕ(K) α At

So if you don’t spend your time wisely, value is lost. In this format, the unemployed but passionate being can create a huge amount of value because he/she has plenty of time. If the wallet is based in this value, every human being is guaranteed a purchasing power from birth.

• The obstacle to this economy: the will. So in Education the principle is to provide interest and enthusiasm overall. In which circumstances are can you increase your focus to the maximum? LOVE => it maximizes the purchasing power of lovers (the learning flow is faster)

• The Humanist Education is:

ergonomic, taylor to the individual (mentor system)

very expensive (not really democratic)

The Industrial Education is:

not ergonomic, for the mass

access for all (democratic)

So the 21st century Education is the one that merges both!

• Video games are the optical fiber of knowledge transfer. They increase the flow of learning because we spend an outrageous amount of time on it and it requires focus!

• Nature is a library and each specie is an entire book. We are ignorantly burning the books to warm up ourselves. Biomimicry is the method for a sustainable and efficient economy.

• Blue Economy => Gunter Pauli.

[alvinthinksedu-blog]

The modelling agency that’s changing the game

The founder of the street casting agency Lorde Inc talks rebelling against fashion’s lack of diversity – and whether the world is ready for them yet

click on top to read the article.

"People lack knowledge 'cause they’re lazy. And people are lazy 'cause they benefit from certain privileges that never ask of them to peer into the perspectives of the disadvantaged." Nafisa Kaptownwala

Interesting article about how it is hard to challenge the norm, within the context fo fashion. Though it has common approaches with other topics that basically need to challenge norm.

[alvinthinksedu-blog]

It is beautiful to see teacher giving varieties of methods to their students. Here are examples of solutions to multiply.

By 2030, some statistics are saying India will be the youngest massive workforce with a population of 29 years old in average. They better work on Education to give as many options as possible to their children. Here is a small example how to.

[alvinthinksedu-blog]

Kery James crée une bourse d'études : «A un moment, il faut redistribuer»

Après son sacre l'hiver dernier à Bercy, le rappeur Kery James se lance dans une nouvelle aventure. A la rentrée, le baron du hip-hop français ...

The french rapper Kery James, known as being one of the most conscious and activist feather of the french contemporary literature and music scene, is creating a scholarship allowing financially disadvantaged students to follow their higher studies.

This is one more step in his pursuit of citizen awakening. He believes we need to redistribute and stop counting on politics. He operates with education. A beautiful exemple. A beautiful message.

[alvinthinksedu-blog]

Quick boost shot about the Finnish Educational system!

• No homework !

• 4h class per day

• No business competition between schools

• Free > Social bounding between social layers > rich parents participates in the financing of the schools

• Research of learning through happiness 

Thank you!

[alvinthinksmotion-blog]

_OI_SUPERHERO _WALTZ_BINAIRE

“An interactive experience for kids, allowing them to transform into giant superheros.”

I particularly love the fact of the motion tracking. I think it can be really nice to combine it with kinesthesia learning by adapting the physical part and also somehow the visual one. It could be a tool for adults but also grown ups.

[alvinthinksedu-blog]

Education through body motion and with storytelling!

[alvinthinksedu-blog]

Learning invisibly: The value of unstructured experiences

When Cristóbal Cobo and I set out to write the book Aprendizaje Invisible (“Invisible learning”) nearly six years ago, we sought to take a 360° ...

https://educationfutures.com/

http://www.aprendizajeinvisible.com/en/

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HACKING THE FLOW STATE.

FlowDojo is a facility studying flow states of athletes. Interesting things are said on the possibilities of such project.

[alvinthinksedu-blog]

Even Kipnis was skeptical initially. "I really did not believe there are structures in the body that we are not aware of. I thought the body was mapped," he said. "I thought that these discoveries ended somewhere around the middle of the last century. But apparently they have not."

Even Kipnis was skeptical initially. "I really did not believe there are structures in the body that we are not aware of. I thought the body was mapped," he said. "I thought that these discoveries ended somewhere around the middle of the last century. But apparently they have not."

[alvinthinksedu-blog]

L’éducation de l’enfant par Marguerite Yourcenar (1980)

« Je condamne l’ignorance qui règne en ce moment dans les démocraties aussi bien que dans les régimes totalitaires. Cette ignorance est si forte, souvent si totale, qu’on la dirait voulue par le système, sinon par le régime. J’ai souvent réfléchi à ce que pourrait être l’éducation de l’enfant. Je pense qu’il faudrait des études de base, très simples, où l’enfant apprendrait qu’il existe au sein de l’univers, sur une planète dont il devra plus tard ménager les ressources, qu’il dépend de l’air, de l’eau, de tous les êtres vivants, et que la moindre erreur ou la moindre violence risque de tout détruire. Il apprendrait que les hommes se sont entretués dans des guerres qui n’ont jamais fait que produire d’autres guerres, et que chaque pays arrange son histoire, mensongèrement, de façon à flatter son orgueil. On lui apprendrait assez du passé pour qu’il se sente relié aux hommes qui l’ont précédé, pour qu’il les admire là où ils méritent de l’être, sans s’en faire des idoles, non plus que du présent ou d’un hypothétique avenir. On essaierait de le familiariser à la fois avec les livres et les choses ; il saurait le nom des plantes, il connaîtrait les animaux sans se livrer aux hideuses vivisections imposées aux enfants et aux très jeunes adolescents sous prétexte de biologie. ; il apprendrait à donner les premiers soins aux blessés ; son éducation sexuelle comprendrait la présence à un accouchement, son éducation mentale la vue des grands malades et des morts. On lui donnerait aussi les simples notions de morale sans laquelle la vie en société est impossible, instruction que les écoles élémentaires et moyennes n’osent plus donner dans ce pays. En matière de religion, on ne lui imposerait aucune pratique ou aucun dogme, mais on lui dirait quelque chose de toutes les grandes religions du monde, et surtout de celle du pays où il se trouve, pour éveiller en lui le respect et détruire d’avance certains odieux préjugés. On lui apprendrait à aimer le travail quand le travail est utile, et à ne pas se laisser prendre à l’imposture publicitaire, en commençant par celle qui lui vante des friandises plus ou moins frelatées, en lui préparant des caries et des diabètes futurs. Il y a certainement un moyen de parler aux enfants de choses véritablement importantes plus tôt qu’on ne le fait. »

Marguerite Yourcenar, « Les yeux ouverts. » 1980

[alvinthinksedu-blog]

Deep Learning Is Going to Teach Us All the Lesson of Our Lives: Jobs Are for Machines — Basic income

(An alternate version of this article was originally published in the Boston Globe)

Society has evolved in such a way that non-routine jobs (requiring creativity, flexibility, responsiveness) are increasing and routine jobs are decreasing and automatized. With the development of AI, these routine jobs will disappear more and more. So the questions Scott Santens is asking are extremely interesting:

“If a machine can do a job instead of a human, should any human be forced at the threat of destitution to perform that job?

Should income itself remain coupled to employment, such that having a job is the only way to obtain income, when jobs for many are entirely unobtainable?

If machines are performing an increasing percentage of our jobs for us, and not getting paid to do them,where does that money go instead?

And what does it no longer buy?

Is it even possible that many of the jobs we’re creating don’t need to exist at all, and only do because of the incomes they provide?”

[alvinthinksedu-blog]

Inspiring talk by Joichi Ito, executive head of MIT Media Lab, about his vision on a world in transition