Re:Lambda School is the biggest mistake I made this year
by anchpop on Monday December 14, 2020 @05:23PM
(#25424196)
I disagree with your last point. In many cases in teaching, the teacher knows the correct path better than the student. One example I've found is that when an experienced teacher says "Practice this. It's boring and you won't enjoy it and you'll wish you were doing something more exciting, but investing skill into it now will pay off later" I very rarely regret listening to them even if it seems totally useless at the time.
Re:Lambda School is the biggest mistake I made this year
by ptero on Monday December 14, 2020 @07:42PM
(#25425541)
I have no objection to your example, but it is a very different case; it is convincing vs forcing.
In your example the teacher is arguing to convince you, the final decision maker, that something is long term worthwhile even if near term unpleasant (and most adults who sign up for a class will usually listen to the teacher). The original example is closer to the teacher locking the door and saying "you will not leave until you show me that you learned X". Which is a very different setup that, even if fruitful, few adults will find palatable. My 2c.
First and foremost, as others pointed, is the growth plans. Education is hard to scale -- good educators deliver fantastic results; a very smart person droning on along a prewritten material adds no value. I doubt there is a way to quickly figure out how good a teacher a new hire is -- it will be clear after a semester or two, but not before. Thus good education needs long-term staff and careful hiring; both hard to scale.
> changes that a subset of students did not like are unquestionably for their benefit
Ouch. OUCH! Anytime someone is claiming that they do something for your benefit against your will, look for other motives. It is perfectly OK to limit options -- it is your business and you do not have infinite flexibility. But claiming it is good for the students rings hollow. Sorry. "We are tracking your web purchases to better serve you" (annoying advertisements).