Sugata Mitra placed computers in holes in walls in places in India to allow free access to internet and computer use for underprivileged children. He reports the most astonishing fact that in a matter of months the kids master the software, surf and apply and manage to educate themselves. This even stretches beyond the boundaries of language and into tough subject fields such as bio-mechanics. It defies common, or at least my, observation. My children of 4 and 7 years old, have free access to a computer in much the same way. They have to rely on self-learning and accommodate the language barrier with the mainly English and Latin letter internet and their Hebrew starting point. After months of finding their way around without much assistance I can indeed report amazing feats of self-learning, however, my kids, as opposed to the slum kids in India, do not use paint and Google, but rather have built an endless supply of arcade games to enjoy themselves for hours on end.
Such observation, but by all means, any critical reception would demand more detailing and explanation than is offered. It needs to be noted again Thinking Allowed is too short. Let's not be discouraged though and explore the questions about this program and this specific issue on the Podcast Parlor
More Thinking Allowed:
Moral relativism,
Male Immaturity.
3 comments:
It amazes me that "hole in the wall"- founded on a very simple discrimating idea that children in the slums are any less intelligent than the children of prosperity has gained such popularity..
It essentially suggests that 4 year old white kids are intrinsically more capable than the 12 to 14 year old children of deprivation from India..
It also tries to prove a point that does not need proving save to a western mind.. that children can learn without a manual.. all children playing nintendo at 3 years age do just that.. ninetendo does not come with a manual or does it.. and if it did come, children will clearly read it? right?
so what 2 or 3 year children routinely do, why can't it be done by children 12 to 14 years of age?
its an idea that was a good thing to educate the westerneres for a change as they may have entertained those thoughts freely despite movies like for a dollar etc having proved otherwise.. for such ideas do take a bit of drilling and time..
but it still intrigues me to see such rave reviews for an idea that seemed so commonplace in the world where a black man finally is the most powerful man on the planet..
Sugata has clearly captured the imagination of many people and that is seldom easy.. That is a very valuable contribution indeed.. But someone need sto explain how that is being translated into a learning method.. when various far more engaing, holistic and cost effective alternatives are aailable thanks to the advances in technology..
@Satish
Is the HITW founded on that idea? I did not get that impression. I have to admit I know nothing of HITW that I haven't heard on Thinking Allowed.
My impression was that it was founded on the tentative idea that one could rely on self-learning. What surprised me was not that this kids proved this to be working - I was expecting that. I was surprised Sugata reports the very mature kind of use of the computer. As said, I was expecting them to play loads of games.
Besides, I do not think you can easily jump from the self-learning abilities of 3 year olds to 12 year olds. They are cognitively so different. Besides, self-learning remains until we die...
@Saurabh
I agree that this experiment needs to be applied in cost-effective learning. However, I am still puzzled as to why it worked as well as it did. I think one needs to acquire that understanding in order to take the lesson to effective education implementation. Not?
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