Marvin Minsky is one of the "greats" of computing in the last six decades.
With Seymour Papert he helped to develop some of the ideas now found in
the SCRATCH learning/teaching environment (indirectly inspired by the great
(but flawed) work of Jean Piaget, with whom Papert studied for a while).
Minsky's essays may be of interest to some CAS members trying to understand
what learning is and how teachers can help it to happen. All the essays are
available via his web page (along with other things relevant to computing
education, and other topics).
http://web.media.mit.edu/~minsky
The essays are all very readable (and may be found controversial -- intentionally!):
1. http://web.media.mit.edu/~minsky/OLPC-1.html
What makes Mathematics hard to learn?
Students need Cognitive Maps of their Subjects
Bringing Mathematics to Life
The Impoverished Language of School-Mathematics.
Mentors and Communities
Emphasizing Novelty rather than Drudgery?
Negative Expertise
= Note added 24 March 2008 =
The U.S. Department of Education has issued a 90-page report proposing 45
improvements in math education. This report makes almost all the mistakes
that I complained about in this memo. Its most emphatic recommendation:
"A major goal for K-8 mathematics education should be proficiency with
fractions (including decimals, percents, and negative fractions), for such
proficiency is foundational for algebra and, at the present time, seems to
be severely underdeveloped. Proficiency with whole numbers is a necessary
precursor for the study of fractions, as are aspects of measurement and
geometry."
The report says almost nothing about using computers except to suggest that
learning to program may bring some benefits "if students' programming is
carefully guided by teachers so as to explicitly teach students to achieve
specific mathematical goals."
Warning: the full report is likely to make your mind throw up. See it at
http://www.ed.gov/about/bdscomm/list/mathpanel/report/final-report.pdf
2. http://web.media.mit.edu/~minsky/OLPC-2.html
Effects Of Grade-Based Segregation
The 50-minute hour
Children have different Cognitive Styles
Socialization
3. http://web.media.mit.edu/~minsky/OLPC-3.html
Role Models, Mentors, and Imprimers and Thinking
Thinking about Thinking about Ways to Think
How do children acquire self-images?
Finding Mentors in Network Communities
4. http://web.media.mit.edu/~minsky/OLPC-4.html
Questioning "General" Education
"It is better to solve one problem five different ways, than
to solve five different problems one way."
- George Polya:
A Theory of Human Self-Critical Thinking
Abilities, Talents, and Mental Resources
Horizontal vs. Vertical Specialties
Some predicaments "brainy" children face.
How can we help Self-Critical Thinking develop?
5. http://web.media.mit.edu/~minsky/OLPC-5.html
Education and Psychology
"But if "good thinking" is one of our principal goals, then
why don't schools try to explicitly teach about how human
Learning and Reasoning work? Instead we tacitly assume that
if we simply provide enough knowledge, then each child's
brain will `self-organize' appropriate ways to apply those
facts. Then would it make sense for us to include a subject
called "Human Psychology" as part of the grade-school
curriculum? I don't think that we can do this yet, because,
few present-day teachers would agree about which "Theories
of Thinking" to teach."
"So instead, we'll propose a different approach: to provide
our children with ideas they could use to invent their own
theories about themselves! The rest of this essay will
suggest some benefits that could come from this, and some
practical ways to accomplish it -- by engaging children in
various kinds of constructive, computer-related projects."
1. Why we can't yet include "Psychology" in the Primary School Curriculum.
2. Some deficiencies of behavior-based theories.
3. Teaching Cybernetics instead of Psychology
Other Suggestions for Cybernetics Projects
(Several examples presented.)
4. How it can help to think of oneself as a Machine
He invites comments from readers.
See Also:
http://www.cs.bham.ac.uk/research/projects/cogaff/misc/eric-schmidt-lecture.html
Comments on MacTaggart Lecture by Eric Schmidt (Google) Edinburgh Festival 2011
Maintained by
Aaron Sloman
School of Computer Science
The University of Birmingham