3 25 2010_edu_radicals_roger_schank

(Education Reconsidered)(Education Reconsidered)

Roger SchankRoger SchankChairman, Chairman, Socratic ArtsSocratic Arts Corp Corp

Chairman, Engines for EducationChairman, Engines for EducationProfessor Emeritus, Northwestern UniversityProfessor Emeritus, Northwestern University

Once upon a time there Once upon a time there was great kingdom that was great kingdom that

was underwas underconstant threat from constant threat from

dragons…dragons…

The Dragons Were The Dragons Were FierceFierce

The The DragonDragons were s were

a a threat threat

to to childrechildre

nn

The King asked The King asked scholars from the best scholars from the best universities to form a universities to form a curriculum committee curriculum committee to design a curriculum to design a curriculum to train dragon slayersto train dragon slayers

The committee consisted The committee consisted of…of…

arts faculty from Columbiaarts faculty from Columbia science faculty from Princetonscience faculty from Princeton business faculty from Stanfordbusiness faculty from Stanford medical faculty from Johns Hopkinsmedical faculty from Johns Hopkins law faculty from Harvardlaw faculty from Harvard engineering faculty from MITengineering faculty from MIT humanities faculty from Yalehumanities faculty from Yale

They all had some importantThey all had some importantquestions to contributequestions to contribute

Arts: what do we know about how we have traditionally Arts: what do we know about how we have traditionally depicted dragons?depicted dragons?

Science: what do we know about its habitat and mating Science: what do we know about its habitat and mating rituals?rituals?

Business: Is there a sustainable business in dragon Business: Is there a sustainable business in dragon hunting?hunting?

Medical: What is the physiology of the dragon?Medical: What is the physiology of the dragon? Law: Do dragons have rights? Might there be lawsuits?Law: Do dragons have rights? Might there be lawsuits? Engineering: Will we need to build roads and bridges or Engineering: Will we need to build roads and bridges or

design new weapons? design new weapons? Humanities: How is dragonese related to other known Humanities: How is dragonese related to other known

languages?languages?

The New CurriculumThe New CurriculumMCDBMCDB  060a060a, , Topics in Reproductive Biology of DragonsTopics in Reproductive Biology of Dragons ENGLENGL  342b342b, , Mythology and Community in Eighteenth-Century Mythology and Community in Eighteenth-Century

Dragon\ LiteratureDragon\ Literature. . ENASENAS  445a445a, , Environmental Risk AssessmentEnvironmental Risk Assessment ENASENAS  194b194b, , Ordinary and Partial Differential Equations with Ordinary and Partial Differential Equations with

ApplicationsApplications. . HISTHIST  234b234b, , Epidemics and Society in the West caused by Epidemics and Society in the West caused by

Dragons since 1600Dragons since 1600. . PHYSPHYS  461b461b, , Relativity, Astrophysics, Cosmology, and DragonsRelativity, Astrophysics, Cosmology, and Dragons. . PHILPHIL  427b427b, , Vagueness and the Sorites ParadoxVagueness and the Sorites Paradox. . PSYCPSYC  149b149b, , Dragon Communication and Human LanguageDragon Communication and Human Language. . PSYCPSYC  302b302b, , How the Dragon’s Brain WorksHow the Dragon’s Brain Works. .

Second YearSecond Year Dragon Rights Dragon Rights

Workshop Workshop Intro to Intro to

Negotiations Negotiations Business Ethics and Business Ethics and

Corporate Corporate Responsibility in Responsibility in Dragon Hunting Dragon Hunting

Contagious: How Contagious: How Dragon-Related Dragon-Related Products, Ideas and Products, Ideas and Behaviors Can Behaviors Can Catch On Catch On

Dragons and Dragons and Globalization Globalization

Cost Benefit Analysis Cost Benefit Analysis of Slaying Dragons of Slaying Dragons

Mathematical Mathematical Modeling and Its Modeling and Its Application in Application in Financing Dragon Financing Dragon ExpeditionsExpeditions

Urban Public Policy Urban Public Policy and Private Economic and Private Economic Development Development

Two Years Later:Two Years Later: there were 25 there were 25 new graduates new graduates

(most with honors)(most with honors)

So, they went So, they went out to slay out to slay dragonsdragons

Three of them formed a Three of them formed a team but...team but...

They had not learned They had not learned how to finance their how to finance their expedition, and so expedition, and so they could find no they could find no fundingfunding

They decided slaying They decided slaying dragons was not dragons was not lucrative and all lucrative and all went into another went into another line of workline of work

Six of the graduates Six of the graduates formed formed

another team... another team... They couldn’t get They couldn’t get

along with each otheralong with each other One member was One member was

maimed when his maimed when his gun misfiredgun misfired

Two others got into a Two others got into a violent argument violent argument about strategyabout strategy

The rest ran away The rest ran away and were never and were never heard from againheard from again

The remaining The remaining graduates were graduates were more successfulmore successful

They formed They formed three teams three teams and went to and went to

find the find the dragondragon

Team One...Team One...

Got financingGot financing Got along well with Got along well with

each othereach other Agreed on strategyAgreed on strategy Procured the Procured the

proper weapons proper weapons and suppliesand supplies

Proceeded to Proceeded to search for the search for the dragon...dragon...

But, they never But, they never could find a could find a

dragon to slaydragon to slay

So, they formed a So, they formed a company to train company to train dragon slayersdragon slayers

[

The second team The second team encountered the encountered the

dragon...dragon... They tried to They tried to

reason with the reason with the dragon but only dragon but only one graduate could one graduate could remember how to remember how to speak Dragonesespeak Dragonese

He had failed the He had failed the negotiation coursenegotiation course

He really annoyed He really annoyed the dragonthe dragon

The dragon ate The dragon ate all four members all four members of the team for of the team for

lunchlunch(picture omitted for reasons (picture omitted for reasons

of taste)of taste)

The third team found the The third team found the dragon and engaged it in dragon and engaged it in

battlebattle But they had never But they had never

fought a dragon fought a dragon beforebefore

It was faster than It was faster than they expectedthey expected

Its flame was hotter Its flame was hotter than they expectedthan they expected

Their plan of attack Their plan of attack was not well was not well coordinatedcoordinated

End of the Dragon questEnd of the Dragon quest One team member One team member

was chased off a cliffwas chased off a cliff A second was melted A second was melted

by the dragonby the dragon A third ran awayA third ran away When the dragon When the dragon

calmed down, the calmed down, the remainder of the remainder of the team negotiated a team negotiated a dealdeal

They are now doing They are now doing Public Relations for the Public Relations for the

DragonDragon They used what They used what

they learned in they learned in negotiation classnegotiation class

And what they And what they learned in art classlearned in art class

And what they And what they learned in business learned in business classesclasses

““Why are you Why are you teaching teaching

subjects?” subjects?”

said the Kingsaid the King

Harvard in 1892 elementary studies

English Greek Latin German French Ancient History Modern History Algebra Plane Geometry Physical Science

(Descriptive) Physical Science

(Experimental)

advanced studies :

Greek Latin Greek Composition Latin Composition German French Logarithms and Trigonometry Solid Geometry Analytic Geometry Mechanics or Advanced Algebra Physics Chemistry

What is wrong with What is wrong with subjects?subjects?

The subjects are determined by academicsThe subjects are determined by academics The subjects reflect the research interests of the The subjects reflect the research interests of the

faculty faculty The subjects do not connect to each otherThe subjects do not connect to each other Students choose them for the wrong reasonsStudents choose them for the wrong reasons You can’t remember what you learned in themYou can’t remember what you learned in them They tend to not be experientialThey tend to not be experiential They are often about preparing for examsThey are often about preparing for exams Requirements are set by the faculty to make sure that Requirements are set by the faculty to make sure that

people attend their coursespeople attend their courses

Why do students put up Why do students put up with this?with this?

They get certificationThey get certification They get beer and circusThey get beer and circus They don’t have to work too hardThey don’t have to work too hard They figure they can deal with the They figure they can deal with the

“real world” later on“real world” later on They see this as a kind of summer They see this as a kind of summer

campcamp Daddy pays for itDaddy pays for it

““And why do we And why do we even have even have courses?”courses?”

asked the King asked the King

Why do we have courses?Why do we have courses?

Professors only know their own Professors only know their own subjectssubjects

They can teach three hours a week They can teach three hours a week and then go back to their real workand then go back to their real work

The real goal of a professor is to train The real goal of a professor is to train researchersresearchers

Students have lots of free time if they Students have lots of free time if they are only in class 12 hours a weekare only in class 12 hours a week

““And why do we And why do we have have

classrooms?”classrooms?”said the Kingsaid the King

Why do we have Why do we have classrooms?classrooms?

1850: Only one teacher in the town1850: Only one teacher in the town 1950: Only way to keep education 1950: Only way to keep education

costs downcosts down 2010: Because we have always done 2010: Because we have always done

it that wayit that way

1916 – John Dewey1916 – John Dewey The notion that some The notion that some subjects and methods subjects and methods and that acquaintance and that acquaintance with certain facts and with certain facts and truths possess truths possess educational value in educational value in and of themselves is and of themselves is the reason why the reason why traditional education traditional education reduced the material of reduced the material of education so largely to education so largely to a diet of predigested a diet of predigested materials. materials.