Musings

Last Tuesday, one of the “Openness” presentations sparked some discussion on education, which we were able to continue somewhat on google+. Jared Halpin shared a link to uncollege.org, which I have been perusing over the past week (I’m not dropping out just yet). Tonight I just finished listening to a 1.5 hour dialogue between Dale Stephens (founder of the UnCollege movement) and Michael Ellsberg, author of The Education of Millionaires. You don’t have to tell me, my Saturday nights are riveting.

All jokes aside, I found the discussion exceedingly interesting, and very much in line with our themes of self-directed learning and open education. I even think these guys may be two of the thought leaders we are looking for. You can see an outline of the discussion here. If you decide to listen, be aware that some of the statements are passionately enhanced with expletives.

Dale Stephens’ efforts are focused on fighting the idea that you must possess a college degree in order to be successful. Ellsberg’s slant emphasizes “practical” education; he describes his new book as: “a bootstrapper’s guide to investing in your own human capital.”

One of the high points of the discussion is a parallel drawn by Ellsberg between the former Soviet State and our current education system (found at 26:45). He explains a bit about a concept known as Goodhart’s Law, which basically holds that when specifications are given and emphasized, individuals evolve (or devolve) to fit them. Ellsberg sees a parallel to standardized testing (making reference elsewhere in the discussion to college entrance exams) and goes on to state: “kid’s entire lives are being shaped and molded just to fit these tests.”

That statement resonated with me as I reflected on my High School academic career. It was highly competitive and GPA focused, but for what? I do feel like I came into college with the ability to write well, and I know something about prioritizing assignments for maximum (or minimum) effect on GPA. I could write my own treatise on cramming. These are skills that have their place and can even be transferred and made useful outside of the traditional educational environment. But they are not the skills (aside from writing and communication) that I want to define my university experience.