• Trevor Calman

Also, in this video, the children learning to use computer software, about DNA, and to properly pronounce English words did not give up. It took them months. I feel as though sometimes in the education system as well as in pop culture in a lot of North America, if we can't figure something out in two minutes we just google it because it's easy access. It's all about instant satisfaction. It makes me wonder what we really could learn or figure out if we put our minds to the test. I think it would be really interesting to see what Self Organized Learning Environments could do in Canadian schools and how these students answer the same questions posed to them.

Kayleigh Luke

The idea that school systems as we know them are obsolete is not an idea that the school system and how education is delivered today needs to go, but it means that education is executed in a way that may be outdated as it doesn't prepare students fully for skills needed for current and modernized jobs. Skills like writing in cursive and mental mathematics (to an extent) that Sugata discusses in his talk are no longer the key focus that education should be driven by; they should still be taught as they are important skills to have and know, but more focus needs to be on skills that prepare students for their future. Education needs to involve the modern tools of technology as many career paths depend on technology and utilize this skill to be successful.

The grandmother strategy is a concept completely different concept that was utilized for students to be successful but encouraging students with positive reinforcement was able to give the students the right motivation to continue to strive for personal success. Which, as Sugata discusses, worked in favour of many of the students as they were able to achieve ideas that were way beyond their years, knowledge, and resources available. This method is key to education as it makes all the difference when you feel that you have someone in your corner who truly believes you are capable and can achieve your goals.

- Hannah Aston

I know that in the Kindergarten classes, I have been in recently, there is a lot of open play time that allows the children to play with, and explore whatever they find interesting. I think this is a great start, however, this type of open learning needs to continue throughout the entire education system.

I would also like to add that while learning on the "cloud" or computers is very beneficial, we can not leave out the importance of the socialization practices that occur in a classroom. Whether that be, communication, reading body language, or learning to share, it is all important and needs to be considered.

Overall, I loved listening to this Ted Talk and felt a spark of excitement to add more student-led learning activities into my classroom!

~Jocelyn Stanat

-Anna Whitney

-Hillary Taylor

While I do struggle to let go of some of the traditional aspects of the classroom, I agree that modern children have too much supervision and not enough learning freedom, and this is detrimental to them. When I was my brother's age and even younger, our teachers released us into the school's computer lab with a vague assignment prompt and at least an hour a day to learn. This was unconventional, from what I've heard from peers, but ulimately what I attribute to my ease in navigating the both the online world and any computerized device. Because I had the time and space to poke around and explore, I am familiar with pathways and methodology that lead to computer literacy. My younger siblings, who had no time in computer labs and only teacher-guided, parental-locked iPads or Chromebooks to use in their schooling, do not share my same ease. They are often easily frustrated when trying to use any device that is less intuitive than an iPad.

In my future classroom I plan to spend a lot of time employing self-led learning with all subjects, but especially computer science. I agree with Mitra in thinking it is the best way to teach in a modern environment.

• Lucy Thomas

- Maya Morose

• Arane Sivakantha

• Laura McFadden

In addition to helping children in remote communities obtain technical knowledge, computers provided communities with unique opportunities to learn valuable skills, such as building English proficiency, which, in turn, could support new employment opportunities. When reflecting upon our current education system, it is clear that learning in schools remains primarily instruction-based, ultimately reinforcing power imbalances in the classroom that can suppress participation and growth. However, Sugata's findings serve as a powerful tool in challenging the traditional format of our schools to support childhood agency and better equip students for a technologically advancing future.

The longevity of our current education system is often praised, however, after listening to this presentation, I learned that we should not be focusing on preserving our current educational format, but rather aiming to modify it to support student-led learning. Rather than viewing learning as a task that needs to be achieved, educators need to foster opportunities that allow for self-organization and growth to emerge. Self-organized learning environments not only can help to dismantle power imbalances between students and educators, but can ultimately help to support natural learning behaviours and problem-solving skills. By adopting formats similar to the ‘grandmother method,’ I believe that students will be more motivated to learn and, as a result, build strong critical thinking and collaborative skills. Through my experience volunteering in kindergarten classrooms, I have witnessed the value of student-led activities and have watched how child-initiated learning creates opportunities for personal, academic, and social growth. By shifting our traditional pedagogical beliefs about education, I believe that educators can act as powerful agents of change by encouraging students to discover their skills, potential, and sense of self through the wonder of learning.

-Karissa Schatz

• Shannon Walker

In the TedTalks video with Sugatra Mitra there are many factors to make you fully understand the flaws in our educational systems. He explains how the systems in play are the same systems that have been established many years ago, which makes it difficult to apply to modern day problems.

I agree with certain old systems in play like learning proper hand writing and math. It's more of how you're teaching them. The struggles that children have in school varies throughout, but I do know how difficult it was for me personally to learn a type of way that my brain never understood. In a perfect world there would be proper updated education systems that accommodate to each and every learner.

I was also intrigued by the mentions throughout of how our system has not changed very much. Although, there is incorporation of technology the basis of what we learn remains the same. However, the world around us is ever-changing, even from one generation to the next the many changes that impact learning. I wonder if there is a way to incorporate these changes in the education system to allow children to prosper in all areas not just academics.  

• Kayla Breen

• Karen Delos Santos

Mitra mentions how the school system is outdated, and I couldn't agree more. I think that although there are obviously good aspects of the school system, there are some things that like he said, are outdated and unnecessary, especially with technology becoming so prevalent. Mitra makes a great point when stating that times have changed, and now with access to technology knowing fast mental math, or working in an office for 8 hours a day, are not mandatory or even essential. Technology has made a huge difference in our lives and will continue to not only be super valuable, but will also continue to advance with us as a society. Thus, the school system must follow suit and change and grow alongside us.

Mitra's whole in the wall theory and the story he tells about the young children teaching themselves english to be able to use the computer to its full advantage, has opened my eyes to just how intelligent and capable children and students can be. I knew before that, with the proper resources and support students can achieve amazing things, but this story has truly made me realize just how much children can adapt to their situations and how we as future educators should not go into teaching believing we know everything. We should allow ourselves to remember that there is always room to learn, even from our own students!

• Shelby Killin

- Reegan Williamson

First, I really agreed with how Sugata Mitra spoke about the school system as not being broken, but instead as outdated. To me, the education system sometimes struggles to evolve at the same pace as the rest of society. Second, I want to comment on his idea of a SOLE inspired learning system. Listening to Mirta’ speak about his ideas of education being self-organized was intriguing to me as someone who wants to go into teaching. Personally, I believe that there is value in giving students a necessary tool and simply leaving them to learn for themselves and at their own pace. Students and teachers are both crucial to education and can both learn from each other. 

Lastly, I am posing a question for thought. What do you think the future of learning looks like? 

-Isobel Mackenzie

Harper Coulson

Kyla Mitchell

~ Tarynn Jeror

The most interesting point in this video, as well as the point that spoke to me the most, was the example the the diagram of the brain. When threatened, the learning aspect of the brain shuts down, which directly relates to why some students struggle during testing periods. Education should not be viewed as a threat, whether it be consciously or not, which brings me to my second favourite point. I strongly believe that in order to encourage learning, we must make it seem like something worth doing. For example, when talking about learning about tangents, Sugata compares saving the world to finding out the angle of a tangent. By saying this, students (especially younger ones) may feel more motivated to complete this task as it sounds like a grand adventure in which they become a hero. Making knowledge and education seem like a magical experience or adventure is highly effective in allowing a child to grow academically without the loss of childish wonder.

• Ashley Pike

Personally, I enjoyed her discussion and found it to be quite insightful. It made me realize how quickly things change in the world, and how quickly things become obsolete. I also realized how the education system is different, as it doesn’t change as much, and neither do the teaching styles. This TED talk shows a great first step in beginning to change our teaching methods. It also demonstrates how every child learns differently and emphasises how crucial it is for teachers to support their students and look for opportunities to help them learn. The students are not receiving the necessary education from the school system. The Grandmother technique provides positive reinforcement while fostering a delightful and enjoyable learning environment for the kids. Children can learn via play and direction; it's not always necessary to teach them with a pen and paper. There are methods to make learning more enjoyable and interesting for your students, even if it is your responsibility as an instructor to set boundaries. Teachers should make an effort to recognise that seeing and observing their students' interests can enhance their learning and that changing the environment might help students concentrate and grasp the material better. It's not always necessary to follow a strict curriculum to improve your performance; sometimes, the best method to help educate others and make studying more engaging and enjoyable is to observe and absorb knowledge from your students.

• Maria Moniz

Another thing that stood out to me during Sugata Mitra's speech was educational self-organization where we should let learning just happen instead of forcing it. He had also spoke upon SOLEs which stands for Self Organized Learning Environments. This happens when teachers raise the question and let the students take charge of their learning and knowledge while exploring new concepts and meanings of learning. This stood out to me as in my high school we had a SOLE class but in this case it stood for Students On the Leading Edge. I can see both of these acronyms relating to one another as in my class in high school, it was a place where students were creating activities and events around the school for other students to participate in. The teacher was only there to maintain security and assistance when needed. Relating this back to the video, in my high school class I had learned a lot about myself and how to organize things, it made me understand and explore knowledge I have not had before the class. I think this is one of the best ways to learn as you are finding information yourself and sharing it with your peers. I think that self organized learning environments are a great way for students and children to explore new experiences and to take charge of their learning in a comfortable, respectful, non-threatening environment.

By: Stacey Sturge

According to Mitra's historical account, the Western-standardized education system that the former colonies of the British Empire adopted emphasizes uniformity over individualized learning. The system relied on adherence to prescribed information, mainly handwriting, literacy, and numeracy, in order to generate standardized persons. But given the state of technology today, a lot of the old curriculum seems out of date.

Mitra's experimental demonstration, which highlights the potential of self-led discovery, is a ground-breaking feature of his discourse. Mitra is an advocate of allowing children the flexibility and space to study using their own creativity and intelligence, as opposed to the traditional classroom paradigm. This is demonstrated in a number of ways, including outdoor play and video games on computers.

Essentially, Mitra's observations encourage educators to adopt a progressive strategy that is in line with the demands of a changing global environment. In the end, the conversation around these ideas prepares students for a future characterized by flexibility and creativity by redesigning education to promote autonomous thought, digital literacy, and supportive motivation.

-Helena Ashbaugh

Although the school system is outdated, there are alternative ways to engage students in the classroom and enhance their learning and strategies. Furthermore, attending school adds the benefit of developing social skills and adhering to a routine schedule. Technology has its advantages and disadvantages and I believe that in the 21st century, a lot of individuals depend on technology to learn and navigate through the world. In the future, I aspire to create new strategies and learning outcomes to help students learn on a new level. Allowing new methods and strategies that can cater to each student, and create a healthier learning environment where not every student has to be the same.

• Alyssa Kennedy Grant

• Maggie Hickey

• Kayla Nixon

-Allie Boyd