There are not a lot of ways to learn in a school setting. Here are the main ways.
First, read. Most people read at 250 words per minute. Some gifted people read at 1,000 words per minute or higher. But we forget most of it within a day. We can mark up a book. We can take notes on paper. But this slows us down. We can stop, re-read, and think. This slows us down.
Second, listen. We hear a lecture. If the lecture is pretty good, we may recall one point. Maybe two. Rarely three. In a week, 95% of it is gone. Lectures are slow. They can be hard to follow. If the speaker uses PowerPoint, it probably doesn’t connect: poor slides.
Third, discuss. This is a good way to learn, but it’s easy to get off track. We go down rabbit trails. The other person may be confused.
Fourth, teach. This may be the best way. When we teach, we find out if we know what we are talking about. If there is interaction with the learner, we see what he does not know. We can work to get this clear.
Fifth, view a lecture with video. This can be very good for communicating one big idea. For example: “Here is a great example”. You will not forget his point.
But it takes a lot of creativity to pull this off. No one does this five days a week.
Sixth, write. If you learn how to write, you learn how to communicate.
Seventh, speak. If you learn how to speak, you learn how to communicate.
Eighth, review. People neglect to review new materials. Less of it sticks.
What about The Good Curriculum? What does it use?
It uses daily reading assignments: days one through four. But there are no textbook expenses. Instead, the curriculum uses primary sources or online documents.
It uses weekly writing assignments: day five.
It uses videos: PowerPoint outlines narrated by lectures. Students can play back any parts that are confusing. These videos do the heavy lifting in the curriculum. The videos explain the reading assignments or math problems. They reinforce the reading assignments.
It uses review. At the beginning of each lesson, there is a review of the previous day’s lesson. In lesson five, there is a review of the week’s lessons and no reading assignment. Instead, students write a short essay in most classes.
It uses forums: some students ask questions. Others offer answers. There is teaching going on. The teaching may involve the creation of a YouTube video (math).
Take a look at the courses. Click here.