Lawlady's Divorce and Relationship Blog

Harvard's Secret Admission Sauce

Gladwell on Harvard.  This article by Malcolm Gladwell is brilliant.  He writes about Harvard, the brand of Harvard and how the school has modified its admission policy in order to ensure Star Graduates.  The school  has repeatedly over time searched for the secret sauce of  admission policies to ensure a crop of elite students who leave school and go forward as a force in the world. 

The information of the article is stunning-- but the way he writes could cripple you to your knees if you like good writing-- which evidently I do because I'm in prayer position.

Go read him.  In case the link sucks, here is the actual site to type in manually: http://www.gladwell.com/2005/2005_10_10_a_admissions.html

An Amazing Education

I ran across a person with an interesting idea a few years back. He was creating an educational institution that ran on this premise:  the students show up and the teacher teaches something that is  interesting to the students in attendance.  There is no pre-fabbed course agenda. The teacher remains in the "now" and teaches what he or she knows to teach, as shaped by the questions and needs of the students who attend.  The idea is that a really good teacher will help any student learn whatever it is that that student needs to learn. A willing student can learn from an eager teacher. 

I liked the idea a lot.  I liked the idea of teaching a class, without much preparation.  As an instructor, I appreciate that you can never know exactly what to teach until you are actually facing the room full of students. Students come with different agendas, even if the teacher has provided course details in advance. 

I think of how often I have sat in a class where the teacher is obviously talking to someone else, not me.  I wondered if the other students came away with the same impression, as if the teacher was somehow missing the needs of the group. How refreshing to have an instructor attentive enough to teach to the particular needs of the group in attendance. 

I'd like to experience  (either as a student, or as an instructor) this socratic, responsive form of education where content and style is modified to suit the audience.  I love to learn, but rarely do I come across a fabulous instructor. Often times, the subjects I'm interested are taught by average instructors. What if we could reverse that trend and put adult learning into the hands of people who are really good at teaching.  What impact would that have on adult education? 

I'm tired of adult education formats where professionals seeking work in their area of  expertise teach classes.  I've been suspicious that teaching isn't their strong suit.  I tried poking around the internet to find that Bellevue guy with his experimental adult education school. I wonder if it ever took off.  It provoked me. 

S.