Sugata Mitra: Build a School in the Cloud

Summary

In this insightful talk, Sugata Mitra explores the evolution of education from the British Empire's bureaucratic system to the modern digital age. He challenges the outdated school model, demonstrating through his 'Hole in the Wall' experiments that children can self-teach complex subjects with minimal guidance. Mitra advocates for a future of learning driven by curiosity and collaboration, introducing the concept of Self-Organized Learning Environments (SOLE) and the School in the Cloud, where children's innate wonder and ability to work together are harnessed to shape a new educational paradigm.

Takeaways

• 📚 The origin of modern schooling is traced back to the British Empire, which created a system to produce identical individuals for a bureaucratic administrative machine.
• 🔢 Victorian schools emphasized basic skills like handwriting, reading, and arithmetic to ensure interchangeable functionaries across the empire.
• 🌐 The current education system is considered obsolete as it was designed for a world that no longer exists, with technology now replacing many clerical tasks.
• 💡 The speaker suggests that future jobs are unpredictable, and traditional schooling may not adequately prepare students for the flexible and diverse nature of work in the future.
• 🕳 The 'Hole in the Wall' experiment demonstrated that children can self-teach and learn complex subjects like computer use and even English, when given access to technology.
• 🌟 The experiment showed that with minimal guidance, children were able to achieve significant learning outcomes, challenging conventional educational methods.
• 📈 The potential of self-organized learning environments (SOLE) is highlighted, where learning emerges from the process rather than being forced by external instruction.
• 👵 The 'Granny Cloud' concept introduces the idea of remote mentorship and support, utilizing technology to provide encouragement and guidance to learners.
• 🌏 The speaker calls for a global effort to support children in exploring their curiosity and collaborative abilities, emphasizing the importance of wonder and self-directed learning.
• 🏫 The vision of the 'School in the Cloud' is presented as a facility that facilitates intellectual adventures driven by big questions, with minimal direct instruction.
• 🌟 The speaker's wish is for a future of learning that leverages self-organization, broad collaboration, and the power of encouragement, moving away from traditional teaching methods.

Q & A

What is the origin of the current educational system as described in the script?

The script suggests that the current educational system originates from about 300 years ago during the British Empire. It was designed to produce individuals who could function as part of a bureaucratic administrative machine, requiring good handwriting, reading skills, and basic arithmetic abilities.

Why were the skills of good handwriting, reading, and basic arithmetic important in the past educational system?

These skills were crucial because the administrative machine relied on handwritten data, and individuals needed to be able to read and perform calculations mentally to manage the empire's vast resources and information without modern technology.

What does the script imply about the relevance of the traditional educational system in today's world?

The script implies that the traditional educational system is outdated and no longer necessary, as the jobs and skills required today are different from those needed during the time of the British Empire.

What is the 'Hole in the Wall' experiment mentioned in the script?

The 'Hole in the Wall' experiment refers to placing a computer in a hole in a wall in a slum area to observe how children with no prior computer experience or knowledge of English would interact with it. The experiment demonstrated that children could teach themselves to use the computer and even English to operate it.

How did the children in the 'Hole in the Wall' experiment learn to use the computer?

The children learned to use the computer through self-teaching and peer-to-peer learning. They were curious and persistent, teaching each other how to browse and use the computer without any formal instruction.

What was the purpose of introducing a speech-to-text engine to the children in the script?

The purpose was to improve the children's English pronunciation, which was considered important for better job opportunities. The children were encouraged to speak into the engine until it accurately transcribed their speech.

What was the surprising outcome when the children in the 'Hole in the Wall' experiment were given a complex subject to learn?

The surprising outcome was that the children were able to understand the basics of DNA replication in English, a subject that was a decade ahead of their time and taught in a language they were not familiar with, simply by persistent exposure and trying to understand the information on their own.

What role did the 'Granny Cloud' play in the educational process described in the script?

The 'Granny Cloud' refers to a group of British grandmothers who provided support and encouragement to children learning via the internet. They would appear via Skype to help children who were struggling, offering a nurturing presence that could aid in learning.

What is the concept of Self-Organized Learning Environments (SOLE) proposed in the script?

SOLE is a concept where learning is the product of educational self-organization. It involves allowing the educational process to self-organize, with the teacher setting the process in motion and then stepping back to observe as learning naturally occurs.

What is the speaker's wish for the future of learning as expressed in the script?

The speaker's wish is to help design a future of learning by supporting children worldwide to tap into their curiosity and ability to collaborate. This involves building a facility called the School in the Cloud and encouraging the implementation of Self-Organized Learning Environments globally.

How does the script suggest we should approach learning in the future?

The script suggests that learning in the future should be driven by big questions and curiosity, with an emphasis on self-organization and collaboration rather than traditional instruction. It also highlights the importance of encouragement and the potential obsolescence of 'knowing' in favor of the ability to learn and adapt.