SugataMitraBuildaSchoolintheCloud.docx

SugataMitraBuildaSchoolintheCloud.docx

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SugataMitraBuildaSchoolintheCloud

Whatisgoingtobethefutureoflearning?

Idohaveaplan,butinorderformetotellyouwhatthatplanis,Ineedtotellyoualittlestory,whichkindofsetsthestage.

Itriedtolookatwheredidthekindoflearningwedoinschools,wherediditcomefrom?

Andyoucanlookfarbackintothepast,butifyoulookatpresent-dayschoolingthewayitis,it'squiteeasytofigureoutwhereitcamefrom.Itcamefromabout300yearsago,anditcamefromthelastandthebiggestoftheempiresonthisplanet.["TheBritishEmpire"]Imaginetryingtoruntheshow,tryingtoruntheentireplanet,withoutcomputers,withouttelephones,withdatahandwrittenonpiecesofpaper,andtravelingbyships.ButtheVictoriansactuallydidit.Whattheydidwasamazing.Theycreatedaglobalcomputermadeupofpeople.It'sstillwithustoday.It'scalledthebureaucraticadministrativemachine.Inordertohavethatmachinerunning,youneedlotsandlotsofpeople.Theymadeanothermachinetoproducethosepeople:

theschool.Theschoolswouldproducethepeoplewhowouldthenbecomepartsofthebureaucraticadministrativemachine.Theymustbeidenticaltoeachother.Theymustknowthreethings:

Theymusthavegoodhandwriting,becausethedataishandwritten;theymustbeabletoread;andtheymustbeabletodomultiplication,division,additionandsubtractionintheirhead.TheymustbesoidenticalthatyoucouldpickoneupfromNewZealandandshipthemtoCanadaandhewouldbeinstantlyfunctional.TheVictoriansweregreatengineers.Theyengineeredasystemthatwassorobustthatit'sstillwithustoday,continuouslyproducingidenticalpeopleforamachinethatnolongerexists.Theempireisgone,sowhatarewedoingwiththatdesignthatproducestheseidenticalpeople,andwhatarewegoingtodonextifweeveraregoingtodoanythingelsewithit?

["Schoolsasweknowthemareobsolete"]

Sothat'saprettystrongcommentthere.Isaidschoolsasweknowthemnow,they'reobsolete.I'mnotsayingthey'rebroken.It'squitefashionabletosaythattheeducationsystem'sbroken.It'snotbroken.It'swonderfullyconstructed.It'sjustthatwedon'tneeditanymore.It'soutdated.Whatarethekindofjobsthatwehavetoday?

Well,theclerksarethecomputers.They'rethereinthousandsineveryoffice.Andyouhavepeoplewhoguidethosecomputerstodotheirclericaljobs.Thosepeopledon'tneedtobeabletowritebeautifullybyhand.Theydon'tneedtobeabletomultiplynumbersintheirheads.Theydoneedtobeabletoread.Infact,theyneedtobeabletoreaddiscerningly.

Well,that'stoday,butwedon'tevenknowwhatthejobsofthefuturearegoingtolooklike.Weknowthatpeoplewillworkfromwherevertheywant,whenevertheywant,inwhateverwaytheywant.Howispresent-dayschoolinggoingtopreparethemforthatworld?

Well,Ibumpedintothiswholethingcompletelybyaccident.IusedtoteachpeoplehowtowritecomputerprogramsinNewDelhi,14yearsago.AndrightnexttowhereIusedtowork,therewasaslum.AndIusedtothink,howonEartharethosekidsevergoingtolearntowritecomputerprograms?

Orshouldtheynot?

Atthesametime,wealsohadlotsofparents,richpeople,whohadcomputers,andwhousedtotellme,"Youknow,myson,Ithinkhe'sgifted,becausehedoeswonderfulthingswithcomputers.Andmydaughter--oh,surelysheisextra-intelligent."Andsoon.SoIsuddenlyfiguredthat,howcomealltherichpeoplearehavingtheseextraordinarilygiftedchildren?

（Laughter）Whatdidthepoordowrong?

Imadeaholeintheboundarywalloftheslumnexttomyoffice,andstuckacomputerinsideitjusttoseewhatwouldhappenifIgaveacomputertochildrenwhoneverwouldhaveone,didn'tknowanyEnglish,didn'tknowwhattheInternetwas.

Thechildrencamerunningin.Itwasthreefeetofftheground,andtheysaid,"Whatisthis?

"

AndIsaid,"Yeah,it's,Idon'tknow."（Laughter）

Theysaid,"Whyhaveyouputitthere?

"

Isaid,"Justlikethat."

Andtheysaid,"Canwetouchit?

"Isaid,"Ifyouwishto."

AndIwentaway.Abouteighthourslater,wefoundthembrowsingandteachingeachotherhowtobrowse.SoIsaid,"Wellthat'simpossible,because--Howisitpossible?

Theydon'tknowanything."

Mycolleaguessaid,"No,it'sasimplesolution.Oneofyourstudentsmusthavebeenpassingby,showedthemhowtousethemouse."

SoIsaid,"Yeah,that'spossible."

SoIrepeatedtheexperiment.Iwent300milesoutofDelhiintoareallyremotevillagewherethechancesofapassingsoftwaredevelopmentengineerwasverylittle.（Laughter）Irepeatedtheexperimentthere.Therewasnoplacetostay,soIstuckmycomputerin,Iwentaway,camebackafteracoupleofmonths,foundkidsplayinggamesonit.

Whentheysawme,theysaid,"Wewantafasterprocessorandabettermouse."

（Laughter）

SoIsaid,"HowonEarthdoyouknowallthis?

"

Andtheysaidsomethingveryinterestingtome.Inanirritatedvoice,theysaid,"You'vegivenusamachinethatworksonlyinEnglish,sowehadtoteachourselvesEnglishinordertouseit."（Laughter）That'sthefirsttime,asateacher,thatIhadheardtheword"teachourselves"saidsocasually.

Here'sashortglimpsefromthoseyears.That'sthefirstdayattheHoleintheWall.Onyourrightisaneight-year-old.Tohisleftishisstudent.She'ssix.Andhe'steachingherhowtobrowse.Thenontootherpartsofthecountry,Irepeatedthisoverandoveragain,gettingexactlythesameresultsthatwewere.["Holeinthewallfilm-1999"]Aneight-year-oldtellinghiseldersisterwhattodo.AndfinallyagirlexplaininginMarathiwhatitis,andsaid,"There'saprocessorinside."

SoIstartedpublishing.Ipublishedeverywhere.Iwrotedownandmeasuredeverything,andIsaid,inninemonths,agroupofchildrenleftalonewithacomputerinanylanguagewillreachthesamestandardasanofficesecretaryintheWest.I'dseenithappenoverandoverandoveragain.

ButIwascurioustoknow,whatelsewouldtheydoiftheycoulddothismuch?

Istartedexperimentingwithothersubjects,amongthem,forexample,pronunciation.There'sonecommunityofchildreninsouthernIndiawhoseEnglishpronunciationisreallybad,andtheyneededgoodpronunciationbecausethatwouldimprovetheirjobs.Igavethemaspeech-to-textengineinacomputer,andIsaid,"Keeptalkingintoituntilittypeswhatyousay."（Laughter）Theydidthat,andwatchalittlebitofthis.

Computer:

Nicetomeetyou.Child:

Nicetomeetyou.

SugataMitra:

ThereasonIendedwiththefaceofthisyoungladyoverthereisbecauseIsuspectmanyofyouknowher.ShehasnowjoinedacallcenterinHyderabadandmayhavetorturedyouaboutyourcreditcardbillsinaveryclearEnglishaccent.

Sothenpeoplesaid,well,howfarwillitgo?

Wheredoesitstop?

IdecidedIwoulddestroymyownargumentbycreatinganabsurdproposition.Imadeahypothesis,aridiculoushypothesis.TamilisasouthIndianlanguage,andIsaid,canTamil-speakingchildreninasouthIndianvillagelearnthebiotechnologyofDNAreplicationinEnglishfromastreetsidecomputer?

AndIsaid,I'llmeasurethem.They'llgetazero.I'llspendacoupleofmonths,I'llleaveitforacoupleofmonths,I'llgoback,they'llgetanotherzero.I'llgobacktothelabandsay,weneedteachers.Ifoundavillage.ItwascalledKallikuppaminsouthernIndia.IputinHoleintheWallcomputersthere,downloadedallkindsofstufffromtheInternetaboutDNAreplication,mostofwhichIdidn'tunderstand.

Thechildrencamerushing,said,"What'sallthis?

"

SoIsaid,"It'sverytopical,veryimportant.Butit'sallinEnglish."

Sotheysaid,"HowcanweunderstandsuchbigEnglishwordsanddiagramsandchemistry?

"

Sobynow,Ihaddevelopedanewpedagogicalmethod,soIappliedthat.Isaid,"Ihaven'tthefoggiestidea."（Laughter）"Andanyway,Iamgoingaway."（Laughter）

SoIleftthemforacoupleofmonths.They'dgotazero.Igavethematest.Icamebackaftertwomonthsandthechildrentroopedinandsaid,"We'veunderstoodnothing."

SoIsaid,"Well,whatdidIexpect?

"SoIsaid,"Okay,buthowlongdidittakeyoubeforeyoudecidedthatyoucan'tunderstandanything?

"

Sotheysaid,"Wehaven'tgivenup.Welookatiteverysingleday."

SoIsaid,"What?

Youdon'tunderstandthesescreensandyoukeepstaringatitfortwomonths?

Whatfor?

"

Soalittlegirlwhoyouseejustnow,sheraisedherhand,andshesaystomeinbrokenTamilandEnglish,shesaid,"Well,apartfromthefactthatimproperreplicationoftheDNAmoleculecausesdisease,wehaven'tunderstoodanythingelse."

（Laughter）（Applause）

SoItestedthem.Igotaneducationalimpossibility,zeroto30percentintwomonthsinthetropicalheatwithacomputerunderthetreeinalanguagetheydidn'tknowdoingsomethingthat'sadecadeaheadoftheirtime.Absurd.ButIhadtofollowtheVictoriannorm.Thirtypercentisafail.HowdoIgetthemtopass?

Ihavetogetthem20moremarks.Icouldn'tfindateacher.WhatIdidfindwasafriendthattheyhad,a22-year-oldgirlwhowasanaccountantandsheplayedwiththemallthetime.

SoIaskedthisgirl,"Canyouhelpthem?

"

Soshesays,"Absolutelynot.Ididn'thavescienceinschool.Ihavenoideawhatthey'redoingunderthattreealldaylong.Ican'thelpyou."

Isaid,"I'lltellyouwhat.Usethemethodofthegrandmother."

Soshesays,"What'sthat?

"

Isaid,"Standbehindthem.Whenevertheydoanything,youjustsay,'Well,wow,Imean,howdidyoudothat?

What'sthenextpage?

Gosh,whenIwasyourage,Icouldhaveneverdonethat.'Youknowwhatgranniesdo."

Soshedidthatfortwomoremonths.Thescoresjumpedto5