Comments on: How kids teach themselves: Sugata Mitra on TED.com

By: Gunjan Raizada Chakravarty

Gunjan Raizada Chakravarty — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

I heard the talk by Sugata Mitra. I agree with him partly. Yes, young kids are the roots which needs to be given space and water. Space to explore and water in terms little guidance. After teaching at the local university, I did some experiments with my 9 year old duaghter’s class. The results are on youtube, learing the concepts of speed, velocity and projectile motion through playing, w/o any textbook or equations. Simply through awareness. The link to a brief 4:30 minutes clip put up on Youtube is on my blog at
http://surrenderlistenandgive.blogspot.com/2008/05/exploring-speed-angle-and-projectile.html
and the complet script behind this presentation is at:
http://surrenderlistenandgive.blogspot.com/2008/04/exploring-launching-of-satellites.html
I wish that poorer kids with no parents or uneducated parents get to benefit from this alternate technology. But I do not know how?
Also, I wish that average or below average child starts exploring Physics before losing interest in middle/High schools.
This is my sincere wish and I hope it gets arranged.

By: David Smith

David Smith — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

I think this is fascinating. I honestly believe that through millions of years the development of problem solving ability is best enabled in this kind of hands on kinaesthetic way. We would for most of our evolutionary past have spent our time imagining how to better attach that spear point or how the shaft would fly better when its smooth. We had no knowledge of aerodynamic theory, but that which forms the basis of the theory i.e. the experiential doing we did have. I feel we still have vast creative layers which go unattended to by traditional educational approaches to learning, at least for a large percentage of learning styles.

I also think based on my own experience that education can stifle inspiration in some ways by standardising the process of discovery and that nature itself should be the classroom and the teacher.

By: Crystal Layden

Crystal Layden — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

I do admire him. The Hole-in-the-Wall experiment has the potential to bring computer literacy to millions of Indians across the land. Salute for him.

By: Bala B

Bala B — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

I too got a chance to hear the talk by Sugata Mitra... it was good! Like many, I too pray let this bring about a new dimension in making IT education far more reachable to the needy poor kids, and I really hope it will for sure. Bala

By: digi klan

digi klan — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

i know he says sweet things. but it is not easy to have a career and education on it area.
still it is very difficult and expensive to have a good training.

By: Jenny Hopper

Jenny Hopper — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

Given the write tools ie Computers, Books etc. I believe he is write the kids could learn. But they would need some assistance with getting started I believe. I work with children that have cancer and love the computers it distracts them from there worries.