[ExI] education again

[spike]

>… On Behalf Of William Flynn Wallace
Subject: Re: [ExI] education again

 

 

>>…Why those two in particular BillW?  Both look to me like good examples of classes which can be mastered at an earlier age than 16. spike

 

>…Because they are not offered to younger students…

 

Ja, but why are they not offered to younger students?  This gets right to the heart of the question: if we figure out a way to allow end-runs around the kinds of barriers which are STILL being thrown at the eagles, they can take off and soar.

 

>…Are you suggesting that a fast track student could enroll in any class at all?

 

Ja, if they have online resources and can self-direct, then demonstrate mastery in any topic, I see no logical justification for blocking the runway.

 

>…8th grade, eh?  Just where would they have the time to take 12 years of classes in 8 years?  Sure, they may be skipping a few intermediate math classes......

 

In a specific area, I am seeing what looks to me like a student taking 12 years of classes by the end of 4th grade, while skipping nothing.  It looks to me like a more advanced, complete and thorough treatment of the subjects than what I was offered so tragically many decades ago through high school.  Granted this is focused on mathematics, but math is the key to so many other disciplines, such as the one you specified, finance.  

 

Kids who know the hell out of their exponential growth modeling, their risk matrix algebra and so forth would be great at finance.  They could do tricks with it which are not in the book.  They could set up spreadsheets and do for-fun stock investing, and while they do that, why does it need to be for fun?  Some kids have their own money to invest long before elementary school is over, so why not dip a few hundred in there, penny stocks, high risk stuff, perhaps a share or two of blue chips?  Why not have them create a script-enabled spreadsheet which can access a database, let them figure out which of their stocks are winners and which are losers?  It can be done as a game with no money (but with students competing with each other (kids love to compete (it’s human nature))) or with real funds.  Hell they might be better at it than I am.  I suck at money.

 

 

>…10% is a lot - a real lot of people.  I don't see why colleges could not offer classes just for this group, thus negating any ill effects of being put in classes with people 7 or 8 years older.  I see this as more doable than rearranging classes so that the 10% could graduate before 9th grade.

 

bill w

 

Ja.  I predict that what once was considered 2.5 sigma performance will soon be about 1.5 sigma.  That change will happen in a space of 20 years or less.

 

This all has my wheels spinning.  I have some ideas.

 

spike

 

 

 

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