“Professors who are good at mentoring will thrive”
The future of universities, MOOCs, lectures,
and the flipped class
and the flipped class
Worthwhile video (below) from a Pearson conference w/Joi Ito, Head of MIT Media Lab (another notable college drop-out who was recently awarded an honorary degree).
Go straight to the 12:00 (12 minute) mark through – 17:00
Some highlights:
- Likes the “Flipped Classroom” model, where in-person, on campus mentorship and apprenticeship are key roles for professors
- The future of professors who are just lecturers is questionable
- If kids can pick the best professor via a video, what happens to the 3rd and 4th best professor?
- The role of mentoring is tremendously important
- Those professors who are good at mentoring will thrive
(Editor’s Note: Do I think the “lecture” is dead?
Not necessarily. We listen to TED talks (if they’re good). Last week, I listened to several
of Joi Ito’s talks to curate the “best” ones for you – and they are essentially lectures, disguised as keynotes.
So, the answer is this: it depends.
Is what the teacher (lecturer) has to say compelling to the particular audience? Also a nod to the delivery style – how the message is delivered, length as well, but that is not the whole picture . . . C.J. Westerberg)
Also worth noting at the 16:00 mark:
- There is no such thing as a normal person
- As Seth Godin said we are all weird – all misfits
- And that is where assessments break down – since they are standardized
