I do not believe teaching machines were at all helpful, and just a form of memorization. It was great that the students were able to get a response right away without waiting for the teacher, but the machine did not allow for any further understanding of what they were learning; it just told them whether they were right or wrong. I feel like it did not really speed up their learning process, because if the students were right it was great, they did not have to worry. However, what if the student was wrong, how would they know what they did wrong? Would the teacher then provide assistance? This machine did not help the students who needed help understanding, but rather tested whether they knew the material or not.
Hello Michelle! When reading about the teaching machine, I remembered learning from the History of Education class that in the beginning years of schooling, students were trained to be factory workers. Since public education came around the same time as the Industrial Revolution, it made sense that the system was preparing young children to succeed in factory jobs and contribute to the economy. Tools like the teaching machine are so reflective of this mindset. It is all about singular, rote, immediate response with a machine, like working in a factory line. Thankfully the classroom has changed so much from this time! Now teaching is all about interaction and communication and teachers make so much more of an impact than these terrible machines. Great post!
I do not believe teaching machines were at all helpful, and just a form of memorization. It was great that the students were able to get a response right away without waiting for the teacher, but the machine did not allow for any further understanding of what they were learning; it just told them whether they were right or wrong. I feel like it did not really speed up their learning process, because if the students were right it was great, they did not have to worry. However, what if the student was wrong, how would they know what they did wrong? Would the teacher then provide assistance? This machine did not help the students who needed help understanding, but rather tested whether they knew the material or not.
ReplyDeleteHello Michelle! When reading about the teaching machine, I remembered learning from the History of Education class that in the beginning years of schooling, students were trained to be factory workers. Since public education came around the same time as the Industrial Revolution, it made sense that the system was preparing young children to succeed in factory jobs and contribute to the economy. Tools like the teaching machine are so reflective of this mindset. It is all about singular, rote, immediate response with a machine, like working in a factory line. Thankfully the classroom has changed so much from this time! Now teaching is all about interaction and communication and teachers make so much more of an impact than these terrible machines. Great post!
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