Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Just a little Skinnerian
OK, so after the GED tutoring session this evening, where it looks like we made tremendous progress teaching my student algebra, I definitely left on a math high.
I mean, walking out of the library and if I didn't have four library books with the maximum library fines, one of which I haven't finished yet, I would have definitely been leaving with a calculus book, a trigonometry book or one on the history of pi.
It also unearthed this thought I had a couple weeks ago that if I spent a lot of time reading to and in front of my child (though at the moment I'm not close to conceiving one or being able to afford to raise one) and even going as far as practicing math problems at home in hopes that a child who models so much of their behavior on me to pick up some of that behavior.
I mean I'm even thinking as far as reading multiplication tables to a child in the womb to hopefully build a pre-nascent memory so when it learns the key it could rapidly accelerate its learning curve. I mean, ideally it would be a child that is so used to being around knowledge and getting more of it that the child would think it unusual for people not to have that perspective.
Naturally, I would hope to find a gifted program as soon as possible so the child wouldn't be alone on Olympus, but in general, I'd like a child who would just be infused with the power of knowledge. Naturally I'd also try to pass on politeness, gratefulness, the other virtues.
Ideally, I'd like for somebody who would be so confident of what they know that they feel like they could solve problems -- any problem, aside, of course, for the emotional ones, we're looking for a genius, not a robot.
But it seems like there's so much potential there for a mind unencumbered by people saying "No, you're not good enough." At least intellectually, I really can't hope to pass on any athletic ability with my sports savvy.
Anyway, I think it could be done, and even without a Skinner box!
I mean, walking out of the library and if I didn't have four library books with the maximum library fines, one of which I haven't finished yet, I would have definitely been leaving with a calculus book, a trigonometry book or one on the history of pi.
It also unearthed this thought I had a couple weeks ago that if I spent a lot of time reading to and in front of my child (though at the moment I'm not close to conceiving one or being able to afford to raise one) and even going as far as practicing math problems at home in hopes that a child who models so much of their behavior on me to pick up some of that behavior.
I mean I'm even thinking as far as reading multiplication tables to a child in the womb to hopefully build a pre-nascent memory so when it learns the key it could rapidly accelerate its learning curve. I mean, ideally it would be a child that is so used to being around knowledge and getting more of it that the child would think it unusual for people not to have that perspective.
Naturally, I would hope to find a gifted program as soon as possible so the child wouldn't be alone on Olympus, but in general, I'd like a child who would just be infused with the power of knowledge. Naturally I'd also try to pass on politeness, gratefulness, the other virtues.
Ideally, I'd like for somebody who would be so confident of what they know that they feel like they could solve problems -- any problem, aside, of course, for the emotional ones, we're looking for a genius, not a robot.
But it seems like there's so much potential there for a mind unencumbered by people saying "No, you're not good enough." At least intellectually, I really can't hope to pass on any athletic ability with my sports savvy.
Anyway, I think it could be done, and even without a Skinner box!
# posted by Solon : 11:32 PM
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