On Why the Educational System Tends to "Dumb-down" Critical Thinking and Innovation

[rodsky]

---

I uploaded this video, a excerpt from Jim Burke's "Connections" series (Episode 10, "Yesterday, Tomorrow and You"), to explain one reason why people in general (because we've been taught in our schools this way) tend to think in "straight lines" and thus fail to see connections between inventions, isolated innovations brought about by not one, but dozens and even hundreds of individuals.

Watch the video here: YouTube - On Inventions

This post is somewhat a direct reply against posts/threads like "Great Filipino Inventors" in this subforum, and I hope this video will enlighten the unaware and enrich our ability to be critical thinkers.

-RODION

[bcasabee]

As for me, its not really how great invention that matters, but marketing. If you want to push a great invention or technology or product, get the best sales people around to sell it for you.

[athiesta]

create a commodity. You dont have to hire people to sell it.

[rescyth]

As for me, its not really how great invention that matters, but marketing. If you want to push a great invention or technology or product, get the best sales people around to sell it for you.

I disagree. It's the product that matters then marketing will be easy. Imagine if naa ka duha ka tempora vedor the same ang lami ug price. So matunga ang profit sa ila. Ang only way nimu makuha iya share is e dive nimu imu presyo. Kinsa mn lugi? kamu duha. Pero what if imung tempora g baligya kay maka gwapo? Kamu asa mu palit?

[fritzd]

My comment based on experience. Individual people can not be responsible with an invention. At least not in the 21st century. With the huge vastness of science and technology, technology or inventions are materialized from years and years of combined research from different research groups around the world including numerous patents. Mostly companies Research and Development scientists and engineer are the one who materialize these along with collaborations with other funded research groups. That is why when you use your technology (eg. cellphone, tv, etc..) you won't be able to find any one person credited to that technology. It wouldn't make sense anyway. For example, one cellphone could be composed of several tens to hundreds of patents from different scientists or engineers.

I mentioned in the "Great Filipino Inventors" thread that this is the misconception of most Filipinos that inventions are easy and Filipinos are intelligent. But if you think about it, how many true hardcore scientists and engineers are there in the Philippines? The ones who really are producing patents and have collaborations with companies and other research groups? I can even only think of one person. Now if you look at Taiwan, South Korea, etc... They own us any time of the day.

The bottom line is that we need to really know what it takes to succeed in technology. Because of this "straigtline" thinking from what sir Rodsky pointed out, we tend to feel good about ourselves about these Great Filipino inventors when in fact they just blind us from the true reality. And because of this, we don't concern ourselves anymore about helping in the progress of the science and technology in our country.

[athiesta]

@fritz

how many venture capitalist around? I don't think there are plenty of them... and don't give that obligation to our government... there are a lot of stuff government is concerned with...

I remember it all starts with our thesis(college). Question is... is it sellable? we all were given those chance to help what @TS... does that mean we can blame others? What did we do? we were given an equal chance...

[fritzd]

@fritz

how many venture capitalist around? I don't think there are plenty of them... and don't give that obligation to our government... there are a lot of stuff government is concerned with...

I remember it all starts with our thesis(college). Question is... is it sellable? we all were given those chance to help what @TS... does that mean we can blame others? What did we do? we were given an equal chance...

It's a matter of proper attitude towards scientific method. Tangible results don't always come right away. It takes the efforts of many and eventually something fruitful will come out. The problem, I think is that people just expect something to come out right away, otherwise they don't care. Anyway, that's it.

[AmorsoloX]

I disagree. It's the product that matters then marketing will be easy. Imagine if naa ka duha ka tempora vedor the same ang lami ug price. So matunga ang profit sa ila. Ang only way nimu makuha iya share is e dive nimu imu presyo. Kinsa mn lugi? kamu duha. Pero what if imung tempora g baligya kay maka gwapo? Kamu asa mu palit?

kadaghan expensive products nga same or lesser functionality kay sa alternatives nila adh..

example.. ipod.. how are they different from the ordinary mp3?.. mahal ipod.. cheap mp3...

marketing is everything.. ka daghan nindot nga items wala na halin simply because kay pangit ila marketing...

and kadaghan pangit nga products nahalin kay super OA ila marketing (example kay UNO)

the reason ngano si tesla wa kaau ni sikat kay wa cya skill sa marketing and bati kaau cya pr..

[rescyth]

kadaghan expensive products nga same or lesser functionality kay sa alternatives nila adh..

example.. ipod.. how are they different from the ordinary mp3?.. mahal ipod.. cheap mp3...

marketing is everything.. ka daghan nindot nga items wala na halin simply because kay pangit ila marketing...

and kadaghan pangit nga products nahalin kay super OA ila marketing (example kay UNO)

the reason ngano si tesla wa kaau ni sikat kay wa cya skill sa marketing and bati kaau cya pr..

Si tesla kay sikat na inventor but iyang coil kay no real world application except it looks cool so that's why wa nahalin. Ipod is a great innovation... Have you check apples stock? $204/share. Nalugi ba cla sa paguwa sa mga cheaper immitatations? nope in fact ni surge pa ilang profit kay mas na recognize ilang brand nuon. By the time na nanguwa ang copy nag release napud cla ug mcbook. That's exactly the point sa ani na topic "On Why the Educational System Tends to "Dumb-down" Critical Thinking and Innovation"

[grovestreet]

"Our education system has mined our minds in the way that we strip-mine the earth, for a particular commodity, and for the future, it won't serve us."

"I believe this passionately, that we don't grow into creativity, we grow out of it. Or rather we get educated out of it. So why is this?"

"Now, I don't mean to say that being wrong is the same thing as being creative. What we do know is, if you're not prepared to be wrong, you'll never come up with anything original. If you're not prepared to be wrong. And by the time they get to be adults, most kids have lost that capacity. They have become frightened of being wrong.

And we run our companies like this, by the way, we stigmatize mistakes. And we're now running national education systems where mistakes are the worst thing you can make."

"They all came into being to meet the needs of industrialism."

"don't let school interfere with your education" - mark twain
YouTube - TED in Half | Ken Robinson - Creativity in Education

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