One of the biggest ways to level the playing field is to give all young people the same context on what opportunities are out there. And that means touching on some of the questions that are a little taboo in society: How much money do you make? What are your stresses? What would you do differently if you could?
Interpretation
Understanding societal opportunities is essential for leveling the playing field for youth.
In this quote, Sal Khan emphasizes the importance of providing young people with equal access to information about opportunities, including discussions on topics that are often considered taboo, such as income, personal struggles, and alternative choices. By openly discussing these subjects, society can empower youth to make informed decisions and create a more equitable environment.
In practice
In a workshop for educators discussing how to improve student outcomes.
Can watching video lessons or using interactive software make people smart? No. But I would argue that it can do something even better: create a context in which people can give free rein to their curiosity and natural love of learning so that they realize they're already smart.
If high-quality content can be effectively delivered via technology, teachers can devote more time to creating innovative experiences, leading Socratic dialogs, or coaching students one-on-one in more targeted and focused interventions.
Formal education must change. It needs to be brought into closer alignment with the world as it actually is, into closer harmony with the way human beings actually learn and thrive.
The math you need for most of finance is ninth-grade algebra, and most people feel reasonably comfortable with that. But I think the financial world there has been - I don't know if it's by design, or this is how it's evolved - there are bad actors who have wanted to obfuscate because you can benefit from the lack of transparency.
All too often, technology is treated as a silver bullet for perceived problems in education. This sometimes leads to knee-jerk investments, using scarce resources to invest in software or hardware without a clear notion of how either might actually empower learning.
Let ignorance talk as it will, learning has its value.
Have we forgotten about the children, and thus forsaken the next generation?
I want to go back to my country to help other girls. We need to support girls to see other possibilities for themselves, to have a vision for their own future.
I never heard one word in Pixar about, 'Will kids get this?' I don't think it's important that they get everything. I think that it's important that they get engaged, interested.
I never have time to read now. I did all my reading before I was twenty.
So, I was in a segregated, all black, public elementary school until fourth grade, until my father died. And that's when my mother transferred me to a private, predominantly white school and I saw both sides of the world at a very young age.
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