Subject: Comments to Ania Lian
From: Scheidlinger Zygmunt (zscheidl@bezeqint.net)
Date: Sat 06 May 2000 - 02:21:16 MEST
From: "Scheidlinger Zygmunt" <zscheidl@bezeqint.net> Subject: Comments to Ania Lian Date: Sat, 6 May 2000 12:21:16 +1200
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Tel Aviv, May 5-th 2000
To prof. Ania Lian,
Many thanks for the attention you devoted to my message from Sunday, April 16.
I read your comments very carefully and it seems to me that the differences in
our views are rather minute.
More than twenty years I devoted to analysis of education problems: 35 years I
taught microwave engineering and headed a microwave laboratory at the leading
technological college in Tel Aviv, 3 years headed microwave laboratory at the
Tel Aviv University, and simultaneously worked 20 years at the leading
telecommunications enterprise of Israel (Electronics Company of Israel - ECI).
I had the pleasure of studying at the Moscow Power Institute and graduated summa
cum laude from this institution.
My life experience has been unique: I was a member of youth movement and my
leader there was a pedagogue of the highest class. This experience convinced
me that the claim of the school that it forms character and imparts ideology to
the young generation seems to be baseless. Extracurricular activities such as
sport, artistic activities, drama circle , mountain climbing, choir, orchestra,
models building and many, many others influence moulding of the character of
the youngsters much more than the preaching of teachers.
I was a keen observer of the scientific/technical activity in course of my life
i.e. during almost 70 years.
There is no doubt that we live in a scientific/technical era as in the past
mankind lived in the neolithic, or bronze era or at the Iron Age.
Telecommunications and computers form an important element of this era.The new
scientific/technological era calls for an absolutely new approach to all aspects
of education, for a new philosophy on which the education process of the new
generation and of the continuing education of adults should be based.
One cannot build present education philosophy on ideas suitable for the past.
For times when shooting with bows and arrows were source of livelihood while
we are living in the era of intercontinental guided rockets. The same is true
in most areas of human endeavour.
Analysis of factors affecting research and development may provide a firm basis
for prediction of future developments. We are not talking about prophesizing but
about intelligent guesses. Such guesses proved correct, in many fields e.g. in
demography.
Predictions, with a degree of accuracy, of general trends and prevailing
directions,.seem to be possible.Since I had more than 20 years of engineering
activity at the leading high-tech plant I got some idea what is expected from
people who are looking for employment in the high tech field (in Israel more
than 80 % of new working places are in the high-tech field). I think that most
of the successes of enterprises like IBM, Intel, Hewlett-Packard, and many
similar companies, stem from proper methods of recruiting manpower. This indicates
that these companies have developed some criteria for picking up the right people.
These criteria should, to some extent, serve as guidance for establishment of
education goals.This does not mean that the market is to drive the shape of
educaation but we have to admit that assurance of employment is of utmost
importance and chronically unemployed people, even with good knowledge of
Renaissance paintings or classic poetry have all the chances of being miserable.
All the luxuries and pleasures of studying cultural values may be available only
for those employed in accordance with their interests .
I fully agree that the system is VERY SICK. There is no doubt that the efficiency
of most human activities is sufficient for production of all products and services
that humanity needs. Nevertheless millions are starving, hundreds of millions are
uneducated, enormous funds are diverted for production of arms of mass destruction
that will never be used for the simple reason that if they will be used the planet
will be totally destroyed with no winners and no loosers.
I fully agree that the copyright problems put a dark cloud over any encounter.I
am trying not to deal with legal, ethical or ideological problems that are facing
mankind.I don’t feel qualified to express a valuable opinion on these subject.
I am trying to focus on the rapidity of the scientific/technical progress and
charting the ways to assure employment of the young generation in this world of
an avalanche, unprecendented scientific and technological innovation.
The right approach seems for me to be:
1. To distribute the learning process over the whole lifespan.There is no need
to concentrate all the themes and subjects within the 7 to 18 (or 22) years time
frame.
Within this time span only tools that enable further individual, guided, computer
assisted learning, should be made obligatory, among them:
1. Learning how to learn together with enhancing motivation to learn.
2.National language (including literature, history, national cultural heritage)
3.English (including literature and many aspects of English/American heritage).
Both languages should be taught as thoroughly as possible with a vocabulary of
some ten thousand words and expressions.
Their absorption will be objectively appreciated . The study will include grammar,
syntax, history of the language and reading of the monumental works .
These two languages are considered as basic tools for further studies. Since
language is the basic tool of human communication the two languages are essential
for learning of any theme or subject , at any level, at suitable time. Beyond the
above mentioned basic tools the time and attention of the learners will be devoted
to individually chosen, under proper guidance, other subjects and to rich,
diversified, extracurricular activity.
Computers will be extensively used for distant learning, for presenting the
material, for exercises, for answering the Frequently Asked Questions, and for
different kinds of examinations with immediate assessment of their results and
remedial actions if needed.
Every working place and every institution of higher learning will prepare a list
of subjects and their levels, as indispensible for performing specific jobs.
Computer programs of ever improving quality will cover subjects such as physics,
mathematics, chemistry, drawing, geography, biology, history of arts. Learning of
these subjects will be entirely different from existing at present. It will enable
to pass an examination of any subject at any time, on short notice. The
examinations should not be time limited and may be carried out unlimited number
of times untill a success is reached.
.Presentation of material, exercises, examinations, and assessment of their
results should be performed by computers. Human teachers will provide individual
guidance.
Intelligent action should be taken in every case, electronics does not form an
exception. Crazy, irresponsible use of automobiles may also cause a lot of harm
and nevertheless nobody dares to abolish their use. Ethical categories are not
related to tools. Any tool may be a curse or a blessing, it depends for what
purpose it is used. There are no bad tools there are only fanatical, rascist,
nationalist, orthodox people who use the tools for murderous purposes. Every
invention and every scientific discovery could be a blessing. It is only the
church that considered Newton s laws or Copernican theory or Darwin s theory of
evolution or Einstein s relativity theory as something bad and was ready to
persecute and/or burn their adherents.
In general the fate of talented scientists is nowadays much better than it
was in the past. Talented physicist, or biologist, or mathematician is far from
being hungry as it often was in a not very distant past.
You want to explore why we have not accepted some ideas before. The religions
undoubtedly formed the greatest obstacle on the way to positive changes that free
the way for creative thinking. The uncontrolled birth rate fostered by most
religions (population of Egypt grows by 1 million netto each 9 months !) creates
most dangerous situation, in comparison with which nuclear weapon is a childs
toy. Imagine, please that an Intel plant in Israel that costed 1.6 billion dollars
employs 2000 people, an investment of 800 000 dollars to create one job. Even if
we assume that in other areas than high-tech the necessary investment is ten times
smaller, creation of jobs for the rapidly increasing population is an absolutely
hopeless task.
The notion that English is at present the lingua franca of science and technology
is based on the fact that both computer hardware and software are researched and
developed in the English speaking world. Majority of important computer programs
are developed and upgraded in USA, and even the so called local versions of
computer programs call for knowledge of English in most cases. Very many computer
users prefer the English version over the localized one. I observed this preference
in several countries.
Study of English has been enormously facilitated by computer tutorials, distant
learning, multimedia, wide use of electronic mail. There will be many opponents
to creation and proliferation of English as world wide language of science and
technology but the leading position of English is an established fact and
acknowledgement of this fact together with support for all the avenues of
learning English will contribute to mutual understanding and peaceful coexistence
between the nations.
Enhanced education obviously means higher level of education for more people,
means less unemployed because of ability to adapt themselves for new machines
and instruments, new methods, new products and new knowledge. This ablity to
adaptation should remain lifelong.
Thank you again for your kind words, allow me please to tell you that I would be
delighted to continue this dialog that has been enabled, to a great extent, by
the convenience created by the electronic mail.
Zygmunt Scheidlinger MscEE
zscheidl@bezeqint.net
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