Dave Dilatush wrote:

> A good friend of mine here in the US has been teaching in rural Iowa
> for over thirty years, and we often talk about the changes she's seen
> in her students over the years.
>
> Aside from a drastic reduction in attention span, she's noted that
> today's students are much more easily distracted than those in the
> past; they expect everything to be made "fun" for them, and quickly
> get bored and whiney when their classroom environment doesn't mimic
> the fast-paced, rapid-fire style they've experienced with television;
> they become very upset when asked to do anything that is not easy, or
> when faced with a problem for which a solution is not immediately
> apparent; they expect to be given "an 'A' for effort" even if they
> cannot produce any results; and they have absolutely no comprehension
> of the reality that someday, they will have to support themselves by
> actually ***USING** the skills their teachers are trying to teach
> them.


I think one thing that could be done is to capitalise
on the "quickness" of the students, to place them in
a competitive environment with the final results based
on actual performance. This soon shows the good from the
bad, and leaves most of them in the middle trying harder.

To truly integrate, the teachers themselves must become
more like the students and subject to the same quickening.
I deliberately expose myself to the music video shows
until it becomes "normalised" and play games like Quake
"reaperbot" where the computer opponent can be adjusted
in skill and speed. It might be slightly harder for an
older mind to quicken but it is not impossible. Some of
the fastest martial artists I have seen were in their
forties or fifties.

I remember a teaching aid in the early '70s. One of my
friends brought one home from school. It was a mechanical
device with a number of words, and could be set to show
the word very quicky, like a camera shutter. It was a
'70s "new" way of teaching reading skills. This is very
similar to the typical music video show which requires
instant recognition of a complex image.

I'm sure devices like this can be used to develop speed
of thought skills that more "natural" living would never
challenge.
-Roman

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