Learn Faster, Don’t Aim Lower

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Middle schoolers can learn all of high school math. Yeah, algebra 1 all the way through calculus in just 3 years if they have the right setup.

Now, I know that might seem kind of crazy, but here’s how to think about it. Think about driving 100 miles.

In back roads, that might take like five hours. But on a highway, that only takes 2, maybe 1 and a half.

See, the distance didn’t change, but the conditions did. You can go fast when the road is paved and there aren’t tons of bumps and potholes.

And it’s the same thing with learning. The whole idea is you don’t have to bring the destination closer.

You don’t have to decrease the distance from algebra to calculus.

If you just improve the learning conditions: make sure students know the prerequisites for each new thing you’re trying to get them to learn.

Scaffold each new thing so that they can learn it smoothly instead of constantly staring off into space, racking their brains about what the heck is going on.

That is how you get students there faster.

Further reading: Most students could learn several times faster than most schools assume. .

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