Computers are no substitute for teachers

We cannot rely on computers to teach our children

Recently Khan Academy announced that it will make online SAT test preparation available for free. Now, all students—regardless of socio-economic status—will have access to high-quality tools that will help them prepare for the redesigned SAT.

However, there are limits to what digital learning technology can do, and we have to remember that great teaching has always been a primary driver of academic growth. As teachers have long understood on a gut level, if they have the opportunity to provide a student with continued personalized instruction they can instill learning alongside confidence. Using these two key strategies—individualized instruction and confidence building—teachers can help many students go from well below national average on standardized tests to the top of the score chart.

Great teachers consistently interweave individualizing instruction with instilling confidence. By individualizing instruction, a teacher is able to identify precisely where a student is struggling and provide them him the right concept and practice so he can learn the idea.

For example, if a student can’t do an algebra problem with two equations and two unknowns because he doesn’t fully understand fractions, the teacher can teach fractions, then the algebra. The student starts getting the fractions questions right and the teacher celebrates that student’s hard work and growth. They come back to the algebra equations and now not only does the student have the necessary foundational skills, but, because he has figured something out that he struggled with before, he tackles the problems with confidence. This personalized approach allows students to master foundational concepts and develop a deep-seated understanding of the curricula.

I’m excited by the way technology is changing the classroom and providing students with access to needed learning tools and resources. Although providing universal access to academic tools and resources will make a difference for many students across the country, it is ultimately the student and teacher working together that yields the deepest learning and growth.