When thinking brings pleasure. When thinking brings pleasure? Does thinking bring pleasure? : Five Projects Critical for Education

Intellectual health of the people is at least as important

as their physical health.

Our richest and smartest businessmen successfully target difficult, complex, complicated problems like:

Eradicating Polio and Malaria (Bill and Melinda Gates: http://www.gatesfoundation.org/What-We-Do/Global-Development/Polio);

Finding cure to all diseases (Mr. Zuckerberg and Dr. Chan: https://chanzuckerberg.com/);

Space tourism (Richard Branson: http://www.virgingalactic.com/);

Space cargo (Jeff Bezos: https://www.blueorigin.com/);

Colonizing Mars (Elon Musk: http://www.spacex.com/).

However, NONE of them or their fellow peers wants to apply their intellect, effort, resource to dragging public education as a human practice out from its meager state (improving education in a given institution is not the same as transforming education as a human practice).
I do understand the desire to take on a big and complicated problem and to leave behind (eventually) their own "Egyptian Pyramid". But what could be more difficult and more fulfilling than showing to the billions of people the path from illiteracy, ignorance, "dark ages" toward new ENLIGHTENMENT?

Many philanthropists support some specific educational institutions (schools, colleges, universities, non-profits), but no one takes on problems of a systemic and systematic character. One can only hope that this situation will change, and carry on with whatever is possible to be done until that would happen.

All the projects below are interconnected, but operationally independent (can be managed independently).

However, it is always worthwhile to see the whole picture.

This is why I have developed a presentation which tells about the first four projects, one after another:

This link leads to the slides of the presentation.

This link leads to the video of the presentation (or a backup link http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x53r5gy).

The following LONG-term projects

(Might take decades to complete! But keeps blood running) have the potential to transform (which is different from "to reform") public education on a large scale. To read the extended description just click on the link/title.

1. Advancing the science of education (scroll to Part II)

2. Physics as the door into STEM education

3. A universal standard for measuring content knowledge in STEM

4. Advancing the field of teacher professional development

5. Bringing advances in deep machine learning to education

Appendix I

Some of the ideas have been used for my projects presented to the NSF in the form of a proposal for The NSF 2026 Idea Machine

The links to all six my applications to the NSF 2026 Big Idea Machine (from August 31, 2018 to October 26, 2018):

1. Entry125253: High Frequency Data Streams in Education

2. Entry124656: objective measures of physics knowledge

3. Entry125317: National database teacher PD

4. Entry124655: role of NSF in funding education

5. Entry125719: The new type of a science course for science teachers.

6. Entry126205: The development of the uniform standard for measuring content knowledge in physics.

The Full List of The Publications on The Methodology of Teaching Science

Thank you for visiting!

Please, feel free to comment, or send an email directly to me!

To learn more about my professional experience:

The voices of my students

"The Backpack Full of Cash": pointing at a problem, not offering a solution
Essentials of Teaching Science

Appendix II

I letter to Venture Capitalists and philanthropists.

Hello.

Many Venture Capital companies invest in health/medicine related start-ups.

I am looking for Venture Capital professionals (or philanthropists) who would be interested in supporting a project in the field of the Intellectual Health of the Nation (a.k.a. Education).

Many Venture Capital companies are looking for the “next Steve Jobs”.

I am looking for Venture Capital professionals who would be curios to meet the “next Steve Wozniak”.

I am a professional educator with a long and broad successful experience.

AS the result of my broad career, I have developed a very specific and bold project at the intersection of human psychology, science of teaching, and information technologies (including AI), which has the potential to transform education, as well as science of education.

I am a realist. I am not a businessman, and do not possess abilities sufficient for establishing a start-up on my own. But I have knowledge, skills, and vision of the final “product” of such a start-up.

All information about me is openly available online.

The proof of my experience:

a. In short: http://www.TeachOlogy.xyz/vv.htm

b. In full: http://www.TeachOlogy.xyz/vvli.html

The proof of the quality of my experience: http://www.GoMars.xyz/evvv.html

The proof of the breadth of my experience: http://www.Cognisity.How

I know this is not an orthodox way to seek a VC collaborator, but my professional experience makes me an unorthodox expert who is looking for unorthodox individuals.

For venture capitalists and philanthropists who would be willing to support less unorthodox projects, I can offer the following:

Books:

These two books provide unparalleled insights into psychology and practice of education. Their translation from Russian would become an invaluable addition to the English literature on the matter.

1. Psychology of a human // Evgeni Isaev, Viktor Slobodchikov

Психология человека. Введение в психологию субъективности //

Евгений Исаев, Виктор Слободчиков

https://www.ozon.ru/context/detail/id/30603216/

2. Fundamentals of Pedagogy. Introduction into applied philosophy. // Sergei Gessen

Основы педагогики. Введение в прикладную философию //

Сергей Гессен

https://www.ozon.ru/context/detail/id/948446/

Documentaries:

I personally would be able run project # 4, including preparing and conducting lessons for future physics teachers, running laboratory exercises and problem-solving sessions, I also could oversee all other projects (# 1, 2, 3, 5).

1. Charter schools in America.

This documentary should have at least a dozen episodes;

Each episode should feature one charter schools (large and small, urban, rural, upscale), including actual lessons, interviews with teachers, students, parents, administrators, district officials, business representatives, discussing what was the reason for establishing the school, who were for and against it, what was expected, what was achieved, issues, problems, future.

2. Public schools in America (the structure is similar to #1).

3. Public schools in the world (the structure is similar to #1).

4. Becoming a physics teacher.

This documentary should feature a group of pre-service or in-service teachers who have no education in physics of physics education but want to become physics teachers. The series of episodes should feature teachers taking classes, doing homework, doing laboratory exercises, having discussions, solving physics problems, and also giving lessons to students, reflecting on their learning and teaching experience.

5. Becoming a math teacher (the structure is similar to #4).

Some examples of my writing on the matter:

A General “Algorithm” for Creating a Solution to a Physics Problem.

http://www.cognisity.how/2018/02/Algorithm.html

What does “thinking as a physicist” mean?

http://www.cognisity.how/2018/02/thinkphy.html

How I flipped my class without even knowing it.

http://www.cognisity.how/2018/02/flipp.html

How much of “cyber” in “cyberlearning” and "cyberthinking"??

http://www.cognisity.how/2017/12/cyber.html

The Essence of the Meaning of “Zone of Proximal Development”.

http://www.cognisity.how/2018/03/ZPD.html

Who and why should learn physics?

http://www.cognisity.how/2016/12/learnphy.html

Physics as a Door into STEM Education.

http://www.gomars.xyz/1717.html

Professional Designing as One of Key Competencies of Modern Teacher: an Ability Which Every Teacher Needs to Have.

http://www.cognisity.how/2016/10/facilitating.html

Fundamental Laws of TeachOlogy: a Handbook For a Beginner Teacher.

http://www.cognisity.how/2016/12/handbook.html

Becoming a STEM teacher: a crash course for people entering the profession.

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/665204

On a Definition of AI.

http://www.cognisity.how/2017/12/AIdef.html

Although, my papers are usually on teaching physics (because lately I mostly teach physics), however, the methodology can be applied to any STEM subject (I used it to teach and tutor Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Calculus, Problem Solving, Logic, and more).

________________

Dr. Valentin Voroshilov