Is it possible that another way to help kids practice English is to give them a high-speed connection and more playtime together? 

It is an intriguing thought when you consider Sugata Mitra’s “Hole in the Wall” (HIW) experiment.   In 1999, he placed a computer with a high speed internet connection into a wall in an Indian slum.  It was discovered that children, the most curious ones first, came to explore the computer.  Eventually, many children were able to teach each other how to take advantage of the computer for play.   As more and more enterprising children tested the computer’s commands and shared their knowledge with other children in subsequent experiments, a new theory emerged in children’s learning that upturned the timeless role of supervision in education.   

It is termed Minimally Invasive Education (MIE), and it describes the emergent learning that occurs absent any supervision.  And MIE may have some positive applications for ESL.  Are teachers getting in the way with too much drill-based instruction?  What if there was some sort of software application/game that would engage groups of students to interact with it? 

Check out the original discussion on MIE from Sugata Mitra himself at the TED Conference.

more at [Frontline]

–Posted by Alison Cooper

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