Maybe a big part of the education problem is there's too much to learn in too short a time?

While browsing Reddit this AM I came across this post with the headline claim that "college students are testing at the level of 10-year-olds", and it perked my interest. I read the article and it seemed to be more of the generic complaints about young people not being up to snuff academically.

As it turns out people test out at different levels under different circumstances- whether that's meaningful or not isn't my point here.

I flashed back to a discussion I had some years ago with an older brother. It was this very same lack-of-academic-proficiency topic, and I brought up what was to me a fairly new thought - around 1900 one could learn all the known physics math within months or maybe a year. Nowadays it takes multiple years just to be up to date with very narrow areas such as particle point vs quantum gravity.

The amount of gained and retained knowledge has expanded exponentially as the means to collect, collate, and disperse information have grown in size and use from the Guttenberg press to today's literal world wide web of interconnected communications.

But we're still asking children and pre-adults (as well as alleged adults such as you and I) to be able to absorb a timeline of information - a timeline that has become more full and subject to subtleties - the world they're being asked to grow in to.

Not trying to be original, just thinking out loud.

Submitted July 5, 2026 at 04:39AM by RamaSchneider https://ift.tt/gXm1JT5

I used to mentor students in math, now I'm testing whether animated visuals actually replace what I did in person

Submission statement: this is a personal project I built myself, not monetized, sharing it here transparently to get real feedback, not to promote anything.

I spent time mentoring students in math before, mostly one-on-one, working through the stuff that's hard to get from a textbook or a lecture: seeing how a distribution actually shifts, why a vector operation does what it does, that kind of thing. Following up on a post I made here a few days ago about whether animated visuals can do some of that same work.

I built a small YouTube channel to test it directly, turning the concepts I used to walk students through by hand into fully animated lessons, from basic statistics up through linear algebra and neural networks. Search MathUnlockedYT on YouTube if you want to see what it actually looks like.

The open question for me is the same one I had when I was mentoring in person: does a student actually get it faster when they can see the concept move, or does a good explanation on paper do the same job if it's written well? I don't think animation is automatically better, I think it depends on the concept.

If you've taught or tutored these subjects, I'd like to know which specific concepts you found genuinely needed a visual to click versus the ones where a clear explanation was always enough.

Submitted July 5, 2026 at 02:54AM by No-Mango8172 https://ift.tt/R1FOCsi

Is Khan Accademy a great tool for learning World History, US History, etc.?

I stumbled upon their playlist, which is very neat and organized. I was wondering if it’d be a great, balanced source to learn.

Submitted July 4, 2026 at 11:13AM by Iiminal_spaces https://ift.tt/7JbenVU

A communicative teaching strategy

I’ve been thinking a lot about communication in education, especially after working with a non‑verbal pupil who relied on BSL. We used signs for months to help him express needs and emotions, and eventually he spoke a few words. It was one of those moments that stays with you.

It made me realise how important it is for schools to have accessible communication options built into their curriculum. That experience led me to create structured BSL learning materials that can be integrated into different educational settings.

I’m interested in how other educators incorporate alternative communication methods into their curriculum and what impact you’ve seen.

Submitted July 4, 2026 at 04:19AM by PsychologyFan3011 https://ift.tt/Bpd60zN

Is Crash Course great for learning World History, Political Theory, and US History?

I’m looking for a simple but highly effective way of learning history and political theory. Just wondering if Crash Course is a great option.

Submitted July 3, 2026 at 04:52PM by Iiminal_spaces https://ift.tt/UbzOGYZ

Any Help Please

Hello,

I didn't go to college but I am an author and I do love my work with the youth

I want to write a dissertation even if it's a mini one to challenge myself I already have the topic (how community effort can improve urban education) basically how school education + immediate community effort can improve student outcomes

I know that it's a lot of work involved but I really do believe that when it's finished it could not only help those in my community but inspire other students too

My dilemma is that I've never written anything to this magnitude in my entire life and I need help on what I need to include for it to be as legit as possible

Obviously it won't be defended in the traditional sense but I have multiple schools in my area that I would like to present it to when completed

Any help is appreciated thank you

Submitted July 3, 2026 at 01:33PM by Few-Significance4635 https://ift.tt/VXuKU8v

Do animated visual explanations actually help students understand math better?

I’ve been experimenting with a system that turns math topics into animated visual explanations instead of static slides or talking-head lessons.

The idea is simple: concepts like averages, distributions, functions, and probability become easier when students can see the movement instead of only reading formulas.

For teachers or students here: do you think this type of animated explanation is actually useful in education, or does it just look nice without improving understanding?

I’m especially curious where visuals help most: math, statistics, finance, science, or something else.

Submitted July 3, 2026 at 01:41PM by No-Mango8172 https://ift.tt/fBUnEWK