X-Message-Number: 30050
From: 
Date: Thu, 22 Nov 2007 11:55:41 EST
Subject: educational psychology

"Unperson" wrote about THE CORRUPTION OF REALITY, but what is the lesson?  We 
all know that we are compelled to put piles of nasty stuff out of our minds  
most of the time. If we were to dwell too much on the horrors of life we  

couldn't stand it. Discussion of the mechanics of various kinds of illusion is
interesting, but so what? I don't think the lesson is that we should look for  
ways to introduce realism using the techniques of illusion, except perhaps to  
the extent that many types of learning or indoctrination share  commonalities.
 
Just possibly one way of improving effectiveness in recruiting  might be a 
conscious switch from "selling" to "educating." So, are  professional 

educational psychologists any more effective than professional  marketers? Given
the 

many failed fads in education, one may be doubtful. But we  are in fact engaged

in a campaign of education, and it is not hopeless, as we  have seen. Just very
hard.
 
Ronald Havelock, with a doctorate in psychology, has told us  that he doesn't 
know the answers, and doesn't know anyone who does. But we need  to look at 
it quantitatively. If the question is how to make cryonics universal  next 

year, we don't know the answers. If the question is how to grow cryonics,  we do
know one kind of answer, namely, keep on doing what we're doing. 
 
The challenge is to accelerate our growth by changes or  improvements in 

tactics. I was a teacher for many years, and most of us know at  least a few of

the reliable principles. In particular, you work in increments  and don't expect
instant hallelujah. You don't expect students to learn  instantly or even to 
acknowledge the value of learning, since many of them are  there more or less 
involuntarily. (Even in college, many courses are taken  because of 
requirements, not because of interest.) 
 
In practice this means, among other things, that you set  reasonable goals, 

not too high and not too low, and adjusted to the individual.  You don't demand
the impossible, and you don't accept withdrawal. And you keep  at it.
 
And once more, this means that for the most part you  don't look for magic 
wands or offer brilliant suggestions for others to  implement. You do what you 
can do, yourself, right now--and  everyone can  do something to help others 
learn.
 
Robert Ettinger  

 



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