Computer Based Learning Helps to Provide a Perfect Matching in Education
At a charter school in Arizona, computer programs are being used to help educate high school students. Carpe Diem is a school of 226 students, and only 5 teachers and 4 teaching assistants. Students work individually on computer programs which put them through lesson plans in language arts, math, science and history. Students are then brought together in small groups throughout the day with teachers to join in discussions and work on developing critical thinking. This structure of teaching allows students to have a more individualized lesson plan tailored to their learning needs, and also lets students move forward at their own speed. One 14 year old student has already completed five college level classes, and plans on being able to graduate high school a year early. The computer based learning program has allowed this student to progress her education at a higher speed than some of her other classmates are capable of, while still receiving attention and aid from teachers. Students asked felt that this program provided them with as much individual time with teachers as a traditional school program. After the success of this program at Carpe Diem, the program is now expanding and being adopted by schools in Indianapolis as well.
The use of this computer based learning system can help to provide a perfect matching between the needs of students and the time available to teachers. In a traditional school system all of the students are vying for the attention of a single teacher, yet all of these students have different problems and areas which they need to focus on. The teacher is then forced to divide their time between students, yet while the teacher focuses on a single student the others are left with little to do. This scenario can be shown as a network model of a market in which the Teacher’s attention/time is the lone product, and multiple students all desire this.
By introducing the computer based learning system, more products are added to the market. The software program can be individually suited to each student, so that they all have a computer and software package which they would be able to learn from. The teacher could then rotate between students, spending individual time with each, yet none of the students would be neglected. This way, a perfect matching is available as each student has a product, access to some form of eductation, which they want. One student will be able to individually work with a teacher, or a group of students could work with the teacher and all the “buyers” would still recieve a product they want.
The use of this computer based learning program constantly provides students with a chance to learn and develope, and the lesson plans can be formated by an individual basis. Teachers don’t need to feel rushed since all the students will be able to constantly be engaged. The use of these computers provide a perfect matching to educate students, and depending upon the program’s success in other locations, this could be the method of education for the future.
Michael Alexander
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