China's New Schoolmarm Is 'Squirrel AI' (technologyreview.com) 71
Long-time Slashdot reader theodp writes: MIT Technology Review's Karen Hao reports on China's grand experiment in AI education that could reshape how the world learns. "While academics have puzzled over best practices, China hasn't waited around," Hao writes. "It's the world's biggest experiment on AI in education, and no one can predict the outcome."
Profiled is Squirrel AI ("We Strive to Provide Every Student an AI Super Teacher!"), which has opened 2,000 learning centers in 200 cities and registered over a million students -- equal to New York City's entire public school system... Hao notes that the earliest efforts to "replicate" teachers date back to the 1970s, when computers first started being used in education. So, will AI-powered learning systems like Squirrel's deliver on the promise of PLATO's circa-1975 computer-assisted instruction?
From the article: Squirrel's innovation is in its granularity and scale. For every course it offers, its engineering team works with a group of master teachers to subdivide the subject into the smallest possible conceptual pieces. Middle school math, for example, is broken into over 10,000 atomic elements, or "knowledge points," such as rational numbers, the properties of a triangle, and the Pythagorean theorem. The goal is to diagnose a student's gaps in understanding as precisely as possible. By comparison, a textbook might divide the same subject into 3,000 points; ALEKS, an adaptive learning platform developed by US-based McGraw-Hill, which inspired Squirrel's, divides it into roughly 1,000.
Once the knowledge points are set, they are paired with video lectures, notes, worked examples, and practice problems. Their relationships -- how they build on each other and overlap -- are encoded in a "knowledge graph," also based on the master teachers' experience.
Profiled is Squirrel AI ("We Strive to Provide Every Student an AI Super Teacher!"), which has opened 2,000 learning centers in 200 cities and registered over a million students -- equal to New York City's entire public school system... Hao notes that the earliest efforts to "replicate" teachers date back to the 1970s, when computers first started being used in education. So, will AI-powered learning systems like Squirrel's deliver on the promise of PLATO's circa-1975 computer-assisted instruction?
From the article: Squirrel's innovation is in its granularity and scale. For every course it offers, its engineering team works with a group of master teachers to subdivide the subject into the smallest possible conceptual pieces. Middle school math, for example, is broken into over 10,000 atomic elements, or "knowledge points," such as rational numbers, the properties of a triangle, and the Pythagorean theorem. The goal is to diagnose a student's gaps in understanding as precisely as possible. By comparison, a textbook might divide the same subject into 3,000 points; ALEKS, an adaptive learning platform developed by US-based McGraw-Hill, which inspired Squirrel's, divides it into roughly 1,000.
Once the knowledge points are set, they are paired with video lectures, notes, worked examples, and practice problems. Their relationships -- how they build on each other and overlap -- are encoded in a "knowledge graph," also based on the master teachers' experience.
making 4channers (Score:1)
so students can learn and make a world view without any real human interaction all without leaving their mom's basement. Many then they'll get riled up by similar lab rats on social media, post manifestos and shoot up malls.
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plenty of left wingers exactly like that too. funny how gang shooters aren't counted in "mass shootings". most of those are Democrat supported welfare queens.
What pathetic (or hilarious) twaddle you peddle... (Score:2)
It's funny how you can't even convince yourself of that twaddle you peddle.
Which is why you immediately go from "plenty of left wingers" and "exactly like that" to "gang shooters". But since it's obvious even to you that criminal gangs are a BUSINESS ENTERPRISE you continue sliding that argument over to "welfare queens" canard.
But by then your point is so flaccid you have to insert another weasel word like "most" into it. After starting with that "plenty of" one at the start there.
Which is all still not eno
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lolz, the bulk of shootings are in Democrat controlled inner cities, with the rampant crime unchecked because Democrats don't want to alienate their welfare supported power base. Here in Chicago, Emanuel the previous mayor did away with the police's gang crime units, and crime skyrocketed. Police on the south side flash gang signs because they are part of the gangs.
You can't handle the truth. Take away inner city crime and suddenly USA violent crime statistics would be like European countries.
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Has it ever occurred to you that the reason they're so-called 'Democrat controlled' (whatever that's supposed to mean) is because old rich white people (who tend to be Republicans for some reason) don't want to live there? Yet you attribute crime and violence statistics in those areas to the 'fact' (according to you, that is) that they're 'Democrat controlled'? Oh and since you apparently believe that Democrats can 'control' things in areas where they're elected, then care
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actually false that Mexican gun cartels get most their guns from USA, that is false summary of DOJ report. A small percentage were traceable by serial, percentage of that went to USA, but most, 90% from elsewhere. Most guns in Mexico are from asia and south america.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
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you're spouting memes that have nothing to do with reality.
the white people in those areas are Democrat too. the places are indeed Democrat controlled with Democrat policies in play for decades, disconnecting people from the consequences of their actions, making them into adult babies that are wards of the state.
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You're assuming I'm a Republican? Stupid assumption, I am not, I have contempt for both major parties. Note the high crime shithole around the capital is Democrat controlled, has been since the inception of the office of Mayor of D.C. ... proves my point
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Unbelievable bullshit detected
Quit lying. Also why don't you just come right out and say what you really mean and feel: you're racist. It's very clear from your comments so why don't you just come clean with everyone? LOL.
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nope, not my beliefs
doesn't change the fact that while dozens are killed each year by those ultra-right wing hater types in headline grabbing events meanwhile THOUSANDS are slaughtered each year by non-whites on lib/Democrat side of the spectrum, aka inner city minorities
Re: making 4channers (Score:1)
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they can do all that wonderful stuff while being in school
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Re:making 4channers (Score:4, Interesting)
Squirrel AI is not a replacement for regular schools.
It is a private after-school tutoring service.
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Also I'd like to know: does any normal person ever use the word "schoolmarm"?
I grew up in the US in the 60's and 70's, and the term was fairly ubiquitous . . . even on television, which more or less indicates that everyone in the US knows what it means.
The term is, however, probably not very popular now.
I'm not a native English speaker but I've read my share of English books, and I've never come across this word before.
Try reading some books from a guy named Mark Twain.
Or just google on Mark Twain and Schoolmarm, for that matter.
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Not in this century, but, IIUC, it was common in the western US in the 1800's.
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You've got a bit of a point. This needs to be only a part of the answer. But the rest of it can be handled by those who, while knowledgeable, are not subject specialists.
Also, it makes a big difference what age group you're dealing with. But I can easily see a version of this replacing most instructors in academics, especially at beyond the 8th grade level, though it should be added gradually, probably being introduced in the 3rd grade, and quickly replacing all tests and exams.
That said, there are lots
Cool (Score:3)
How about critical thinking? (Score:1)
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"Squirrel" is one of the hardest words in the English language
My spouse learned English as an adult, and has difficulty pronouncing "squirrel", but she says the toughest word to learn was "twelfth".
But the Chinese don't say "squirrel", they say "songshu", which means "pine rat".
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But the Chinese don't say "squirrel", they say "songshu", which means "pine rat".
Actually, the English word "squirrel" is derived from ancient Greek.
It meant something like "shadow tail".
Machine Learning (Score:2)
Not every kid learns the same way (Score:4, Interesting)
When I was in school I was far ahead of the typical students in some areas, and far behind in others. If there hadn't been the small class sizes and human teachers who therefore had the time to work with me, things would not have gone so well for me. Teaching children is a very human experience and it needs a human touch to do it properly; simply programming a machine to do it isn't going to cut it.
I think perhaps removing human teachers of children is being done on purpose, perhaps, so that they can guarantee only 'State approved' material and attitudes are ever allowed in the classroom. How else are you going to create a nice, obedient generation of citizens, who don't think for themselves or question the government? Of course it'll eventually backfire on them, when they discover that in some cases it just doesn't work, and in most cases it just creates dull-witted drone people who aren't creative and can't function without being told constantly what to do.
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I think dislike the term AI in this context as much as you, but I am not as convinced this will be more destructive to atypical learners then current system. I have a daughter that has struggled with speech delay is a slow processor. She sores in the 90's in High School math if given 15 minutes extra.
Coupled together was not until the speech was solved that the slow processing came to light because the teacher failed to see beyond the communications gap. We have poured thousands and hundreds o
Transactional (Score:1)
A big part of learning from a teacher is a desire to impress or at least not disappoint the teacher. This idea may help diagnose weak spots and provide better focus to self led learning, but as long as it is still transactional and not based on a bond between people, it will fall short of a real tutor.
AI experiments (Score:2)
"also based on the master teachers' experience." (Score:1)
The idea behind these types of programs is to provide more personalized learnning. I've found that when kids are learning at their level, they actually like to learn.
I've worked with _a lot_ of these tools over the years, and the good ones always require interaction with a human teacher. They provide reports of where a student is struggling, and then the teacher will work with the student to resolve the issue, individually or in a small group with students that need similar interventions. The human ability