Scott Alexander discusses and responds to comments on his article about the effects of missing school, exploring various perspectives and reflecting on education's value and impact. Longer summary

This post discusses the comments on Scott Alexander's previous article about the effects of missing school on children's education. It covers various perspectives, including personal anecdotes of people who missed school and succeeded, concerns about the impact on disadvantaged children, debates about the value of schooling beyond test scores, and Scott's reflections on the reactions to his original post. The author also shares his thoughts on the nature of education, forced activities for children, and the ethical implications of arguing for weaker positions while holding stronger views. Shorter summary

The review examines John Holt's 'How Children Fail', critiquing traditional education and suggesting modern alternatives to improve learning. Longer summary

This book review discusses John Holt's 'How Children Fail', a critique of traditional schooling methods. The reviewer, who read the book as a child, presents Holt's observations on why children struggle in school, including issues with strategy, fear, and boredom. The review explores how school's structure, with its focus on external motivation and accountability, can hinder natural learning processes. It also touches on the long-term psychological effects of schooling and the trade-off between efficiency and control in education. The reviewer concludes by suggesting that modern technology might offer solutions to some of the problems Holt identified, and calls for rethinking our approach to education in light of recent disruptions to traditional schooling. Shorter summary

The post reviews Laszlo Polgar's book on raising genius children, discussing his educational philosophy and methods, while noting that his success likely comes from early specialization, focus, and one-on-one instruction. Longer summary

This post reviews Laszlo Polgar's book 'Raise A Genius!', which details his methods for educating children to become geniuses. The author notes that while Polgar doesn't reveal many specific secrets, he emphasizes early specialization, intensive focus on a single subject, and continuous learning. The book discusses Polgar's educational philosophy, including the importance of making learning enjoyable, fostering a sense of accomplishment, and adapting instruction to the child's age and abilities. The review also explores Polgar's views on play, peer interaction, curriculum design, and competition. The author concludes that while Polgar's advice is mostly common sense, his success may be attributed to starting early, focusing on one subject, providing one-on-one instruction, and being a naturally gifted educator. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander explores Laszlo Polgar's successful educational methods that produced chess prodigies, analyzing possible explanations and lamenting the unavailability of Polgar's book on his techniques. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses the extraordinary success of Laszlo Polgar's educational methods, which produced three chess prodigy daughters. He examines possible explanations for their success, including genetic factors, practice, and potential unique educational techniques. Scott expresses frustration at being unable to find Polgar's book detailing his methods, and considers the implications of such effective educational techniques. He compares the Polgar sisters' education favorably to typical public schooling, questioning why such potentially revolutionary methods aren't more widely known or implemented. Shorter summary

The author humorously advocates for the revival of boustrophedon, an ancient Greek writing system, as a more efficient reading method. Longer summary

This post humorously introduces the concept of boustrophedon, an ancient Greek writing system that alternates between left-to-right and right-to-left lines. The author argues that boustrophedon is more efficient for readers but was abandoned due to scribes' laziness. He then jokingly announces that his blog will now display in boustrophedon, comparing it to other 'weird-but-effective' practices like DVORAK keyboards, polyamory, and homeschooling. The post ends with a recommendation for a boustrophedon text reader, playfully suggesting a movement towards this writing system. Shorter summary