Forget What You Know

[Andrew]

TEDxTeen - Jacob Barnett: Forget What You Know

Jacob Barnett is an American mathematician and child prodigy.



Things to consider... pause from learning... so as to start thinking... in order to create.



My Jacob's Place

[EufemiaK]

So, Mr. Andrew, we have the right not to study for next time?

[Andrew]

So, Mr. Andrew, we have the right not to study for next time?

You wish.

[ChrisS]

Really good video. I totally agree with Jacob. If we all think how all great breakthroughs occurred we will notice that none of the people who invented, discovered them were actually thinking of them. Take for example Isaac Newton the idea for his laws came while he was sitting under a tree and an apple fell onto his head. The process of creating, producing something new doesn't come from what we already know, we have to think about it.

[VasilikiR]

I really enjoyed the video and I found it interesting!
Going to school provides us a great variety of knowledge. However, we are not taught how to develop our way of thinking so as to produce or create! In this way, we only memorise things and probably we act like robots. Of course the solution to this problem is not to stop studying or going to school but (as Jacob Barnett said and considering the fact that true knowledge comes from real life and not from the books) start THINKING and doing things and activities which make us feel good! If we succeed in it then we can create...

[DimitraB]

I found the video interesting and original .Jacob suggests we stop learning and start thinking of something related to what we fancy doing . Well this point of view doesn't really respond to reality for young children for me , because of you have to be in an advanced level, in order to have knowledge and discover or invent . Take Isaac Newton for example he wasn't ten when he stated the theory of gravity .He was an knowledgeable scientist and only then he gave this method a go .

[CatherineA]

I found this video incredible. Jacob was so inspiring. It's important that we start thinking instead of learning everything we need to in order to be good at school. What you're taught in school is what the government of your country decided you should be learning. That, of course, doesn't mean you should stop studying. You should, however, think about what you learn and try to find answers to your questions by looking for them everywhere you can, not by memorizing long texts and making sure that your teachers or your parents are proud of you.

[ChrisP]

I definately agree with Dimitra. In order to create something new in the field we like, we must know many things about this certain field. For example in Physics (randomly speaking) you can't just create a new law or theory or whatever without knowing the basics and this is something which was mentioned on the video. SO, first learn as much as you can about the field you are interested in and then stop to think and create.

[DimitraB]

Apart from that I wanted to say that he mentions in the video that he is autistic - I refered to this because a couple of months ago I'd read an article related to a form of autism called Asperger .

These children are very gifted, extremely smart and also self-taught, although they have some problems in communication or physical disorders and many other things and the man who wrote that gave the example of a guy who has learned 16 languages on his own except from his mother tongue and he is approximately 20 and doesn't know how to tie his shoes like Jacob. So, I suspect Jacob may be one of these cases due to that in the field of Science he actually ran before he walked. It seems just so weird to me !

Thank you Chris

[MatinaT]

What a remarkable kid! His lecture was really interesting and amusing. I totally agree with Chris because most of the greatest inventions happened accidentally and this is what this kid means. He suggests that we should do more thinking than learning, because this way we can come up with great inventions too.

And this is what we all should do in our lives.