gwern comments on [Optimal Philanthropy] Laptops without instructions - Less Wrong

6 Post author: Raemon 31 October 2012 04:36PM

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Comment author: gwern 31 October 2012 07:05:37PM 1 point [-]

I thought the kids were allowed to take the laptops home in the Peruvian village study I was thinking of? If they can take them home and scores still don't improve much...

Comment author: Raemon 31 October 2012 07:31:21PM 3 points [-]

I could see (potentially) there being a dramatic difference between a teacher saying "take this computer home and play with it" and finding a box that comes with no external social pressure from authority figures. Not sure if the latter would be replicable though (some teachers have told me the biggest problem with educational research is that all the most promising experimental schools turn out to only really work in their original context).