I was listening to an old Freakanomics podcast where the guest was School of One, and their key message was that each student learns differently. Therefore, it doesn't make sense to teach kids to learn a certain way repeatedly. Instead, the students should apply to learn from various modalities to find one that is best suited for them. I like the idea of applying a comprehensive look to learning and offering a pedagogy for learning.

There are six different modes of learning:

1. Large Live Instruction

This is the kind of thing you see from an undergraduate general education course. 100+ students all sitting in stadium seating learning about John Locke or Descarte.

2. Small Live Instruction

As USC alumni, I always remember the admissions office proudly announcing the average class size was under 30.

3. Virtual Live Instruction

This represents the state of the world today where students are attending live learning sessions. There's a hilarious scene from SouthPark where Cartman addresses the flaw in virtual live instruction.

4. Independent Practice

Independent practice is the idea of learning on your own. We all have that one friend who neighbors who believes spending 10s of thousands of dollars on getting a degree is silly when you can learn on your own. Yup, they're not wrong.

5. Group Collaboration

If you've ever worked in a group setting, then there's not much more to say.

6. Independent Virtual

As an independent practice, the main difference is that you're doing it online. I suspect this modality will grow significantly for Master's students who will now be required to complete their thesis work online.

Appendix

• Teach to One's re-imagining the classroom.