"Hacking Your Education" which is about

“Hacking Your Education”的書

my own non-traditional educational background

書中介紹了我非傳統的教育歷程

and it tells my story in a narrative basis,

本書紀錄了我一路走來的經過

but it also weaves the story together about

同時也彙集了40位受訪者訪談的內容

40 other people I've interviewed

他們從未踏入傳統教育體系

who've done interesting things in their lives

卻都有著不同凡響的人生

without relying the form of education.

有些人順利拿到了大學學位，一些人沒有

Some got college degrees, some didn't,

有些人甚至沒進過大學

some never went, but the common things' that

但這些人的共通點是

what they do professionally

他們所從事的專業領域和學校所學壓根扯不上邊

has absolutely nothing to do with

在我12歲就讀小五時

what they've learned in the classroom.

我跑到爸媽面前，說我不想上學

When I was in 5th grade, I was 12,

當然很多小學生都會這麼說

I came into my parents and said to them that

但我爸媽卻認真地把我的話聽進去

I didn't want to go to school,

他們對我說：「你有權決定自己的人生

well a lot of 5th grader said that,

但你心裡要有個底

but my parents actually took me seriously,

如果你決定不上學，之後卻又心回意轉的話

and they said, "You know it's your life,

情況可能會非常糟。」

you should make your own decisions,

那晚我爸媽輾轉難眠

if you don't want to go to school

擔心我離開學校後自學的情況

the worst thing could possibly happen

我媽是老師，我爸是工程師

as you might go back one day."

他們都沒有自學的經驗

My parents spent their sleepless night

但最後他們還是決定放手

wondering about whether or not I would be able to

讓我成了「校外自學生(unschooler)」的一員

sit outside the school

我沒上中學，但我和通曉商業領域的老師學習、

But my mother was a school teacher,

在法國待了半年、擔任社區志工，

my dad, an engineer both products off the system,

作了許多在學校不能作的事

but ultimately they allowed me to become an unschooler,

「校外自學」的概念要追溯到60年代

the self directed from home schooling.

這個名詞是由紐約一位

So instead of going to middle school and high school,

任教27年的老師John Holt所創

I found mentor that know businesses,

他長期專研於我們汲汲營營想突破的難題：

I did internships, I lived in France for half a year,

「如何改善學校教育？」

I volunteered my community,

各種解答如雪片般飛來

I was able to do things that I would've never been able

如「縮小教室規模」、「教育客製化」…等

to do, had I been inside a classroom.

但 John 最終領悟到一點，

Unschooling is an educational philosophy

我們搞錯問題了，

that started back in the 1960s,

真正的問題是：「我們究竟想從學校教育中獲得什麼？」

the term was coined by a guy named John Holt,

我們認為學校的功用在於建立社群?

he's a teacher in New York City for 27 years,

或建立更完整、和諧的社會嗎？

and he's been asking the question you normally ask

或者，學校是用來傳遞知識的媒介？

when you talk about improving something,

而其中，我們又該如何實踐這些理念呢？

he's been asking "How do We Make School Better?"

讓我先把話題轉到教改議題上，

and that came up with all the traditional solutions

大家都愛談教改所帶來的影響，

of getting class size smaller,

但我得先提醒你們，

personalizing the education,

教改的概念，尤其是去制度化的教育

and he eventually came out with a conclusion that

並不是什麼新發明

that was not the right question,

早在 1920 年，A. S. Neil 就於英國

the right question to ask was rather the outcome

設立了「夏山學校」”Summer Hill”

do we really want from school,

1960 年時他的同名書籍問世

do we want schools to form a community?

書裡介紹了他民主、自由化制度的學校

Do we want to get social equalizer?

這本書在1960~73年的13年內狂銷300萬本

Do we want it to deliver knowledge?

夏山學校是一所學風完全自由的學校

So, based on those outcomes,

沒有所謂的固定課程

what is the best way to actually achieve those outcomes?

學生可以自己決定由哪些老師來上課

Now I go back to this,

學校在各層面都是以學生為出發點

because people like to talk about education reform

在 70 年代時，紐約教師 John Holt 創辦了

that changes the education system today,

「無校成長（“Growing without Schooling”）」雜誌

but I want to remind you all that education reform,

以推廣他的理念，

particularily ideas about anti-institutional educational

有趣的是，雜誌送到訂戶信箱時，

are not new.

是被牛皮紙袋包著的

A. S. Neil started a school in UK in 1920s

有如被郵局視為不妥

called Summer Hill,

或被鄰居嫌惡的色情刊物一般

Neil wrote a book by the same name in 1960

這就是當時為了改變教育

and that book, about a democratic free school,

所採取的激進且瘋狂的手段

sold 3 million copies of the 13-year period

真正的問題不是我們該不該上學

from 1960 to 1973,

而是我們是否信任人類與生俱來好奇心的力量

Summer Hill is a democratic free school that teachers...

真正的問題是，難道人類一定得經由某種系統

that there's no curriculum,

受訓服、塑型、測試，最終定型嗎？

students hire the teachers,

和麵粉沒什麼兩樣？

and it's student-center in any possible way.

或是我們可以透過手上的工具

John Holt sold a magazine called

懂得提出問題、進而解決問題？

"Growing without Schooling" in 1970s

另外，有件事我得重新聲明

to push his idea into the world,

「在家自學」(homeschooling) 和「校外自學」(unschooling)

and the interesting thing is that the magazine

是完全不同的

was actually deliver to your mail box,

我爸媽並非因為不想教我演化學就讓我自學

in a brown paper bag,

完全不是這樣的

as those content would be as the objectional

走出校園是我自己的意思

to the postmaster, or to your neighbors

而且「校外自學」是出於教育意義的。

as an pornography,

另外一點是，「校外自學」和走出校門

and that's how crazy and radical this idea

也並不代表我就一定得孤軍奮戰

about turning education were.

我不會整天房門緊閉、

The real question here is not about whether you should

花16個小時盯著電腦看教學影片

go to school or whether you should leave school,

我在非常有活力朝氣的環境下學習

is about whether or not we trust people

大家也都非常支持我的選擇

on innate capacity to be curious.

我的經驗豐富，我參加競選活動、

And that's the real question,

我創辦社團、搞樂團、在當地圖書館當志工、

do we think people need to be put into a system,

參加研討會、在矽谷新創公司工作，

to be guided and molded and tested and shaped?

即使我和傳統教育疏離長達6年

Like a bag of flour?

我還是去了大學

Or do we think that to left you own your devices

因為那是我想做的事

and you'll be able to ask questions,

即使我不是出於這個教育體系

answered that, and came up with answers.

我以朋友的例子為我走出校門的理由背書

One point that I want to stopped on and clarify is that

我的好友Sara也沒上學，但她進了哈佛

"homeschooling" is not the same thing as "unschooling"

所以我一定也作得到，對吧？

my parents didn't pull me out of school

我爸媽都讀過大學

because they didn't want to teach me elvolution

而我的朋友們也即將成為新鮮人

it's not the case at all.

大學向來都被視為評斷教育程度的標準對吧？

Leaving school was my idea,

但我在大學中，

and unschooling is something that has done

卻發現那些我小五時就存在的問題依舊屹立在那

for educational reason.

大家念大學不是因為想學習

Another good thing to clarify is that unschooling

也不是因為他們對某些領域感興趣

and leaving school doesn't mean that

是因為他們不知道該做些什麼

I've learned in a solitary way,

但這是再平常不過的事

I wasn't sitting in my room, on my computer,

我也不知道我想做什麼

looking a lecture for 16 hours a day.

我才20歲，多數20歲的年輕人也沒有一個明確的方向

I had a very vibrant community who were around me,

但要是你不知道該做些什麼

who were able to support me in the process,

校園外到處都有各種替代方案

so like I mentioned, I did things like

能幫你省下4年的高等教育學費

running political campaign,

而難題之一是大學學費飆漲的現象

I organized club of groups,

自1980年起，美國大學學貸的金額已成長超過350%

I played in band, I helped in the library in my hometown,

超越交通、健保、醫療的經濟成長規模

I went to conferences, I worked in silicon valley start ups,

而其他國家似乎也依樣畫葫蘆

and eventually even after spending 6 years

去年英國的學費一口氣漲了3倍

outside the system, I still went to college,

南美洲各地也正為抗漲大學學費發起大規模示威抗議

and that's because it's what I thought

不難想像之後各大學也將跟進喊漲

the next step was, even as an unschooler,

美國的大學生畢業時將負債兩萬七美金

I justify my choice to leave school by saying

對年輕人來說實在是個天文數字

"Hey my friend Sara was unschool

若你想償還債務的話

and she got in to Harvard,

似乎只有一條路可選擇：信用卡

so it must be OK for me too, right?"

學貸累積債務目前已超越了信用卡

My parents have gone my peers are going,

突破1兆美元

that's what the society expects you to do

這是非常嚇人的數字

if you want to be an educated member of society right?

對經濟的破壞力甚至更勝房貸危機

And I found that in college the same frustration

問題不只在高漲的學費

I had in my 5th grade classroom was still present.

我們的教育品質也每下愈況

People were not because they actually wanted to learn,

紐約時報曾作過一篇名為「混沌世代」的報導

because they knew what they are curious about,

在25歲以下擁有大學學歷的族群中

but because they didn't know what else to do

高達22.5%的人沒有工作

with their lives, and that's perfectly normal,

22%人的工作和所學無關

I don't know what to do with my life,

我想沒人會為了在星巴克工作而去讀耶魯大學英文系

I'm 20, and most 20-year old don't either,

而學校的成績標準也逐年寬鬆

but if you don't know what to do with your life,

6年前成績A以上的評比僅占15%

they are a lot cheaper ways to spend for 4 years

如今卻超過40%

than in the institution of higher education.

校園的學術風氣也不再濃厚

And one of the massive problems is that

據紐約大學去年統計

the cost of college is rising astronomically,

高達36%的大學生在經歷了4年的大學生涯後

and the US loan for the cost of college since 1980

在批判性思考、推理理解、和寫作上的表現

has got more than 350% more than any of good economy,

絲毫沒有什麼進步

like transportation, healthcare, medical cost

所以說，問題不只是學費變貴

and it's quickly being followed by

教育的價值也爆跌

the cost of education in other countries,

我的論點並不在於學校的存廢

the UK triple tuition fees last year,

而是我覺得社會應該要提供

they protest all across South America right now

更多不同的管道讓我們學習

about the rising cost of college,

在我放棄念大學的前一個禮拜

and it's not hard to imagine that other places won't

有天我在餐廳吃晚餐

soon will have to raise university tuition fees

一個朋友問我在離開大學後有什麼打算

to be sustainable.

之後他問了一個我覺得有點好笑的問題

The other thing US students

不是因為他覺得把妹、喝酒才是念大學的目的

take some 27,000 in debt upon graduation,

老實說這可能是念大學最棒的理由

which is an astronomically number

好笑的是，他忘了不用念大學也能做這些事

and it really forces you in one path

就算沒讀大學

if you want to be able to pay back

你依然可以喝到爛醉、約會對吧？

your loans when you graduated.

你沒必要一年花4萬美金去做這些事

Student loan debts is now surpassing credit card debts,

也不必為了念書花4萬美金在大學上

that's more than 1 trillion dollars,

當我瞭解到這些時

which is pretty scary and means we might

我終於能反駁他

have a crisis on our hands

比起窩在大學裡喝酒把妹

that could be bigger than the housing bubble.

我更嚮往在外頭喝香檳、

But the problem is not just the cost is rising,

交朋友的生活

but the quality is declining at the same time,

於是我開始在uncollege.org網站上

this is why the New York Times has writing article

發表我對大學教育失望的觀感

about "Generation Limbo",

經過了幾年的努力

the generation of college students who are under 25,

我們建立、提供了一套教育系統

who hold college degree,

給那些不想進大學的人

of them 22.5% are unemployed,

我們開辦學術營、邀請來自世界各地的人

the other 22% are working in jobs

透過自我要求的方式學習

that don't required their degrees,

明年我們也計畫開辦

they didn't except to go to Yale

「自學體驗營」”Gap Year Programme”

and get a English degree just to work in Starbucks.

讓大家對校外自學有更進一步得了解

There's been a referent grade inflation,

當然我們的行動不過是滄海一粟

6 years ago only 15% of grades were

因為「教育分權」已經是未來教育的趨勢了

going to be over A, today more than 40% are.

我們到學校上學

And academically adrift was something

透過學校、教授、老師、教室、網路、社區獲取知識

on the NYU last year, from that 36% of students over

現在，這些情況都將有所改變

the course of 4 years of college showed no improvement

我們一向去課堂上聽課

whatsoever on skill like critical thinking,

但MIT的線上課程早已邁入第11年

complex reasoning and writing.

近年來我們看見各種新型教育方式

So challenges are not just about the cost,

這意味著知識唾手可得

but the quality is plummeting as well.

可能因此有些無趣

My argument is not that the school should go away,

更讓人期待的是

but rather there should be more ways for people

我們可以想出各種教育模式

to forge multiple paths.

觀察這些孕育知識的寶庫裡的新鮮事

About a week before I left college,

有沒有新的技術

I was having dinner in the cafeteria,

甚至讓大家打造出心目中的教室

a friend of mine was asking serious question about

這就是「教育分權」的過程

how and what am I going to do when I left school,

最後，要讓大學分權化最大的難題

and finally he came out with these question,

就是衍生效應的問題了

which I found that was a little bit funny,

大學學歷就像是貨幣一樣

not because that he thought that going to

在職場中可以作為代表一個在某些方面的技術和能力

date girls and drink beers was main purpose of college,

但如果你想在矽谷當工程師或程式設計師

actually it's like one of the best reason

秀出履歷或成績單是沒用的

to go to college honestly,

你得拿出你的作品

but rather he didn't understand that's something

把作品上傳到“Github” 或“Stack Overflow”

you can do outside the university.

之類的網站上

You can get drunk, and go on date

證明你有能力在這家公司有所貢獻

in the real world too, right?

能真的在工作上創造出價值

You don't have to pay for 40,000 dollars a year

教育瞬息萬變的腳步是超乎你我想像的

to do that, just as the same,

我認為很多人在討論教育改革時都搞錯方向了

you don't have to pay 40,000a year to learn.

我之所以遠道而來和你們分享是因為

And I finally got about this

在我心中，我們要做的不是教改

i finally came up with a good comeback

我們應該要廢掉教育體制

that I prefer guys with champagne

20年後的今天也不會有教育制度這個名詞

and there was more than in San Francisco,

現今的教育制度讓大學文憑一文不值

but then everyone was a Arkansas while I was at college.

謝謝！

So I started writing publicly about

my frustration at uncollege.org

and sort of this movement is grown

over the course of past year

and now we provide resources

and create real world educational experiences

that people want to learn outside the university,

we provide academic camps,

get people all over the world to learn,

about the skills of self-directed learning,

and next year we also want to make

"Gap Year Programme" to take an entire whole of people

through the entire process of

what not going to school might look like.

But what we're doing is a little small piece

of the greater trend,

which is that education is becoming decentralized.

You used to go to school and get everything from it,

your professors, your teachers,

your classes, the network, the community,

and now those things are slowly being taken apart.

It used to be that you go to a lecture

and get that knowledge, and now MIT's

putting their courses online for over 11 years,

and more recently we see things like course room ...

but it also means that is pretty boring

the knowledge bit is easy to access.

What's more interesting is ultimate ways to find community,

looking in incubator to see what things can surprise there,

and look in things like skill shelter

which enable people to create real world classes

and that's how decentralizing parts of the university.

The last and probably the most difficult part

of the university to decentralize is its secondary effect.

College is an effective function as a form of currency

to show as a proxy to employers that you're confident

and can accomplish something in the world,

but already if you want to be a programmer