From Russia with Math How Estonia’s School Plans Evolved into Top-Notch Achievement in Math, Science, and Reading outside Asia

Redefining Education How Estonia Transformed Its School System in Just 5 Years, Emerging as a Top Performer in Math, Science, and Reading Beyond Asia

Imagine a world where our brains are so advanced that they don’t need all that extra hardware. It’s like upgrading your computer software and suddenly realizing that your brain has shrunk! Yes, our thinking has evolved, thanks to the collective power of human minds working together. We’ve become a distributed system, outsourcing some of our thinking to the vast realm of collective computation.

You see, much of our thinking is not innate, but rather a result of our culture. We’ve acquired tools for thinking that have been passed down through generations. We can count beyond our fingers and read, write, and learn through the magic of text. We even reason abstractly using syllogisms and approximations of formal logic. As Friedrich Hayek put it, “it’s culture that has made us intelligent, not intelligence that has made culture.”

Take Estonia, for example. In 1996, they decided to revolutionize their education system, creating the most technologically advanced curriculum in the world. They were like a fearless driver, stepping on the accelerator and leaving other countries in the dust. They invested in computers, the Internet, and native-language electronic courseware. They were building a clever collective brain.

By 2001, every school in Estonia was Internet-connected, and all students had access to computers. It was like they plugged themselves into the world’s collective brain. Teachers were trained in technology, and a platform called SchoolLife was launched for them to share ideas and resources. Estonia was playing the education game like a pro, using the power of collective brain thinking and sociality.

The results were astonishing. Estonia became the top non-Asian country in math, science, and reading. They were raising a generation of super-smart individuals who could out-math, out-science, and out-read anyone. They continued to invest in their people, introducing programming and algorithms to six-year-olds and implementing innovative approaches to math education.

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You might think, “But I was never really good at math.” Well, in many Western cultures, attitudes towards numeracy and literacy are skewed. In contrast, in many Asian cultures, math is seen as a skill that can be developed with practice, just like reading. It’s about having the right instruction and attitude. And guess what? Our minds are highly flexible. We can hack our psychology to become better at anything.

Let me give you an example. During the pandemic, we tested different math curricula from around the world. We discovered that the Singaporean and Shanghai curricula worked wonders. By making small changes in how we teach math, we saw our kids solving complex equations and rearranging multivariable equations before they even reached double-digits in age. It all came down to the power of effective teaching.

Education is the key to evolving our collective brain. We need to prioritize what we assume people are bad at and find better ways to teach those skills. Imagine a future where everyone can reason logically and think critically. A world where we all have the tools to interpret information, solve problems, and make informed decisions. It’s within our reach, if we’re willing to step off the beaten path and embrace innovative approaches to education.

In fact, Elon Musk’s Astranova school is a prime example of this. It focuses on first principle learning and real-world relevance. Instead of starting with the parts, they hand students the engine and let them figure it out. It’s a practical and relevant approach that keeps students engaged and motivated. Innovation like this is what we need to raise our collective IQ.

So let’s rethink education. Let’s break free from suboptimal local equilibria and embrace new ways of teaching and learning. Every country, every individual has the power to make a difference. It’s time to invest in our people, prioritize education, and create a brighter future for us all.

This article is an excerpt from “A Theory of Everyone: The New Science of Who We Are, How We Got Here, and Where We’re Going,” by Michael Muthukrishna. Published by The MIT Press.