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Revision as of 02:10, 26 August 2005 by 67.120.101.54 (talk) (partly merge previous version with later pro-scientology version)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Applied Scholastics is a non-profit corporation founded in 1972 to promote the use of "study technology" created by L. Ron Hubbard, a science fiction author and the founder of Scientology. This "study tech" borrows many techniques from Scientology. Applied Scholastics runs the Hollywood Education and Learning Project and the World Literacy Crusade. Critics claim that Applied Scholastics is nothing but a Scientology front group, a claim that Applied Scholastics rigorously denies. Proponents describe Applied Scholastics' mission as "to promote and develop programs of effective education for educators, business trainers, tutors, parents, children and people in all walks of life who need improved study skills to enhance their scholastic, business and personal activities."
Study Technology (or "study tech") is billed as an exact system which teaches one how to learn. It includes the identification of the specific barriers to learning, the tools to help a student grasp the material being studied, and the means to organize the basic learning environment toward the attainment of better results for both the student and teacher. The system is based on three principles: "misunderstoods," "gradients," and "mass."
"Misunderstoods" (or "M/U's") are words not understood by the student. According to Hubbard, "The only reason a person gives up a study or becomes confused or unable to learn is because he has gone past a word that was not understood." This concept is so important to Scientology and the "Study Technology" derived from it that the preceding sentence occurs in the beginning of nearly every book published by the Church of Scientology. To remedy this, students in a "study tech" curriculum (and Scientologists in general) are taught to use dictionaries extensively. While traditional educational theory recognizes that misunderstood words can hamper comprehension of material, it does not assign it the same importance as Hubbard does. Hubbard claimed that a single misunderstood word on a page can make a student forget the entire page.
"Gradients" are small chunks of information in the study of a subject. Just as one should not learn algebra until one has mastered arithmetic, Hubbard claims that students should not go on to a more complicated subject until the simpler ones are mastered. So, Hubbard advocates breaking down a complicated subject into numerous simpler ones to make learning easier.
"Mass," used in the study tech sense, is a difficult to understand Scientology-specific term. In this sense, it refers to the visible physical properties something has. Hubbard claims that one can't understand something unless one has seen it. This "study tech" was developed from Hubbard's experience in instructing students of Scientology. Indeed, much "study tech" literature is reproduced word from word from Scientology publications.
L. Ron Hubbard's credentials as an educator are generally poorly regarded outside of the Church of Scientology. His only academic qualification was a PhD from Sequoia University, a now defunct diploma mill, although he occasionally claimed to have degrees in engineering or nuclear physics. His teaching experience in a secular context was limited to teaching English for a month in Guam. The "Study Technology" has never been the subject of a peer reviewed study. As such, most non-Scientologist educators dismiss it outright.
Applied Scholastics licenses their "study technology" to a small number of Scientologist-run schools throughout the world.
External links
- Scientology v. Education: The Scam of Study Technology Critical site describing controversy relating to Study Tech and Scientology.
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