Anna-Lena Laurén: the Knowledge that sits between the ears makes us better equipped to nättroll

– Your governor here in Tula has an official residence in the centre of Moscow, which is 333 square feet. As a state official, he has admittedly the right to a home, according to the law of 18 square meters per family member. How many children should he have to this object must correspond to the norm?

Two seconds later, shouted the youth in the audience that the governor should have twenty children. (The exact answer is 18.5.) They are counted immediately out the approximate answer in your head, without taking out their phones.

the knowledge is in the mental arithmetic on a completely different level than in most northern european countries. You see it in all sorts of contexts.

One of my favorite examples is when you go marsjrutka, that is to say, the minivan, on the town. At the same time as the driver dials the overcrowded bus, he takes charge of the passengers. Someone shouts ”three people” and so walks the money out hand in hand all the way up to the driver, who receives them, counting out the sum, counting out the switch and put it back in the right växelsumma in the nearest outstretched hand. (Then walk sum hand-in-hand back to the right passenger.) I have still never been any complains in the wrong gear.

You need not be a mathematical genius to figure out what three times forty-five is. But to daily make hundreds of calculations are necessary in the head at the same time as controlling a minibus in Moscow rush hour traffic is nothing that I myself would bring. (A marsjrutka driver just stops to pick up passengers, the payment is made while the car is in motion.) These drivers can handle it is because they are trained in mental arithmetic since childhood.

Russia is still the best in the world when it comes to sports like figure skating and rhythmic sportgymnastik. However, not in football.

In Russia there is a much greater readiness than of us to practice things until they are sitting in the spine - in a way that frees creativity and konstnärligheten. It results not only in the world's best figure skaters and rhythmic gymnasts, but also in the programmer and the mathematician of the class.

the Crux of the matter is that these programmers and mathematicians are moving overseas as fast as they get the chance.

the Crux of the matter is that these programmers and mathematicians are moving overseas as fast as they get the chance. They have received high-quality teaching and supervision in the natural sciences, but the Russian society lacks a mind for innovation and research excellence. The authoritarian heritage, combined with a genomkorrupt postsovjetiskt society, adds difficulties for the nobel prize and innovations. (And, I have a sense of, fotbollsframgångarna.)

to rid itself of its authoritarian inheritance is nothing new. But a modern democracy like Sweden should be capable to think about when it comes to education – but in the other direction.

There is no contradiction in the high knowledge requirements of students, while encouraging them to think for themselves and question the. On the contrary.

with the help of mental arithmetic to be able to form an idea of the orders of magnitude or do not need to look up the year of the French revolution makes the brain sorted. Knowledge that sits between the ears supports and provides assistance to the information you find on the net.

not, of course, with the prerequisites. In Russia, in parallel with high mathematical skills to be a strong tendency to believe in conspiracy theories and lies that are spread online. It depends largely on the russians, historically, have had to learn that nothing is as it appears to be.

In the fight against the trolls also requires an idea of what is reasonable. And it requires a confidence which often requires a longer experience of democracy.

in other words There is no excuse for Sweden or any other nordic country – not to have the world's best school.

Read more texts of DN's correspondent Anna-Lena Laurén here.