Authentic Learning Requires Schools to Reimagine Learning
So far in Learning in School and Other Settings, Module 3 has resonated with me, and excited me the most. The ideas of providing students with authentic situations and real-world tools to solve problems makes sense to me. I believe the purpose of education is to provide students with relevant educational experiences that will equip them with necessary life skills. Student must be able to do more than just memorize facts or a sequence of steps. They need to be able to transfer their knowledge to new problems in new settings. If the lessons taught in school are not transferring to the larger community, we need to change our approach to teaching and learning.
Keeping education relevant is a challenging task, but the education system needs to make it a priority. When students have access to the internet, and other technological tools outside of the classroom, why are we asking them to complete learning tasks or assessments devoid of those tools? We need to teach students how to use the tools available to them to solve real-world problems. This will assist in their ability to understand and transfer their learning in a meaningful way. When students are largely going to be working in collaborative groups to solve problems outside of the classroom, why are we asking them to perform assessments independently in school? Schools need to open their doors and connect students to the world outside.
Technology and the use of social media can help create these connections to the outside world. Simply because students are young, does not mean they do not have a place in the digital community, or the ability to participate and contribute to it. We must provide students with these real-world tools. Students must begin navigating technology and the internet at the elementary level in order to be fluent users, creators, and sharers of digital media.Technology must be interwoven into all subjects and its integration is relevant to all teachers, at all levels. Digital technologies are changing the way people learn, play, socialize, and participate in civic life. Today’s children must learn to participate and contribute in a twenty-first century world through the use of technologies. This will require schools to reimagine teaching and learning, and start opening up their classrooms to the greater world.
The subject of invested time also rang true to me. A person may possess natural talent for a skill, but they only develop into an expert through hours and hours of practice. Whether you are an athlete, musician, mathematician, or writer, your skill does not reach expert status until you have invested a great deal of time and energy into it. If we are rushing through content, to complete a checklist of standards, we are not allowing students adequate time on the topic, to understand it deeply, practice it, and develop mastery. When thinking about my theory of learning, I would like to add more about the importance of time and practice.
What also struck me in Chapter 3 of How People Learn was that the time devoted to a topic must be on-task, and that requires motivation. Students must be motivated to invest their mental and physical energy into developing skills. It is not enough for a teacher to provide instructional time on a topic. Students must be engaged, motivated, and invested in their learning. The time spent on a learning task must be valuable, relevant, and meaningful to the learner.
Sources:
Bransford, J. (2000). How people learn: Brain, mind, experiences and school. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press.
Resnick, L. B. (1987). Learning In School and Out. Educational Researcher, 13-19. Retrieved October 10, 2016.
