I had my students respond to a blog question about the Inauguration on our school teacher website this week. It was the first time I had used the feature. I seemed to be more excited about it than they were but I am glad I tried something new.
A learner is like a lot of things. I am having a hard time committing to an analogy. In many ways a learner is like a plant. We tend to put the pressure on the gardener but there are so many other factors that go into cultivating a successful plant from a seed. These historically have included sunlight, temperature, soil conditions, fertilizer, attention, other roots, and rainfall. I hang out in a biology classroom and these days we talk about so much more than your kindergarten seed in a paper cup. Now you have genetic engineering, selective breeding, and cloning. Technology meets the plant world on a regular basis. In Siemens, Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age, connectivism tells us that the "capacity to know more is more critical than what is currently known". This is true in both the research being done on plants and learning. As we discover more about the brain, our perceptions of learning have changed. Continual learning has become a concept schools are embracing. I am much more concerned about creating a student who knows where to find an answer than a student who as rote memorization skills. They are more likely to be successful lifelong learners. We have always wanted students to "grow" but the rules have definitely changed, as have theories on how to teach them.
"you can form connections with other people" through social networking with technology such as blogs and wikis that were originally established to keep people in the technology field up-to-date when the field was changing at such a fast rate. These "conversations" have a place in the educational world. Students need to be taught both technology skills and the ability to communicate with others as they learn in that same everchanging world.
Check out The Impact of Social Media on Learning
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I really liked the concept of your analogy that there is more than one participant and factors in the development and growth of the garden. Learning as an ongoing process is an important concept for not only educators,but students to understand. Embedding in students that even today the "fabulous Ms. Clunie" is still learning makes them laught. My purpose isn't to get a giggle, but to teach my students that we are always learning new things, tools, concepts, jobs, activities around our interests. Side note-you have done a wonderful job on your course work.....I can't seem to keep up with you! I am going to try and get ahead this week-weekend! Hope all is well with the baby!
ReplyDeleteI like your emphasis on being "much more concerned about creating a student who knows where to find an answer than a student who as rote memorization skills." That is certainly a skill that today's learners will need to rely on more and more in the future.
ReplyDeleteDr. Burgos
I love what you said about wanting your students to be able to find answers for themselves instead of simply memorizing information. This is something that I have been trying to do with my students using Harvey Silvers Thoughtful Education program. It is truly amazing, students are encouraged to use their understanding of new concepts and relate it to their own lives. It amazes me what thinkers I have in my class! The other day I used a KWL with them and I could not believe some of the questions they wanted to discover. Students need to be encouraged to ask themselves thought revoking questions. It is exciting that students have so many resources today to answer their questions!
ReplyDeleteHi Marnie, I really enjoyed reading about your personal views on education and the many factors that affects today’s learner, great analogy!! I agree with all those great points you make, especially the one where you go on explaining the importance of letting our students experience things on their own and give the opportunity to become “lifelong learners” by learning from their own experiences and understanding the reasoning behind certain educational topics instead of just giving them diverse information and asking them to simply retain it. I too think it’s better to give students the tools to figure out an “answer” then to simply ask them to memorize important facts that to them may not mean a whole lot. I love your ideas and I can’t wait to keep reading all your thoughts on future assignments:-)
ReplyDelete~Karla Darby~