Chapter 1Quote "The new culture of learning gives us the freedom to make the general personal and then share our personal experience in a way that, in turn, adds to the general flow of knowledge" (31). I chose this quote because it highlights the importance of the personal and individual freedoms inherent in the new culture of learning. I also like the use of chiasma with general and personal. Question How does personal experience add to the general flow of knowledge? Connection I appreciate this chapter's emphasis on the individual element of learning. A significant part of my role as a teacher is to motivate students to take the initiative with their own learning rather than relying on the teacher, their parents, or someone else to do the work for them. This chapter inspired me to brainstorm ideas that will motivate my students to self-start their learning. Epiphany The epiphany I had was simply thinking about what one does when searching Internet forums or playing online games. I guess that I did not think of these acts as learning because they are often attempts to fix a problem. However, when I thought about how invention is the result of necessity, and that we are asking students to be creative and inventive, I realized that making the learning personal and need-based is vital. Chapter 2Quote "Many traditional venues of teaching--such as the classroom, the workplace, and even books and instructional videos--have been predicated on what we would describe as a mechanistic approach: Learning is treated as a series of steps to be mastered, as if students were being taught how to operate a machine or even, in some cases, as if the students themselves were machines being programmed to accomplish tasks." I chose this quote because it speaks to many of my thoughts about how we are conditioned to run like machines. I think there are times when working mechanically, or mechanistically (?), is the best practice for a task. However, I do not think learning is best achieved through rigid or mechanical processes. Question What are the reasons why schools have operated under the mechanistic approach? Connection I thought the authors' connection between schools being broken and the mechanistic approach was inspired. Although the status of today's schools does not entirely come down to the language that we use to describe them, there is no doubt that when we talk about schools as machines and treat them as factories of the mind we face the issues that follow: factories and machines break down eventually and become inefficient. I love the quote above, but it was made more poignant with the extended metaphor of the learning environment that followed. My favorite quote was "environments do not break" (36). When the way we talk and think about school changes, and the way we act towards school shifts, we create opportunities for school and learning to work differently, perhaps unbreakably. Epiphany The notion of treating the learning environment as a culture in both senses of the word gave me an aha moment. I want to read the article by Ann Pendleton-Jullian linked in the endnote to learn more about the foundational concept, "ecotone," that goes along with the authors' argument (119). I am not sure yet how these notions can be realized in the classroom, but I belief wholeheartedly that an organic approach is required now rather than a mechanistic one. Chapter 3Quote
"This alters the formula: In a world of near-constant flux, play becomes a strategy for embracing change, rather than a way of growing out of it" (48). Question How do I incorporate play within a curriculum that lacks choice/freedom? Connection This chapter focuses on change and adaptation, and I have had to change basically every day within this teaching credential program. I am constantly evaluating what I do in the classroom and how to improve. I am focusing on learning how to be better at teaching and how to adapt to the changes in the classroom for which I was and, in many ways, still am unprepared. Epiphany My aha moment in this chapter was thinking about how quickly technology is evolving and how pitiful our response has been in the classroom. Perhaps the point is that the classroom cannot adapt quickly enough to the changes going on in the world, and that the supplementation of or replacement by the Internet and self-inspired learning is the remedy. In any case, a rigid curriculum seems ridiculous at this point unless it is focused on interdisciplinary skills that focus on adaptation and versatility. Thomas, D., & Seely Brown, J. (2011). A new culture of learning: Cultivating the imagination for a world of constant change. San Bernardino, CA: D. Thomas & J. Seely Brown.
3 Comments
George
2/12/2016 11:56:35 am
I'm confused by the explanation of your chosen quote from chapter 1. Chiasma?
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2/15/2016 09:11:17 pm
Hi George,
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Delaney Roney
2/13/2016 11:32:19 pm
Hi Mr. Ratican,
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