Chapter 7Quote "But thinking about play as a disposition, rather than as merely engaging with a game, reveals something more fundamental at work.Much of what makes play powerful as a tool for learning is our ability to engage in experimentation" (97). I chose this quote because I like the idea of thinking about play as a disposition. I think this type of approach to play is sorely lacking in the classroom. Question How do I create a culture of play in my classroom? Connection A connection I made to this quote was the use of the word "disposition." One of the most important elements of the teaching credential program is professional disposition. This disposition does not end at the what element, i.e. dressing professionally or being punctual, but transcends into a manner of acting and the establishment of a reputation. I suppose this transcendence could be considered the how of our professional disposition. In any case, the element of play that connects to my clinical practice is in finding ways to create an atmosphere or culture in the classroom where play is valued and espoused. It will take more brainstorming of ways to make my classroom more playful, but the idea of instilling a disposition of play in students is a new goal to be sure. Epiphany The epiphany I had in this chapter was when the authors talked about riddles and epiphanies. These types of thought are only arranged once they are solved or occur. That is, in the thick of solving a riddle or prior to experiencing an epiphany, the struggle seems unorganized and incomplete; however, when the, ahem, epiphany occurs in either situation the mind suddenly sees behind the veil. What I found most important from this section was that neither case is solved linearly. Riddles and epiphanies occur after we tackle the problem from different angles and with different approaches. This type of work, or play(!), is the point at which we need students to arrive. Approaching a problem from different perspectives is the essence of critical thinking. Chapter 8Quote "We would describe that experience [taking a personal interest in a topic and pursing it in a self-directed way] as moving from experience to embodiment, where the personal investment in technology and digital media changes the focus from social agency to personal agency" (103). I chose this quote because I like the authors' use of "experience to embodiment." I think this evolution mirrors the Dave White's argument in his video, "Visitor/Resident," which is the subject of one of my earlier posts. Question How do I motivate students (and myself) to move from experience to embodiment? Connection The connection I made with this quote is with the self-directed way of learning. I seem to have a lot of students who are not invested in learning. Perhaps they are not interested in learning such as it is currently packaged for them, but one thing I see most often is students who would rather not try or are not motivated when the work is challenging. I am not sure if students today have an extreme fear of failure or if they feel so disinterested in the material that there is nothing more than the grade that motivates them to do the minimal effort. Whatever the case, I am wondering how to engage students such that they take the initiative to learn on their own, i.e. shift from social to personal agency. Epiphany I have a very simple epiphany for this chapter. I did not realize where hanging out, messing around, and geeking out came from. Now I witness a much greater connection between our class and this book, and I am motivated to read Ito's literature, the place from which these concepts originated. Chapter 9Quote
"When people stop learning in a game, they lose interest and quit. When understood properly, therefore, games may in fact be one of the best models for learning and knowing in the twenty-first century. Why? Because if a game is good, you never play it the same way twice" (111). I chose this quote because I like the idea of playing a game differently each time. This kind of learning inspires one to approach learning from different angles and in different ways, which I see as one of the most important actions one can take in education. Question How do I make my game (the learning) good enough for students to keep interest? Connection I connected to this quote and chapter because I have played an MMO before and can relate to the experience. I agree with the authors that MMOs provide a venue in which players can continue learning for years, mastering different techniques and connecting with others. I think if I could make the classroom like a good MMO, I would have most of the students engaged in significant learning. Epiphany The epiphany I had in this chapter was with the beginning of the above quote: "When people stop learning in a game, they lose interest and quit" (111). The quote gave me perspective on students who do not participate due to lack of interest. They lose interest because they stop learning. I would add to what the authors say by including that they lose interest because the learning does not matter to them. They do not see its importance (assuming there is any) to their lives. They have no desire to learn, which is something that the new culture of learning could certainly change. 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.
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Chapter 4Quote "Unlike a classroom, where the teacher controls the lecture, the organic communities that emerge through collectives produce meaningful learning because the inquiry that arises comes from the collective itself" (54). I chose this quote because I like the idea of an organic collective emerging from the confines of lecture and top-down instruction. Question How do I guide the inquiry without controlling it? Connection This quote connects to the program because we have been inculcated with the idea that lecturing is the devil's work. I tend to agree that lecture is an inefficient means of teaching, and I understand that said mode of instruction directly contrasts what the authors of this book have been arguing--no defense of lecturing will follow here because I see no point in defending it--; however, I am interested in how the teacher helps facilitates inquiry within the collective. This chapter warns against setting a task or objective for where the inquiry needs to lead, which is a paradigmatic shift from the current procedures. I get that learners need to be able self-direct rather than be led to a goal, but I do not see how this learning culture is possible currently. As a secondary teacher, it would mean breaking ten years of habits. I am all for that struggle, but, from my experience, the support to do so does not exist. What I can imagine is incorporating this kind of learning as an ongoing project for the first semester and then increasing its presence in the second semester. Throwing out lecture is doable. Integrating more self-initiated learning is entirely possible. But as an entire mode for how the class runs? I cannot envision it without huge changes in curricula across all disciplines. Indeed, the entire school and learning culture would need to shift statewide if not nationwide. We are talking about a revolution. Epiphany My aha moment for this chapter occurred while envisioning the learning culture that these authors put forward. I do not use the word revolution lightly above because I think that is what we need in many facets of our society. Education is an area that sorely needs it. The politicization of education makes me cynical that we can make the shift that the authors espouse. I am all for trying it, though! Chapter 5Quote "Blogging is also a personally transformative experience. Because a person's blog is subject to change and revision by others, the influence of the collective can powerfully and meaningfully shape the blogger's view of the world, just as the blogger, at the same time, can shape the collective" (66). Question How can I use blogs as an extended project in my classroom? Connection The connection I made with this chapter about blogging is self-evident because I am reflecting in a blog! Although I lament not reaching a large audience with my blog, I continue to appreciate the comments I receive from my peers and the posts they write. The collective aspect of this experience runs parallel to the face-to-face meetings we have on Mondays, and in novel ways fosters learning that is reciprocal in nature and helps to shape what I think I know about education. Epiphany My epiphany was when the authors wrote about the interactivity of modern media and its malleability. One of my main goals in the classroom is for students to notice the subtleties and nuances of literature rather than casting this character as good and that one as bad. I think that guiding the students to becoming critical thinkers and skeptics speaks to the idea of interactivity and malleability in today's media. Learners need to appreciate discussions and adapt to the changes and questions that a good discussion addresses. It seems to me that blogs are a great model for this kind of learning and thinking. Chapter 6Quote
"In a world where things are constantly changing, focusing exclusively on the explicit dimension is no longer a viable model for education. The problem is that almost every technique and practice we have for understanding how we learn has been about the explicit--the content--in a stable world. We have no theories or mechanisms for addressing a world in which context is rapidly changing as well. Until now" (76). Question How do I make my inquiries more tacit? Connection This quote connects to the belief that an education based on regurgitating facts and lecture notes is no longer viable. This line of thinking is fundamental to our teaching credential program, and to any teacher who believes that critical thinking skills and creativity do not spawn from memorizing dates and vocabulary. These kinds of explicit knowledge have their uses, but they also fall under the Google-able category. Students might succeed on trivia night, but are they critical thinkers? I believe that memory has significant applications to one's knowledge, but the ways that we use it often do not address the problem the authors assert. Epiphany This quote struck me with the second paragraph: due to the emphasis on explicit knowledge, we do not understand other forms of learning. As the authors put it, "We have no theories or mechanisms" to do so (76). This idea makes me think of all the things we do not know, especially those that arrive with the rapid changes of today's world. It makes the idea clear to me that something's gotta give. 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. 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. |
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