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.
3 Comments
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.
On November 30, 2015 I participated in the Inland Empire edchat. The chat was a great experience for me. I enjoyed how fast-paced it was and it was great to connect with other educators. Enjoy!
|
Archives
May 2016
Categories |