Creating Learners

  The Essence of Connected Learning from DML Research Hub on Vimeo.

"How do you create a need to know in a kid?" Or rather, how do you create a learner instead of a student? This video is timely in its relation to our learner vs student discussions and blog posts, and I feel like it touches on some of the same issues. How do we teach the next generation to learn and be learners? The video above, "The Essence of Connected Learning,"  highlighted few key points for me in trying to reach this goal of creating learners in our schools.

The first is that we are currently taking learning out of context and focusing on facts rather than learning. I think this is so true! Facts alone do not lead to understanding--but if you place the information in context and allow a student to construct their own meaning around the topic we will create a deeper understanding that will last way past the test date. And the more authentic the context the better!

The second is the idea of bringing people together who want to learn together. Not only can we strive to do this in our classrooms by grouping students of similar interests, but in our connected technological world we can also reach out to others to foster this community of learning. We need to use our resources, both in and outside the classroom, to tap into students' interests and encourage their thirst for knowledge regardless of whether it coincides with what we find interesting or not. 

And lastly is that the attitude of, "We're all going to learn the same things in the same way," is completely unnecessary in today's education world. Why can't we provides projects/assessments with choices? If a student wants to create a video showing off their knowledge of Hispanic cultures or would rather draw a visual representation or write me an essay, why can't I allow all of them to be representative of their learning? I think this is definitely easier said than done because as teachers we need to reprogram our brains (and assessment guidelines) to allow for these different "proof of learning" forms. They don't fit into our current molds, but are worth the time and exploration to allow students choice in how they learn.

These are just my personal takeaways and reflections on the video--what do you think? Agree/disagree? Have another key idea I should have included? Let me know! :)