Thursday, January 27, 2005

Excellent post on learning from the folks at Passionate

This may have been kicked around already, but if you haven't read Most classroom learning sucks, please do. Sample quote:

The best learning occurs in a stimulating, active, challenging, interesting, engaging environment. It's how the brain works. The best learning occurs when you move at least some part of your body. The best learning occurs when you're actively involved in co-constructing knowledge in your own head, not passively reading or listening. (Taking notes doesn't really count as being actively involved.)

People complain that their kids can't pay attention in school, then their kid comes home and spends two hours studying the elaborate world of Halo 2. Reading, absorbing, problem solving, using sophisticated mental maps, and on it goes.

When learning is "presented" in a push model, your brain says, "This is SO not important." You're in for the battle of your life when you try to compete against the brain's natural instinct to scan for unusual, novel, possibly life-threatening or life-enhancing things.


2 Comments:

At January 27, 2005 at 4:58 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I agree with your post on learning and humbly suggest that the oldest and still most effective classroom teaching strategy is the Socratic method, in which students are given questions instead of answers.

 
At January 28, 2005 at 3:19 PM, Blogger Nancy A. McKeand said...

Thanks for this link, Cleve! I homeschooled my kids for this reason. But, as I was reading the article, it made me question myself as a teacher. How often do I fall into the trap of being a "teacher" in the old traditional sense? Not too often, I hope, but it is good to be forced to face the issue from time to time.

 

Post a Comment

<< Home