“What the best and wisest parent wants for his own child, that must we want for all children in the community. Any other ideal for our schools is narrow and unlovely; acted upon, it destroys our democracy” -John Dewey Education would be greatly changed if we converted our learning experiences to follow an engineering design model approach, or to implement the concepts of video game building. This would bring about a transformation in education as a whole, but specifically it would create a tremendous impact on testing. As the system works now, students struggle through a set of lessons, or activities, and then take a separate test. Tests, in general, are separate and distinct from the day to day experience in the classroom, and unless a school has shifted the learning experience to prepare students for that test, it is often even disconnected from the details of learning in the classroom.
The belief that testing should be an embedded part of the learning experience, brings an authenticity to that testing. Results are no longer a disconnected set of data for that moment in time, but rather are a part of the learning process. For example, if you want students to learn to code a website, the test should not be a series of multiple choice questions about proper strings of code, but rather a website that students have built. This type of learning is n0t only the type of hands-on problem solving that promotes deeper understanding, but has an integral part of it, a way for students to demonstrate understanding. Can they build the website? This is not a subjective evaluation of a written, descriptive response but an easily demonstrated application of new knowledge. It is interesting to consider the ways in which the gaming industry has mastered the concepts regarding what works for students to develop rapid understanding of new and complex ideas. I did not teach my son how to play Pokemon, in fact when I studied the directions, it made little sense to me, and yet, at nine, he quickly mastered a deep understanding of the game and how it works. His first lessons were brutal -- involving his quick and heartless defeat by those who knew the game better, and yet this "failure" led to his increased "study" and the development of a deeper understanding. This is precisily the type of learing we seek in the classroom, and yet we endeavor to achieve using the same methods we have been using for over a century. As understanding of the development of the human brain, and the process of learning grows, we must adjust our approach to the classroom. Great understanding should lead to change in the classroom because our understanding of how learning takes place has shifted. Learning is connected to clear goals and problem-solving, and curriculum must being to reflect that. And yet, this not truly "new" information. This effective approach to learning has been evident in the classroom -- ask any student who has participated in a hands-on activity that required problem-solving skills. The process of working and reworking the problem, brings about a deeper understanding that remains with them, long after the multiple-choice answer to a test ever could. This type of learning experience must be available to ALL students. It cannot only be the experiences of students who are exposed to the best education has to offer, but ALL students. Statistically, these "real world" experiences are less likely to happen in schools who are batteling the effects of poverty, and as Dewey mandates, all students in our community deserve what we want for our very own children. And in a larger sense, all children in the community are OUR children. We will either pay to make sure that all students experience this type of education so that real, and effective learning takes place, or we will pay to care for students who have been ill-educated in the form of our prisons and other subsidies provided for those who cannot independently function in society. We pay either way, so it is imperrative, for our own survival that education shift and change to make sure that learning is powerful and effective, and available to all.
3 Comments
Nancy
3/21/2017 08:22:20 pm
Your passion for providing opportunities for ALL students really shines through your blog. You have a good point that these "real world" experiences usually are less available for students coming from poverty. All the more important for us to provide them - each one counts so much! Love your example of how your son learned Pokemon. Gamer designers have figured out how to make complex learning highly motivating and rewarding - kids will even endure repeated failure in order to get to their goal. Teachers need to borrow some of THAT magic!
Reply
Nai Saelee
3/22/2017 07:01:19 pm
Jen,
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorJen has been teaching school for awhile now. She's learned some stuff, but she's got tons more to learn. Archives
October 2017
Categories |