QQCE Chapter 1,2,&3I have begun reading A New Culture of Learning: Cultivating the Imagination of Learning by Douglas Thomas and John Seely Brown. Below are the muddled thoughts, connections, and questions from the first three chapters. I reflected using the quote, question, connection, and epiphany format.
Chapter 1 Quote: “The new culture of learning actually comprises two elements. The first is a massive information network that provides almost unlimited access and resources to learn about anything. The second is a bounded and structured environment that allows for unlimited agency to build and experiment with things within those boundaries.” (*agency: is the capacity of an entity [a person or other entity, human or any living being in general, or soul-consciousness in religion] to act in any given environment) *according to wikipedia Question: How can schools with limited resources and access to information networks allows their students to experience the new culture of learning? Connection: The idea of exploring agency within bounded and structured environments aligns so closely with the ideas that Shawn Cornally implemented in his B.I.G school in rural Iowa. His “stripped down” school has boundaries, or expectations, of students exploring and connecting an idea they are interested to many other other ideas and environments. Within that structure they have the agency to explore and learn as it best suits themselves and their interests. Students have access to all networks of information conceivable to they leave the school with an idea and project that they have created and are genuinely interested in. Epiphany/aha: There was always a disconnect between the boundless nature of information networks, student choice, and teaching in my head. However, the example of the college course about second life connect all of these ideas for me. The students were continually learning because of a genuine interest in the class. The professor was a facilitator of learning rather than a “teacher”. This model can be applied to high school students if I, as a teacher, am willing to be a facilitator of the controlled chaos of unlimited student agency paired with structured boundaries. Sometimes all a person needs is the beginning of the trail of an idea in order to take of with it and forge their own path of thinking. Chapter 2 Quote: “...learning should be viewed in terms of an environment - combined with the rich resources provided by the digital information network - where the context in which learning happens, the boundaries that define it, and the students, teachers, and information within it all coexist and shape each other in a mutually reinforcing way.” Questions: Are boundaries necessary to define the role and responsibilities of the students and teacher in the new culture of learning? Connection: The idea of coexistence presented in this chapter resembles an ecosystem. As aspect of the ecosystem change like climate, species, environments, etc. everything within that ecosystem must change and evolve. Each part of the ecosystem influences and affects each aspect of system. In this way the environment of education should change, grow, and evolve as different aspects of our world change. Epiphany/aha: The recurring contrast of stability versus constant change and adaptation is very striking. It is human nature to fear the unknown and often avoid change. However, education and learning is the same as the rest of aspects of one’s life because change and unknown must be embraced. The idea that knowledge is not “stable” and that mere act of memorization is no longer enough can be unsettling but this can no longer be used as an excuse. The unknown world that students must be prepared for is built of an ever changing foundation of knowledge that we must teach our students the way to succeed in this new environment. Chapter 3: Quote: “Embracing change and seeing information as a resource can help us stop being of learning as an isolated process of information absorption and starting thinking of it as a cultural and social process of engaging with the constantly changing world around us.” Question: Why can’t a high school English class be a book club that leads to scholarly debates and the occasional analytical writing? Connection: I believe student choice is important for student success. Students need to be interested and engaged with content. These ideas were all presented in the literature circles that took place in EDSS 511. We all had choice of what classroom management book we read and it is fair to presume that all of us were interested in the topic, or education at least. However, I did not feel or experience the ignited interested of lively debates that we stimulated by Harry Potter or similar books. What is missing? Epiphany/aha: I always valued Wikipedia for its ability to give me the exact bit of information that I was looking for but I never understood the weight and full value that Wikipedia gifted to the world...until A New Culture of Learning broke it down for me. The transparency, interpretations, and controversies of information, topics, and ideas are all equally important. The most important outcome of education is individual, critical thinkers. Wikipedia allows this to be achieved by archiving many vast views on a single topic. It all makes sense to me now! You go Wikipedia! Thomas, D., & Brown, J. S. (2011). A new culture of learning: Cultivating the imagination for a world of constant change. Lexington, KY: CreateSpace?
2 Comments
2/2/2016 10:28:40 pm
I love your epiphany from chapter 1 "Sometimes all a person needs is the beginning of the trail of an idea in order to take of with it and forge their own path of thinking." Our task is to inspire and guide. Their's is to explore fearlessly.
Reply
Simon
2/4/2016 02:38:55 pm
In your connection section when you said, "Students need to be interested and engaged with content." I can't agree more. Not only do students stay engage longer but they also have intrinsic motivations to do better.
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorFuture shaper of young minds. Archives
May 2016
Categories |