What do we know
about how people learn?
Motivation plays
a huge role in how people learn. When properly motivated, a student can go from
basic knowledge and understanding to the higher levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy,
such as analyzing and synthesizing. Dr. Coffman (2013) states, “Without student
motivation, engagement will not happen and deep inquiry will not take place”
(p. 2). From my personal experience, I know that a lack of interest in
certain subjects in school led to poor learning of the subject overall. I was
able to recall and understand information just enough to earn the grade I
wanted. Unfortunately, grades were my primary motivation throughout most of my
school career. This extrinsic motivation was not enough for me to be curious
and to have a desire to learn more. However, in the very few subjects where I
was intrinsically motivated, my knowledge of the topic is far greater and I am
able to apply that knowledge to problems I wish to solve. I do not consider
myself a creative thinker or a naturally curious person. I went through school
with my eyes set on graduation so that I could be done with education and
actually start to learn. I love the quote by Mark Twain where he said, “Don’t
let schooling interfere with your education.” I believe that it is our challenge,
as teachers, to make sure that students actually learn as they work towards
their diplomas. While we cannot provide that intrinsic motivation because it has to come from within the student, I believe that we can foster
curiosity and creativity in our students through inquiry based lessons, which
will increase their intrinsic motivation.
What are the
competing/complementary theories of learning that we will be exploring in the
course?
In working
through Module One, one of the theories that stood out to me was the debate
whether teachers should focus more on core content or 21st century
thinking skills. As a core content teacher with an SOL test looming at the end
of the year, I certainly believe that the information learned in the core
classes is important. At the same time, however, I have had many classes where
I have learned about many topics, but they seem completely irrelevant to the
skills I need to succeed in the world today. Unfortunately, a high school and even
a college diploma mean very little to employers, as we can see by unemployment statistics. So much more is expected of our students in order to be successful,
and a traditional core focused education does not prepare them properly for the workforce today. In
order to prepare our students for their futures, which is a primary goal of
education, we must provide them with the skills necessary to succeed.
Technology and problem based solving are two important areas regarding this.
But should we neglect the core subjects? Certainly not! Our goal is to bring
these skills into our core classrooms in order to give our students the best
education possible. The article we read in this module really summed up the debate quite nicely.
Who are digital
age learners and how do they change a classroom environment?
Our digital age
learners are those who grew up during the technology boom. Students today are certainly
digital age learners. Many of them grew up using technology since they were
toddlers and as a result are used to a highly engaged learning experience.
As a result, students require
more stimulation in the classroom. Lecture and recitation are not enough for
students anymore, and teachers are coming to realize that they have to provide
engaging lessons. While this may require more work for the teacher, this type of learning opens to the
door to the problem based inquiry learning that results in a deeper level of
thinking and problem solving.
What do these
ideas mean for your teaching?
Due to resources
available in the school system where I grew up, technology in the classroom was
limited. I am not as adapted to technology as some of my peers, and I would say
that I have a foot in both doors. I am a skeptic when it comes to technology,
though I do realize that it is useful and is here to stay. Because of this, I
know I will have to work a little harder in order to integrate technology and
inquiry based lessons into my own curriculum. I am sure that as I become more
familiar with technology and learn about what it is capable of, this will
become easier.
Sources:
Coffman, T. (2013). Using Inquiry in
the Classroom: Developing Creative Thinkers and Information Literate
Students (2nd ed.). Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield
Education.
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