Discussion Topic:
In this assignment, view the following three videos (A New Culture of Learning, Douglas Thomas at TEDxUFM), Creating Significant Learning Environments (CSLE), and Dr. Tony Bates on Building Effective Learning Environments then participate in a discussion with your colleagues.
This discussion will give you the opportunity to better understand the need of shifting our thinking to a more holistic view of learning and how learning is a very natural part of our daily lives that we do easily until we have to do it in school. This discussion will also help you to verify or vet the ideas that you plan to use in this module’s written assignment.
A New Culture of Learning, Douglas Thomas at TEDxUFM
In many ways, the ideas and actions outlined in the CSLE video are a personal response to the thinking process that was initiated by reading A New Culture of Learning.
Creating Significant Learning Environments (CLSE)
Dr. Tony Bates on Building Effective Learning Environments
Instructions
Participate in a discussion in which you begin by addressing the following issues/questions:
- How can we take this naturalistic perspective on learning and recreate our education systems, classrooms, training seminars, etc. to mirror what learning really looks like?
- Consider how the idea of a new culture of learning is based on passion, imagination, and constraint.
- Consider how play combines passion, imagination, and constraint and is the emergent property of the application of rules to the imagination.
- A teacher’s job is to create a context where they can cultivate imagination, honor passion, and help learners connect their passions to the things they need to learn.
- Are you looking at the whole learning environment or are you just focusing on the pieces?
- CSLE emphasizes the importance of holistic thinking and is a response to a New Culture of Learning - what is your response?
- Are you being proactive in creating your learning environment or are you being reactive?
Please remember the list of questions is for your benefit and is intended to help you focus your thinking. We are not asking nor expect you to answer each question in your discussion--rather you should use these questions to help focus on how the insights gained through this discussion will help you to add another component to your innovation plan.
My reply:
After watching these videos, I think creating a more natural learning environment is extremely important. Here are some ways to help with that: Design learning activities that are relevant to students' lives. For example, instead of just memorizing math formulas, students could work on projects that involve budgeting money or planning a trip. Provide students with opportunities to learn by doing. For example, in science class, students could conduct their own experiments instead of just reading about them in a textbook. Create a learning environment that is constrained by rules and limitations. This helps students to develop their problem-solving skills and to learn how to think creatively within boundaries. For example, in art class, students could be given a specific set of materials or techniques to use when creating their projects. Look at the whole learning environment, not just the pieces. This means considering the physical environment, the social environment, and the emotional environment. The physical environment should be comfortable and inviting, and it should provide students with access to the resources they need to learn. The social environment should be supportive and collaborative, and it should encourage students to share their ideas and to learn from each other. The emotional environment should be safe and supportive, and it should encourage students to take risks and to ask questions.
Learning should be fun and easy, right? But sometimes school doesn't feel that way. So how can we make learning more natural?
First, we need to focus on students' interests. What are they passionate about? What do they want to learn more about? When students are interested in what they're learning, they're more likely to be motivated and engaged.
Second, we need to provide opportunities for creativity and imagination. Learning shouldn't just be about memorizing facts and figures. Students should be encouraged to think critically and come up with their own solutions to problems.
Finally, we need to create a supportive and nurturing learning environment. This means creating a space where students feel safe to take risks and ask questions. It also means providing students with access to the resources they need to succeed.
CSLE is important because it is aligned with the new culture of learning, which is based on the belief that learners are more likely to be successful when they are passionate about what they are learning and when they have the opportunity to use their imagination to create and explore new ideas.
When we make learning more natural and create learning environments that are aligned with the new culture of learning, we can help learners to be more successful and to reach their full potential.
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