I began reading A New Culture of Learning by Douglas Thomas and John Seely Brown. Following the “QQCE” format to process my thinking, these are some of my reflections on the first three chapters of the book.
Ch 1:
Quote: “Play, questioning, and - perhaps most important - imagination lie at the very heart of arc-of-life-learning.” Children ask “why”, take an interest, have curiosity… schooling can sometimes weed imagination out of students, but learning should stoke it, as shown in the stories of students exploring gaming technology independently based on their own interests, not what their teachers decide they should learn.
Question: Have teachers successfully allowed students independence in their classroom? For example, with a 20time project?
Connection: I had my students do hour of code, and I worked briefly with Scratch in EDU 422. I was surprised that some students didn’t seem interested in it, because I had enjoyed coding when I was younger, and it seemed like a nice break from the normal routine. If students do not enjoy code, then I need to find something else that my students enjoy. It might be different for each student. I gave a survey to students to learn about some of their interests; I can learn some more through informal conversations.
Aha: I was struck by the reminder that children learn through play; learning is enjoyable for them. Watching my apathetic juniors, it does not seem they are enjoying it very much (though, granted, part of it is because they want to look cool and enjoying things can make them look vulnerable). Learning does not have to always be through schooling, and I want it to be enjoyable for them.
Ch 1:
Quote: “Play, questioning, and - perhaps most important - imagination lie at the very heart of arc-of-life-learning.” Children ask “why”, take an interest, have curiosity… schooling can sometimes weed imagination out of students, but learning should stoke it, as shown in the stories of students exploring gaming technology independently based on their own interests, not what their teachers decide they should learn.
Question: Have teachers successfully allowed students independence in their classroom? For example, with a 20time project?
Connection: I had my students do hour of code, and I worked briefly with Scratch in EDU 422. I was surprised that some students didn’t seem interested in it, because I had enjoyed coding when I was younger, and it seemed like a nice break from the normal routine. If students do not enjoy code, then I need to find something else that my students enjoy. It might be different for each student. I gave a survey to students to learn about some of their interests; I can learn some more through informal conversations.
Aha: I was struck by the reminder that children learn through play; learning is enjoyable for them. Watching my apathetic juniors, it does not seem they are enjoying it very much (though, granted, part of it is because they want to look cool and enjoying things can make them look vulnerable). Learning does not have to always be through schooling, and I want it to be enjoyable for them.