The readings for this week captured the concerns and fears I have about education as an instructor, student, and guardian of a 3rd grader. I am used to teaching college students (18 and up), so when it comes to ensuring that my little person gets the eduction possible, I do not feel like an authority. I strive to ensure that he has access to technology and tutors. Every year I consider sending him to private school. This is problematic for me because I am a product of the public school system; I think I turned out just fine. I also realize that public school was made for people like me. I can work within and outside of the system. School was ridiculously boring to me. I am a good tester (whether I really know the information or not). This environment doesn’t work for everyone; it is my realization of that fact that has me constantly questioning whether I should continue sending my little person to public school. The readings all stood out to me for different reasons. The New Learning chapter highlighted my concerns about public school and challenged my perceptions, as an educator, about what education really is and what it is supposed to do. The Barr & Tagg reading was surprising due to its age. It’s 2014 and we are no closer to the Learning Paradigm. The Jenkins reading provided specific examples of the new skills that students can be fostered in this new learning paradigm. What I noticed about all the readings is that there seems to be this information vs learning/knowledge battle.

New Learning ~ Chapter 1

The main things I took away from the New Learning chapter were the definition of education and the dimensions of learning, specifically dimensions 1, 5, and 6. The authors present that education contains 3 parts: learning community, curriculum, and pedagogy. The three part structure of education makes it seem more complex, of course, but it also helped me to see how these pieces are often discussed or treated individually when they are interconnected and overlap. This emphasizes the importance of design and planning. It is often presented that anyone can with  a textbook and a syllabus template can teach a course. This new learning approach shows that this isn’t the case. A clear sense of the curriculum and the method of delivery are needed to foster a learning community.

The dimensions of learning were important for outlining the areas where the current model falls short and where new learning can fill the gaps. “Dimension 1: The social significance of education” jumped out to me because of the “bootstrap” mentality that perpetuates American society. It is possible for people to go from nothing to something. However, it is harder with a flawed education system. The stump speeches about equality and opportunity are rhetorically effective, but reality shows that the gap between the haves and have-nots is increasing. Education is presented as the solution; it will provide upward mobility. This isn’t possible if the system is not doing what it is supposed to do.  “Dimension 5: The balance of agency” is my favorite dimension because it captures something that has always bothered me with higher education: lack of student agency and responsibility. If students fall short, it is the teachers fault. This can be true in some cases. However, many students come to class and want to play a passive role in their education and expect to receive an “A” for effort. The new learning model moves toward students as knowledge makers and active participants in their education, which is essential for a successful student that is capable of success within and outside of the academy. “Dimension 6: The significant of learning difference” is an area that I am invested in as an educator. I have dealt with my race and culture being highlighted to point out inherent weaknesses that I should have. I have also dealt with the attempts to whitewash or make invisible my race and culture (we don’t see color; this system is colorblind, etc). The push towards sameness in education bothers me because it limits those within the mainstream and those on the fringes.

Barr & Tagg

The Barr & Tagg reading helped me to see how far we still need to go for changes in education. The authors emphasized that it is a small change with significant impact. This was meant to be encouraging. It is 2014 and this small change with big impact has still not come to pass. The Learning Paradigm captured many of the same points that would be laid out in 2012’s New Learning: Elements of Science Education. This paradigm moves away from what I see as the business of education. In this system, success has nothing to do with learning but with the numbers. The numbers of students enrolled, the numbers of classes filled, the ratings on college review boards. This article did a great job of breaking down the elements of student-centered versus teacher-centered learning environments. The freedom and versatility presented in the Learning Paradigm sounds great, but I do not see how that can fit in with the business model that most colleges and universities follow now. It seems a bit idealistic. That doesn’t mean it can’t be a possibility; the end just seems so far off. Actually, there wouldn’t be an end. The Learning Paradigm would continue to grow and change as the needs of the students changed and as instructors continued to learn and grow in their craft.

Jenkins

I didn’t take many notes on Jenkin’s article. I skimmed each section waiting for something to jump out at me. I enjoy Henry Jenkins but I am a convergence culture fanatic. He didn’t talk about that much here, so I spent much of the skim session thinking about convergence. I think the skills that Jenkins highlights in this report fit perfect with the new learning and the learning paradigm models. Both are student centered and focused on preparing students to be life-long learners and not temporary test/course passers. The skills that Jenkins points out are all skills that are highly transferable. Students would be able to use these skills in specific contexts and gain the knowledge and experience to use the skills in other areas. I saw the skills as teaching students how to see learning and knowledge making as a process. A process that allows freedom, exploration, mistakes, backtracking, teamwork, and reflection. The educational or learning experience isn’t presented as one-size-fits-all; it has the potential to be personalized, yet collaborative.

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Barr, Robert B. and John Tagg. From Reaching to Learning: A New Paradigm
for Undergraduate Education. Change, November/December 1995:13-25. PDF

Jenkins, Henry, Ravi Purushotma, Margaret Weigel, Katie Clinton, and Alice J. Robison. Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century." Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press,
2009. PDF

Kalantzis, Mary and Bill Cope. New Learning: Elements of a Science Education. 2nd ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012. Print.

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