In Michael Wesch’s video, From Knowledgeable to Knowledge-able, he calls out the U.S. higher education system for not raising the bar for students and how they apply knowledge. His talk emphasizes the need to equip today’s students; providing them with the skills necessary for solving the problems that exist in today’s world.
A university professor himself, Wesch takes his share of the blame for the current situation by introducing a clip of one of his own college classes in which his students appear to be completely disengaged and uninterested in his lecture. He shows this clip to bring home the point that the very nature of a large lecture hall is a symptom of the larger problem; one in which students are spoon-fed information and are not challenged to do anything with it other than regurgitate it on a test. Wesch argues that, in today’s world of information abundance, becoming knowledgeable is easy; it’s what we do with that knowledge that can make a difference.
Today’s students should be able to take knowledge and use it in meaningful ways for solving problems and creating. Today’s teachers need to work with students, leading them in discovery and letting them take the lead on how to apply what they are learning. This is something I see emerging in education today. Schools are migrating away from the teacher-centered classroom and becoming places where students engage, collaborate and think critically. I think as we see more of this happening in our schools we will see what Wesch envisions start to unfold – students who are knowledge-able.
A university professor himself, Wesch takes his share of the blame for the current situation by introducing a clip of one of his own college classes in which his students appear to be completely disengaged and uninterested in his lecture. He shows this clip to bring home the point that the very nature of a large lecture hall is a symptom of the larger problem; one in which students are spoon-fed information and are not challenged to do anything with it other than regurgitate it on a test. Wesch argues that, in today’s world of information abundance, becoming knowledgeable is easy; it’s what we do with that knowledge that can make a difference.
Today’s students should be able to take knowledge and use it in meaningful ways for solving problems and creating. Today’s teachers need to work with students, leading them in discovery and letting them take the lead on how to apply what they are learning. This is something I see emerging in education today. Schools are migrating away from the teacher-centered classroom and becoming places where students engage, collaborate and think critically. I think as we see more of this happening in our schools we will see what Wesch envisions start to unfold – students who are knowledge-able.
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