A New Culture of Learning
Chapter 1
Quote: “…learning proceeding from active engagement with the world, peer-to-peer interaction and communities of like-minded learners enriching learning and questions being more valuable than answers.” (p. 8) This quote, taken from the preface of our book, was a common thread throughout the stories in chapter one. All of the people were engaged in this type of learning. They engaged with like-minded people through the web to investigate more and more questions. This cutting edge way of learning is what all educators need to pursue and embrace in the coming years.
Question: My question from this chapter is, how do teachers cultivate this type of learning within their classrooms? While reading Tom’s story I couldn’t help but think that the students really didn’t need him to learn. Looking forward to gleaning more in the coming chapters…
Connection: The connection for me was that each person’s story revolved around their personal quest for information and learning. The fact that our students’ can work together to pursue what interests them is an exciting feature of the technological age. A big focus in PE is teamwork – working together toward a common goal. And, while my students are not using technology per say, they are learning to collaborate in ways that encouraging learning and growth.
Epiphany: I really like the analogy of farming and the new culture of learning in which we are cultivating minds. (p. 19) I love that imagery of our potential to grow young minds…!
Chapter 2
Quote: “…learning should be viewed in terms of an environment…the context in which learning happens, the boundaries that define it, and the students, teachers and information all coexist and shape each other in a mutually reinforcing way.” (p. 35) The author does a great job here of describing a caring community of learners, all with an equal share in the learning process.
Question: In this chapter, the author contrasts the teaching-based approach and the learning-based approach to education, making it perfectly clear that the latter is a far superior way to learn. My question is, how do we get from where we are now to there? Again, I will read on to find out…!
Connection: My connection relates to the quote I chose. It resonates with me because that is how I want to teach. I want to help shape my students minds in an environment where everyone has value and feels a part of a bigger whole.
Epiphany: I really liked how our author described the difference between teaching-based and learning-based education; that the former is learning “about” the world and the latter is learning “to engage” with the world. Juxtaposing the two approaches in this way gives me a clear picture of how the learning-based approach works, and of how much more powerful that kind of learning is!
Chapter 3
Quote: “Change motivates and challenges.” (p. 43) This quote is simple, yet powerfully true. Change of any kind brings challenges and challenges are what motivate us to move forward and grow.
Question: After reading this chapter, my question is, how do we keep up with the constant flux and change and technological advances happening all around us. It really is mind boggling to imagine where we’ve come and where we’re going because of the advance of technology.
Connection: I connected with the idea of using play and imagination to learn that our author captured in this chapter. The ability to experiment through play and use our imagination is something a lot of people lose as they get older. This ability to play and imagine is key to staying young of mind, and continuing to grow and learn throughout life.
Epiphany: My epiphany is similar to my connection. The idea that through play (something many of us lose the ability to do as we age) is ultimately how we learn was truly a light bulb moment for me. I am actually a person who enjoys play, so that is not foreign; I just never thought of it as a good way to learn. Perhaps that’s why this theory resonates with me so much. I never really thought of play in the context of learning but it makes so much sense!
Chapter 1
Quote: “…learning proceeding from active engagement with the world, peer-to-peer interaction and communities of like-minded learners enriching learning and questions being more valuable than answers.” (p. 8) This quote, taken from the preface of our book, was a common thread throughout the stories in chapter one. All of the people were engaged in this type of learning. They engaged with like-minded people through the web to investigate more and more questions. This cutting edge way of learning is what all educators need to pursue and embrace in the coming years.
Question: My question from this chapter is, how do teachers cultivate this type of learning within their classrooms? While reading Tom’s story I couldn’t help but think that the students really didn’t need him to learn. Looking forward to gleaning more in the coming chapters…
Connection: The connection for me was that each person’s story revolved around their personal quest for information and learning. The fact that our students’ can work together to pursue what interests them is an exciting feature of the technological age. A big focus in PE is teamwork – working together toward a common goal. And, while my students are not using technology per say, they are learning to collaborate in ways that encouraging learning and growth.
Epiphany: I really like the analogy of farming and the new culture of learning in which we are cultivating minds. (p. 19) I love that imagery of our potential to grow young minds…!
Chapter 2
Quote: “…learning should be viewed in terms of an environment…the context in which learning happens, the boundaries that define it, and the students, teachers and information all coexist and shape each other in a mutually reinforcing way.” (p. 35) The author does a great job here of describing a caring community of learners, all with an equal share in the learning process.
Question: In this chapter, the author contrasts the teaching-based approach and the learning-based approach to education, making it perfectly clear that the latter is a far superior way to learn. My question is, how do we get from where we are now to there? Again, I will read on to find out…!
Connection: My connection relates to the quote I chose. It resonates with me because that is how I want to teach. I want to help shape my students minds in an environment where everyone has value and feels a part of a bigger whole.
Epiphany: I really liked how our author described the difference between teaching-based and learning-based education; that the former is learning “about” the world and the latter is learning “to engage” with the world. Juxtaposing the two approaches in this way gives me a clear picture of how the learning-based approach works, and of how much more powerful that kind of learning is!
Chapter 3
Quote: “Change motivates and challenges.” (p. 43) This quote is simple, yet powerfully true. Change of any kind brings challenges and challenges are what motivate us to move forward and grow.
Question: After reading this chapter, my question is, how do we keep up with the constant flux and change and technological advances happening all around us. It really is mind boggling to imagine where we’ve come and where we’re going because of the advance of technology.
Connection: I connected with the idea of using play and imagination to learn that our author captured in this chapter. The ability to experiment through play and use our imagination is something a lot of people lose as they get older. This ability to play and imagine is key to staying young of mind, and continuing to grow and learn throughout life.
Epiphany: My epiphany is similar to my connection. The idea that through play (something many of us lose the ability to do as we age) is ultimately how we learn was truly a light bulb moment for me. I am actually a person who enjoys play, so that is not foreign; I just never thought of it as a good way to learn. Perhaps that’s why this theory resonates with me so much. I never really thought of play in the context of learning but it makes so much sense!