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| "Learning is WORTH it" |
What is Learning?
According to Anthropologist Michael Wesch, “learning is a fundamental human trait that has been misdefined by school itself”. With a disconnect often appearing between school and learning, students are unfortunately missing out on true authentic experiences and instead just going through the daily motions. Listening to Michael Wesch discuss the “fixed set up” of a classroom brought me to reflect upon my own college experience. I can remember sitting in a huge auditorium (easily over 130 students) listening to the professor lecture us from the stage, with his microphone on and powerpoint slides on display. I was no one in that class, I was just a number sitting in one of the many filled seats.There was zero connection as the professor didn’t know anything about me and I didn’t know anything about him. There was a huge disconnect to learning that led to me zoning out a majority of the time. I spent more time scrolling through my phone and doodling in my notebook than actually being engaged. This experience was not a room set up for learning, it was a fixed set up that was used to “dump” information onto us with no time to ask questions, make meaningful connections, or be inspired ( providing a narrow view of true learning). Michael Wesch challenges this approach by providing an insightful, authentic, and engaging perspective on what truly matters in terms of “real learning.”
Fixed Classroom: Is this a real and true learning experience?
Circling back to my beginning paragraph, Michael Wesch believes that learning is a fundamental human trait that needs to be cared for and given time to fully flourish. He believes in getting to the root of what truly matters by bringing into his classroom the concept of “Real Learning” where students feel empowered to ask questions, make connections, find their inspirations, and use their strengths as an
advantage. He does this by taking the time to sit with his students (interview), listen, and get to know them on a personal level. This in return creating a trust based on three student driven questions, “Who am I? What am I going to do? Am I going to make it? Students are more than test scores, and they should not be defined by their grades. Wesch sees their potential and he takes it upon himself to make sure their talents are not under-recognized in his classroom, but instead they are utilized for learning and growth. Learning needs to be worth it!
What I truly enjoyed most were the visuals, experiences, and metaphors that Wesch used during his talk to explain and show the value of his beliefs. First to explain his perspectives he uses his one year old son George (a connection that I can easily relate to in regards to my own two year old daughter.) George is practicing his skill of going down the stairs, but it isn’t the skill we are focusing on, instead it is the mindset of George. Right now in his world failure is fun, he can get right back up and do it again, he is connected to the process and therefore is courageous. Isn’t this how all learning should be? Why does learning look so different for George? As educators, we need to be encouraging our students to take chances/risks to have the drive within themselves to keep pushing forward even when times are tough. Next, he uses the “Great Mountain” (referring to his grading system) to explain to his students that with teamwork, perseverance, encouragement, and a positive mindset (I’m not there “yet”), they can all eventually hit their stride and reach the top. This made me immediately connect to “Growth Mindset”, a term frequently used in my school and classroom. I believe it is important for students( and teachers as well) to foster a positive growth mindset as it teaches them to embrace challenges with open arms and not to view failure as defeat, but to see it as a learning experience to get back up and try again (“Yet”). As educators, we have the power to continually encourage our students to try their best and to let them know that they have what it takes to improve, develop, and succeed in and outside of the classroom. As Wesch concluded, “real learning is fun, you keep going and keep doing it. The road keeps going.” The final project is truly finding yourself, to live inside of learning, to build the resources to run through the dark, and realize that learning is a lot more than what can be scored.
Lisa, I also made the connection to the growth mindset when Wesch was discussing the idea of "yet." This small word holds so much power when it comes to the way we think about learning. I have had many experiences with students who were struggling with a concept and said "I can't do this." I said to them "yet." You may not be able to do it yet, but you will get there. I think the idea of shifting our mindset, and in turn shifting our students mindsets helps to set them up for a better overall learning experience. Making mistakes and failing should be fun. Just look at George. He was having so much fun jumping off the step and falling, but eventually he was able to do so without falling. As educators and youth workers, we need to remember that making mistakes and failing is a part of the learning process. We should be encouraging our students to make mistakes because they can learn from them. This all stems from the relationships we build with youth. When we make connections to them, we are better equipped to help them shift their thinking, shift their mindsets, and enjoy learning!
ReplyDeleteLisa, I love the idea of connecting this to a growth mindset. Baby George has such an amazing growth perspective and he does not even know it! I went to a smaller university and still felt like I was a 'no one'. My college professors did not take the time to get to know me like Wesch did for his students. I can only imagine how much more successful I would be if my professors took the time to get to know me outside of being a student. The most ironic part of this is that our classes were so focused on building relationships with students! Your students are lucky to have a teacher who instills a growth mindset and who is willing to take the time to get to know them as individuals! Awesome reflection, I really enjoyed reading!
ReplyDeleteLisa, I liked your viewpoint on growth mindset. It takes endurance to keep trying again and again. I agree that growth mindset is important for both teachers and students. Teachers are great examples and role models! I can also relate to being crammed into a lecture hall where the professor did not know my name. I would look around the room and see more empty spots day after day. I also had great professors that would get to know us. When they got to know us they tried to create the class around our interests and help us to grow individually by having one on one conferences!
ReplyDeleteLisa, I loved that you highlighted the analogy of education is like climbing a mountain, at the beginning of your blog post! I think this metaphor helped me resonate with his new design and I wish mor teachers would teach the way he does!
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