Future Directions for the Science of Learning

In the future, I believe that the science of learning will increasingly embrace an integrated management approach that will combine effective learning theories with relevant technological resources to create productive educational environments. For some time, many have expected that technology would eventually provide some sort of educational panacea. When technology did not produce this, many early believers became doubtful. However, technology alone does not improve cognition.

Unlike the skeptics, I feel that a systematic process of integrating appropriate technological tools with constructivist, student-centered instruction can provide efficient, unique, and enhanced learning environments. Furthermore, these environments may potentially produce unprecedented cognitive enhancement. I think that this is especially true for topics, such as science and math that are important but difficult for students to comprehend. Yet, educators must identify, select, and evaluate technological resources that help make these topics relevant, intriguing, and compelling to students.

I envision that subsequently, educators will disseminate meaningful goals, objectives and infuse lessons with valuable learning components, such as generative topics and opportunities for reflection. And, they will provide opportunities for ongoing assessment and feedback. Students will contribute, collaborate, and corroborate using social network applications, such as wikis, blogs, and instant messaging. Unprecedented creative opportunities will follow as students produce videos and podcasts of their schoolwork and proudly share them with everyone. Moreover, the entire world, at least theoretically, can provide feedback. Iterative feedback will enable students to gain a broader perspective, make improvements, resubmit their work, and obtain additional feedback. This process is perhaps the first “perpetual beta” version of schoolwork. While this may seem farfetched to some, it is a familiar scenario for many of the current generation of learners.

Ever the optimist, I hope that education, especially public education, will become effective for all students. I grew up in a relatively complex society. However, it was simple by comparison to contemporary society. To provide a productive learning environment for current and upcoming generations, educators must not only move ahead, but sideways, backward, up, and down, or maybe in an undiscovered dimension. Perhaps the next stage is educational reform based on chaos theory. Scientists and mathematicians find order in chaos. Perhaps someday educators will also find order in chaos.

Future Directions

Due to extensive preparations for the Second Life class tonight this posting will be late.

Technology to Support Learning

For sometime, many have expected that technology would eventually provide some sort of educational panacea. When technology did not produce the desired outcomes, many early believers became skeptics. However, as Bransford, Brown, and Cocking (2000, p. 218) state, “good educational software…developed with a full understanding of principles of learning, [has] not yet become the norm.”

However, I think that it is ironic that the most technologically current software applications, which utilize effective pedagogy, may be videogame applications, not educational applications. Videogames may be effective partly because they are interesting and compelling. Many students, such as my son Jason who have difficulty attending to schoolwork often devote 30-40 hours learning how to play complicated videogames. Interestingly, Gee (2003) suggests that certain videogames are compelling because they employ effective learning theories. Additionally, Gee and other researchers (Pillay, Brownlee, & Wilss, 1999) believe that videogames, even games with violent or other controversial content, promote the use of cognitive skills to solve problems and to comprehend explicit and implicit information.

Therefore, it seems to me that it would be efficacious to incorporate the learning principles, which theoretically make videogames so enticing, into educational software. Unfortunately, from what I have read, companies that produce educational software are unwilling or lack the financial resources to produce comparable programs. In addition, because of a perceived stigma, videogame developers are reluctant to produce programs that have overt pedagogical relevance.

Nonetheless, I believe that other technological resources are relevant, compelling, and pedagogically significant. For instance, students can contribute, collaborate, and communicate using social network applications, such as wikis, blogs, and instant messaging. Furthermore, students have opportunities for unprecedented creative opportunities by producing videos and podcasts of their schoolwork that they can proudly share with everyone. Moreover, the entire world, at least theoretically, can provide feedback. Feedback enables students to gain a broader perspective, make improvements, resubmit their work, and obtain additional feedback. This process is perhaps the first perpetual beta version of schoolwork. While I realize that this may seem farfetched to some, it is a familiar scenario for many students. I cannot help but wonder if we are not playing “catch up” to the present generation of learners.

Ever the optimist, I hope that education, especially public education, will become effective for all students. On the other hand, I find it disconcerting when I compare lackluster educational software to the innovative, exceptional, and exciting products produced by the electronic entertainment industry. Additionally, it is perhaps even more disturbing that apparently videogame software, "developed with a full understanding of principles of learning" is the norm (Bransford, Brown, & Cocking, 2000, p. 218).


Reference:

Bransford, J., Brown, A., & Cocking, R. (Eds.). (2000). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school. (Expanded ed.). Washington: National Academy Press.

Gee, J. P. (2003). What video games have to teach us about learning and literacy. NY: Palgrave Macmillan.

Pillay, H., Brownlee, J., & Wilss, L. (1999). Cognition and recreational computer games: Implications for educational technology. Journal of Research on Computing in Education, 32(1), 203-216.

Teacher Learning

The concept that teachers learn informally by parenting their own children (Bransford, Brown, & Cocking, 2000) reminded me of Brenda Snyder, a friend from high school, who subsequently became an elementary school teacher. Brenda was amazing. In addition to excelling academically, she was the captain of the cheerleading team, the prom queen, and she had a great personality. After being graduated, Brenda completed her undergraduate degree in three years and immediately found employment as a fourth grade teacher at a local school district. Initially, Brenda was enthusiastic about her job. She designed lesson plans based on what she had learned in college. However, these plans also reflected the creative teaching style of Harry Lake, the excellent teacher who I discussed previously in this blog. Brenda eagerly anticipated providing her students with the similar opportunities that she had experienced with her role model, Mr. Lake.

Her students loved her. Unfortunately, the school administration and the students’ parents were not as enthusiastic about Brenda’s unconventional teaching style. Furthermore, pressure from more conservative teachers began to influence Brenda’s teaching style. Eventually, Brenda’s lesson plans became more conventional. Consequently, she became increasingly frustrated with students’ growing lack of enthusiasm and lack of compliance with some of her requirements, such as timely completion of their skill-and-drill homework.

After five years, Brenda started a family and stopped teaching in the public school system. Once her children finished primary school, Brenda decided to restart her career. However, this time it was different. While, she had lost some of her youthful cheerleader-prom queen effervescence, she had gained maturity, experience, and a new perspective. By the end of Brenda’s first year, I realized that she seemed more content, satisfied, and secure with her job that she did during her initial foray into teaching. When I asked her about it, she told me that my observations were correct. She explained that she was able to interact more effectively with administrators, teachers, students, and their parents. She credited her recent success on her parenting experience.

Since Brenda had been a model student, during her first teaching experience, she could not understand noncompliant students until she witnessed similar phenomena with her own children. For example, despite being creative, bright, and eager to learn, her daughter often struggled with schoolwork. Brenda learned by raising her own children that some people learn differently from others. Additionally, by trying to convince educators of her daughter’s unique educational needs during parent-teacher conferences, she had a greater understanding of parents’ perspectives.

Overall, Brenda’s parenting experience made her a better teacher. While I do not think that teachers have to be parents to excel, I do agree with the authors that parenting can be a valuable experience for educators. If research indicates that this is true, perhaps teachers should receive continuing education credits for raising their own children.

Reference:
Bransford, J., Brown, A., & Cocking, R. (Eds.). (2000). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school. (Expanded ed.). Washington: National Academy Press.