This concept has been kicking around in my mind for many months now (during which time it has appeared in this blog). I think I am finally getting to the essence of how I think about it. Many scholars and organizations have proposed variations on deeper learning; each variation is accompanied by suggestions for describing Read More
Month: April 2020
Headings in Documents
Word processors provide users with pre-defined formatting styles. Ostensibly these are provided to make it easy to apply formatting styles and to facilitate the use of outlines in organizing one’s writing. For those who use screen readers (software that convert the text into speech generated by the compute and played thought the computer’s speakers), the Read More
Thinking About Adult Learners
Much of the cognitive and learning science research that is undertaken is conducted on young people and adolescents. These students are usually compulsory attendees and they are studying a curriculum that is prescribed. Further, the faculty are adults who are in positions of both authority and expertise. Community college students choose to attend enroll and Read More
Elevator Pitch on Student Engagement
Blumenfield, Kempler, and Krajcik (2006) suggest engagement in grounded in four factors: Value- Learners tend to be engaged with material and lessons they believe are important to them. Value is also closely related to motivation, interest, and goals, all of which are addressed in the next section. Competence- Learners tend to engage in activities they Read More
Significant Learning
Fink (2003) proposed a taxonomy of significant learning that reflects the aspects of learning commonly cites by advocates for deeper learning. According to Fink, significant learning comprises: Foundational knowledge which is the information that is transferred in the Standard Model of Education as well as broader concepts that help organized information; Application which finds learners using the foundational knowledge to solve (or at least attempt to solve) Read More
Perspectives on Learning
One of the reasons there is so much debate about teaching and learning and what we should have students spend their time doing when they are in schools is that there are different theories about human learning. By theories, of course, I mean ideas supported by evidence that accurately predict and explain what we observed. Read More
A Short Rant on School Improvement
“School improvement” has been the mantra of school leaders for generations. The story for educators who have been in the profession for more than about 10 years is familiar: An innovative new approach to education is presented as the panacea for finally realizing the schools that we want and that the described in our vision Read More
Digital Badges: A Credential Whose Time is Now?
The idea of digital badges has been kicking around for a few years. The microcredentials are exactly what the names suggest: Badges are credentials; they are awarded when a learner has completed some experience that leads the awarder to believe the learners can do things now that they couldn’t do previously. Badges are micro-credentials; they Read More
Discussions for Deeper Processing
“What is it weakest part of your online or blended course?” is a question I have posed to faculty who teach online. A synopsis of one of the most commonly encountered answers is: I’m afraid my students feel the same about my discussions as I do. They post and respond, and I tell them “say Read More
Can We Agree We are Wrong?
There is so many ideas about teaching and learning that are kicking around in the literature, the blogosphere, and the popular culture that some of them must be incorrect–we know this is true because many of these are contradictory. Let’s clarify that we are wrong about three of these… and these are three that are Read More