In addition to having strong foundational knowledge (what we traditionally understand learning to be), we want those who have “learned it” to be able to use it critically; they should be able to judge the quality of their knowledge and the degree to which it will suffice in the current situation. We want those who Read More
Teachers complain. They complain a lot. No, really. You can’t imagine the things teachers say about students, students’ previous teachers, colleagues, administrators, parents and society, and everyone else. After more than three decades of hearing it, I may nod, but it is like white noise to me; with one exception. When I hear, “I taught Read More
The last generation of educators have been focused on standards. We fuss and fret over what it is students are supposed to know and we obsess over the dubious data we are given to indicate the degree to which students are or are not learning it. Standards were originally proposed as a strategy for ensuring Read More
Scholars who study learning transfer generally differentiate near transfer from far transfer. Near transfer refers to a learner’s ability to use their knowledge and skill in settings that are similar to those in which they originally learned. In some training settings (for example learning how to operate hardware or software), the application setting is almost Read More
Teaching is often assumed to be a simple system: The curriculum is assumed to be well-know and clearly defined (it isn’t–unless one accepts textbook publishers’ profit-driven judgments). Instruction is assumed to be reliable (it isn’t—at least when we really look and ask). Assessment is assumed to be valid (it isn’t—really, we have no tests measure Read More
One of the defining characteristics of “buzz-word-driven” teaching is its advocates’ insistence that its universal applicability. Those advocating the approach will maintain the methods work for all students in all classes in all circumstances. This is supported with dubious evidence at best, and often there is no evidence that the methods will actually produce the Read More
For many faculty (and students) anything that is not a test or a worksheet that is homework. As digital technologies have become more widely available, projects have included presentations and similar work. In the education literature, however, project-based learning has a very specific meaning. Project-based learning typically begins with a question that is defined by Read More
Most scholars and practitioners trace the origins of problem-based learning to changes in medical school teaching in the 1960’s. At the time, traditional lecture was deemed insufficient to prepare physicians for the field which was characterized by rapidly expanding field of knowledge and the emergence of new medical technologies. It was reasoned physicians’ capacity to Read More
As students experience deeper learning, they frame, understand, and attempt to solve problems as they interact with foundational knowledge. This facilitates their ability to remember what they learned, and they also become more skilled at assessing what they know and what they do not know. Advocates for deeper learning differentiate the use of foundational knowledge Read More
In almost all organizations, IT is a support function. Workers use IT to perform business-critical functions and improve efficiency and effectiveness, but—while being critical for business operations—IT rarely is an income center for any business. In schools, this is especially true in schools, as computers are a relatively recent tool in schools, and much effective Read More