Divergent thinking! In order to understand the history of the educational system that is set up (was set up---- eons ago) to educate our children, take a look at this entertaining illustrated video: The video was adopted from Sir Ken Robinson's talk on how to educate our children today. One of the intersting points he made is that the epidemic of ADHD, which plagues us today, is shown to be more rampant on the Eastern Shores of the United States. Now,how can that be!
Learning in groups, whether online or in face-to face courses enables all of the students to work from their strengths, and learn from each other. In the process, they might begin to learn how other kids (or adults) faced with the same problem, might look at and handle it differently. If all are engaged in doing interesting activities, and are important to the group, they will be more apt to pay attention and to contribute. Our educational system rewards those who think in certain ways and answer questions correctly; I agree that it is time to pose questions that do not have a right or wrong answer, and that push the limits of current knowledge and stimulate a quest for more information .
As an artist, I am particularly drawn to videos that are drawn by hand. These cartoons are produced as the video progresses, but obviously planned out well in advanced. They are particularly effective in getting across the emotions of the children depicted, including sagging body posture and beautifully drawn facial expressions. Without a doubt, I could understand the video better by the graphics accompanying the lecture. Because I am an artist, I was fascinated at the drawing itself, and almost lost the meaning when I became fascinated by the great drawing ability.
Sir Ken Robinson makes the point that in order not to marginalize and penalize the students who do not learn best sitting up straight in chairs in rows listening to the teacher, we need to learn how we learn best. That is from each other, in groups.
Hi Barbara,
ReplyDeleteThis is more than just entertaining it's an amazing piece of observation.
A statement about how we need to learn in the 21st century.
Collaboration is the key to learning.
I was taught in a grammar school and I am a product of he old system. But now I am promoting collaborating or what my teachers would have called cheating. We never collaborated at school. It was all individual work. I was good at, others not.
Can we change the way schools are organised? What type of thinking an dcollaborating is required to change a system of learning that seems to be broken, or is no longer appropriate?
I don't know.
Thanks for sharing this. It's also a great insight into the suffering of some digital natives like my two boys. Actually they are ok, but they must be impacted y this.
Ian