This past year I engaged in and completed a Masters degree in Learning Technologies from Pepperdine University. Of the many books I read and articles that I poured over, "The Book of Learning and Forgetting by Frank Smith was one of the most revolutionary reads. In this book, Frank Smith highlights the differences between two theories of learning One, based on a model that focuses on knowledge acquisition being assessable and one that focuses on the shared learning experience. The Official theory of learning has memorization, hard work and testing, as it's main framework. The Classic theory of learning has discovery, collaboration and knowledge sharing as its basis. In Smith's view, we learn from the company we keep and that all learning is social activity. For learning to happen effortlessly, the student must feel that he or she belongs to a club or group where the learning is taking place. This societal factor in learning is supported and enhanced by the use of Web 2.0 tools.
The Official theory of learning that is employed by most school systems, he writes, places too much emphasis on the solitary learning of the individual (Smith 1998). As you read this, you no doubt recognize the difference between these two paths of learning. We all have grown up cramming for tests only to forget much of the information we "memorized" a short time later. Contrast this learning with the more every day experience of working together with others to solve a problem. Things we learn in this way are seem to stick with us and connect to other knowledge that we have gathered. A middle school student attending an LA area school that focused on the Classic theory of learning commented, "At my other school, it was like we were being taught with water that just rolled off of us, but here it's like you are teaching with glue. Everything we learn sticks with us." The ripples from this drop in the education pond can already be seen as more and more technology becomes part of our daily lives. It is not so much that the technology tools are impactful, it is in how we use them to help students connect what they learn to their daily lives and their daily lives to what they learn. The Book of Learning and Forgetting is a must read for any educator hoping to encourage the dreamer in 21st century students.
The Official theory of learning that is employed by most school systems, he writes, places too much emphasis on the solitary learning of the individual (Smith 1998). As you read this, you no doubt recognize the difference between these two paths of learning. We all have grown up cramming for tests only to forget much of the information we "memorized" a short time later. Contrast this learning with the more every day experience of working together with others to solve a problem. Things we learn in this way are seem to stick with us and connect to other knowledge that we have gathered. A middle school student attending an LA area school that focused on the Classic theory of learning commented, "At my other school, it was like we were being taught with water that just rolled off of us, but here it's like you are teaching with glue. Everything we learn sticks with us." The ripples from this drop in the education pond can already be seen as more and more technology becomes part of our daily lives. It is not so much that the technology tools are impactful, it is in how we use them to help students connect what they learn to their daily lives and their daily lives to what they learn. The Book of Learning and Forgetting is a must read for any educator hoping to encourage the dreamer in 21st century students.