Posing Questions—Part II: Teaching CuriousityPosted on October 28, 2013 by David RhoadsPerhaps curiosity is a character trait that cannot be taught. But maybe it can be picked up by example or contagion or osmosis. You see someone who is fascinated with things and loves to investigate them, and you are just drawn to imitate that person….
The Changing Understanding of How We Learn–Part 2 : What is Effective Learning?Posted on October 27, 2013 by Holly InglisSome of my most significant learning in seminary happened in the cafeteria.The cafeteria was where we all gathered after chapel, drawn in by the aroma of freshly baked cookies and newly brewed coffee, timed to coincide with the “Amen.” That was where we asked the questions of one another that we could not or would not ask in class. That was where we wrestled with ideas and boldly challenged the notions of professors with whom we would not dare publically disagree in class. I would often leave with more questions than answers, but usually the sense of community and mutuality left me with a positive feeling. Enhanced by the delicious cookies, the cafeteria experience became a positive memory of learning for me. We’ll explore why in a little bit.
Scarcities 1: Desanctifying the Classroom (1 of 2)Posted on October 21, 2013 by A+ Brooke Lester, CuratorThere was a time–remember?–when the face-to-face classroom wasn’t a sacrosanct wing, protected by Do-Not-Touch velvet ropes, in the Higher Ed Nostalgia Museum. A time–though to admit it now may seem tantamount to waving the white flag of pedagogical surrender to the advancing corporate-MOOC Visigoth hoards–when we educators used complain about the classroom.Cari Lyn writes recently on Seminarium Blog about open-source “learning management systems” (LMSes) as one affordable approach to learning platforms, in which students can have opportunities for “[g]roup activities, research opportunities, and freedom of expression.” This has me reflecting on platforms: the face-to-face classroom, the closed LMSes, and the open/distributed platforms. Conversations about learning platforms tend to emphasize the “goods” of the face-to-face platform and the challenges of the online platforms. But before we had online learning platforms to be suspicious about, we used to complain about the limits of the classroom all the time.So, in this post, I focus on the limits of the face-to-face classroom in terms of “scarcities.” In a second post, I will consider the respective “scarcities” of the closed and open online platforms. This will, I argue, provide a less skewed, more productive basis for comparing platforms or for considering “blended” solutions. So, let’s get started: What’s missing–necessarily, intrinsically missing–from the brick-and-mortar classroom…?
The Changing Understanding of How We Learn–Part 1: We’re Not in MI Anymore!Posted on October 19, 2013 by Holly InglisHere’s the newsflash–Multiple Intelligence IS OUT! Even Howard Gardner, the author of Five Minds and creator of MI theory, stated that he was over the theory a decade ago and that educators should move on. But if Multiple Intelligence theory is out, then what’s in?
Posing Questions—Part I: Better a Good Question than an Answer!Posted on October 18, 2013 by David RhoadsWhat is it about a good question? What happens when the question itself becomes a fascination?It may be a question that names a puzzle to be solved or a conundrum to be contemplated. It may put the finger on a piece of evidence necessary for understanding. It may point to a contradiction that problematizes or complexifies our thinking. It may challenge our fundamental assumptions. It may be a question to which there will be no certain answer. It will probably be a question that leads to other questions. But when you get a good one, it is clearly better to have a good question than an answer!…