I have spent the majority of my life in a classroom. I attended Pre-K at the age of 4, then continued to Kindergarten, through elementary, middle, and high school. Following graduation I attended Michigan State University for my undergraduate degree. Then I continued my education while accepting a job teaching 3rd grade. My life, woven through and surrounded by education, has allowed me a unique perspective of the expectations of learning. Some might mistakenly label me as “book smart,” confining my intelligence to the four walls of the classroom. When, in fact, a plethora of my knowledge can be attributed to experiences and exploration found outside of the realm of schooling. The parameters of learning from schooling are often contrasting those of learning outside of traditional education. Identifying these differences may help bridge the gap between those realms of knowledge and help form more inquisitive, adaptive, solution-driven learners.
Expectations of Learning in Schools
As a teacher, I am very aware of the amount of structure needed for a successful, efficient classroom. This structure is built from classroom routines, a consistent schedule, and learned expectations. I teach using the gradual release model (I do, we do, you do) which allows students to slowly learn until they are able to successfully practice the concept independently. The “I do” portion of my lesson is the teaching portion, where I introduce a new concept. During the “we do'' portion, the class practices the concept in partner groups with my assistance. At this time, my students work and learn together for a common goal, which Resnick refers to as “shared cognition” (1987). The final part of my lesson, the “you do,” is independent work, usually followed by some type of formative assessment. These assessments allow me to gauge my students’ understanding of the new topic.
Although this method of teaching allowed me success in the past, I still struggle with the depth in which it allows my students to connect with and have buy-in with their learning. The lack of authentic learning experiences limits my students’ abilities to apply their knowledge to real-world situations (Resnick, 1987, p.15). This model of teaching does not always allow for my students to have much agency in their learning which affects their motivation to learn and the depth with which they connect to their work.
Expectations of Learning Out of Schools
Mezirow (1981) explains that there are three separate “areas of cognitive interest,” that drive adult learning outside of classrooms. Learning outside of the classroom is not fueled by the grade you might receive on an assignment, but rather the actual learning itself. A couple of years back, I decided that I wanted to learn to plan an instrument. I did not practice in my spare time to ensure I received an “A” on my abilities, but practiced purely because I had the intrinsic motivation to do so. Mezirow might consider this cognitive interest as “emancipatory,” as it was an interest of “self-knowledge,” (Mezirow, 1981, p.1). The other areas of cognitive interest are “work” and “practical” which are both concerned with how you can manipulate your environment. These might be driving forces in learning to improve your personal life, situation, or relationships through “instrumental action” (work) or “communication” (practical), (Mezirow, 1981, p.3-5).
Uniting the Two Learning Spaces
What I am considering is how we can combine the motivation to learn, as seen outside of the classroom, with the structure of in-classroom learning. When we are able to implement the learning strategies used in out-of-classroom learning experiences, students are able to unlock new motivations for learning. This can be done through project based learning (PBL). Blumenfeld and colleagues (1991) suggest that PBL “is designed to engage students in investigation of authentic problems.” The focus of PBL is to value learning and performance above perceived mastery of a skill (Blumenfeld et al., 1991, 369-371). Students apply the knowledge they have learned to real situations and develop problem solving skills along the way. I had the opportunity to witness this during my time teaching coding and robotics during a 3-week summer camp. Students were given problems to solve and learned to find solutions through trial and error, learning from mistakes, learning from each other, and generating new ideas through their shared cognition. The motivation for these students was not to get a good grade, but rather to solve the intended problem.
Photo by me. A camper of mine learning through PBL!
References
Blumenfeld, P. C., Soloway, E., Marx, R. W., Krajcik, J. S., Guzdial, M., & Palincsar, A. (1991). Motivating project-based learning: sustaining the doing, supporting the learning. Educational Psychologist, 26(3-4), 369-398.
Mezirow, J. (1981). A critical theory of adult learning and education. Adult Education, 32(1), 3-24. http://ezproxy.msu.edu/login?url=https://journals.sagepub.com./doi/abs/10.1177/074171368103200101.
Resnick, L. B. (1987). Learning in school and out. Educational Researcher, 16(9), 13-20.
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