Secondary Social Studies
If the doors of perception were cleansed, all things would appear as they are, infinite.
~ William Blake ~
~ William Blake ~
Education is an interesting endeavor. Lessons come to us from an endless variety of people and places. Our job as individuals is to be aware enough to know when we are learning and then take what we learn and figure out how to put it into practice in our lives. Learning how to learn is seemingly more difficult than deciding what to learn and when. In my experience, I have never met a single person who did not like to learn. However, academic learning, is a special and particular type of learning.
Academic learning largely takes place in a school, in a classroom, in textbooks, under a strict set of rules, in a structured social situation, and it is divided into disciplines. Thus, academic learning is different than almost any other type of learning we do in life. This formal education that we impose on our young has some real advantages. It offers a safe place to try and fail and try again and again. It offers a broad and specialized understanding of the world through a variety of academic disciplines. The students are given highly educated instructors that have expertise in given fields and whom are trained in the profession of teaching. In spite of all of this, academic learning is still fraught with dangers for students. The biggest danger of all being that if the student does not perform to a satisfactory degree in this academic setting they can form negative attitudes toward their own intelligence and abilities. This can greatly impact an individuals life. Thus it is of great importance that teachers safeguard against such self harm by helping students learn the value of failure and the true benefits of the educational experience. I have been in formal education for seven years and I have taught outdoor education skills such as rock and alpine climbing and sea kayaking for another seven. From this experience two understandings have emerged as necessary for learning to take place. The first is that an individual's desire to learn must be encouraged and nurtured. The second is that the focus of instruction should be on the acquisition of the basic skills necessary to complete tasks. The content of any discipline is both necessary and important, however, the personal skills that one develops in the learning of that content, are what will stay with the individual. In addition, the acquisition of skills is what will instill confidence in a person as well as allow an individual to transfer those skills to a variety of other life pursuits. So in my classroom, it is practice, practice, practice, until the skill becomes a habit of mind. To me, this is education at its best. Comments are closed.
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