Aligning school to the way we were born to learn

Born to Learn is a cool site I recently came across that was created because our current systems of education aren’t doing enough to unlock our true potential. On the site they feature several video animations (and they’re working hard on more) to sum up over 20 years’ of rigorous and complex research in a way that’s accessible and easy to understand.


Here is the sites intro video which is just a terrific conversation starter for educators, parents, and students.

Born to Learn from Born to Learn on Vimeo.


The majority of the material collected on the site is taken from the book Overschooled but Undereducated which synthesizes an array of research and shows how these insights can contribute to a better understanding of human learning, especially as this relates to adolescence. As explained on the site, by mis-understanding teenagers’ instinctive need to do things for themselves, society is in danger of creating a system of schooling that so goes against the natural grain of the adolescent brain that formal education ends up unintentionally trivializing the very young people it claims to be supporting. By failing to keep up with appropriate research in the biological and social sciences, current educational systems continue to treat adolescence as a problem rather than an opportunity.

This book is about the need for transformational change in education. It synthesizes an array of research from both the physical and social sciences and shows how these insights can contribute to a better understanding of human learning, especially as this relates to adolescence.

The intention of the book and the site is to shake education out of its two-century’s-old inertia because they say, if a generation fails, the fault lies squarely with the previous generation for not equipping them well enough for the changes ahead.

You have read this article #passionbased / #passiondriven / real life learning with the title real life learning. You can bookmark this page URL http://benncam.blogspot.com/2011/04/aligning-school-to-way-we-were-born-to.html. Thanks!

Student Driven Learning = Passion-Based Classrooms

I often speak and write about differentiating instruction. Unfortunately, when I go into schools I see very little differentiation occurring.  This is the case even schools who have bought "magic bullet" programs like Renzulli Learning who tout themselves as a "Differentiation Engine."  I have visited about a dozen schools using such programs but without a solid foundation in what differentiation means.  Instead, they have all their students working within the learning management system on the same thing!


When I dig a little deeper about why this is happening teachers confide that they can't possibly create 32 different lessons for each of their students.  When I hear this, I realize they're not getting something very important.  The students own the learning.  When we give up control and empower the students to learn the way they want with the tools they want, the results are terrific and the students are partners with their teacher in designing learning methods, tools, and environments that are best for them.  


Josh Stumpenhorst recently celebrated the results of this method of teaching in his blog in a post called, "Student-Driven Learning." In the post he shares the ways empowered students learned the literacy standards they were mandated to meet.  Here's what he did.

"I was going to give complete control of the learning in my Language Arts to the students. Starting three days ago, that is exactly what I did. First, we went over our district mandated standards that we had to “hit” between now and the end of the year. Then, I shared with my students various projects and activities I had used in years past that were related to the specific standards. Then it was all on them."

You can read about his initial motivation for a student driven classroom, how to “give it up”, an initial class update, and updates titled “It’s About the Learning”, “Learning Should be Viral”, “One on One is the Best”, “Sub Plans” and "I Am Done!" about his experiences from the classroom as related to his decision to hand over the learning decisions to his students.


To read about how other teachers are doing this work, read these posts.

• One Great Way to Differentiate Instruction – See how Deven Black designed a lesson that enabled students to tap into their strengths, interests, and learning styles.
• Who Owns the Learning and Assessment?  - Read how digital ethnographer Michael Wesch uses learning goals and a wiki for his students to design their learning. 
• When students own the learning –See what happened when Keith Ferrell relinquished control and gave students a choice in how they would meet learning goals.
• Real Life Learning - Shelley Wright is a high school educator in Moose Jaw, SK. On her blog she shares, “I love learning more than anything else.” This post features the video of what happens when school becomes real life.
• Skype in the classroom – Educators everywhere are bringing education to life with Skype.
  See how Melanie Holtsman is using Skype in the Classroom or take a look at this video to see how Carl Anderson is using Skype to connect with virtual guest speakers.
• Principal Hands Over Control During a Trip to The Zoo - See how handing over control to a nine-year old made Principal Patrick Larkns trip to the zoo a much more enjoyable day.  

You have read this article differentiated instruction / passion based learning / passion driven learning / real life learning / student centered learning with the title real life learning. You can bookmark this page URL http://benncam.blogspot.com/2011/04/student-driven-learning-passion-based.html. Thanks!

Real Life Learning

As I delve into learning more about unschooling, free schooling, Democracy schooling, John Taylor Gatto, etc., etc., etc. I’m frustrated by the realization that we’re making students jump through hoops that they don’t care about, never chose, and that just don’t matter to them...and all because we say so. I think unschooling is fantastic, but it’s not realistic for everyone. I think freedom/Democracy schooling is wonderful, but it can’t be publicly funded. Sooo what to do? How do we bring these great learning philosophies to a broken system? Is it possible?

Well it looks like there’s at least one teacher moving in the right direction. Shelley Wright is a high school educator in Moose Jaw, SK. On her blog she shares, “I love learning more than anything else; this blog is part of that journey.” In her latest post Shelley shares what happens When School Becomes Real Life and in her latest video, she shows what happens! What I love about Shelley’s blog and video is she keeps it real. She acknowledges that when you’re teaching kids who’ve spent their whole life being forced to be learning dependent, real life learning isn’t easy work, but as one student explains, Ms. Wright just kind of through them into taking ownership of their learning and they have to figure it out.

Shelley throws out some important questions, like, “Will my students get mad that I’m making them do my job?”

Take a look at her video below and check out her blog. What do you think?

You have read this article DIY Learning / natural learning / real life learning / unschooling with the title real life learning. You can bookmark this page URL http://benncam.blogspot.com/2011/01/real-life-learning.html. Thanks!