I’ve tried to implement more student-centered activities in my lectures. Composition is tough because so much of the process of writing is done independently, but including activities like workshops, grammar activities and thought experiments that keep students grounded and get them involved tend to be successful.

One of the things that struck me in the video is when one of the professors talked about what options we have in revolutionizing education: we can either have progressive, alternative learning accessible only to the privileged (and by extension causing a larger gap in wealth and opportunity), or we can make it a priority to create a space of competent learners who are are able to enter the work force with all of the skills necessary to accomplish any task that is in front of them. If we feel compelled to standardize education, let’s do it in a way that is open-ended and allows for students to learn as individuals.

I agree with you about lecture as an academic tool. One distinction that needs to be made is that giving a good lecture is a skill, and it is something that should be honed before an instructor begins teaching. If more instructors focused on how their lecture is perceived, rather than focusing mainly on content, perhaps much of the stigma centered around lecturing could dissipate.

I’m not against grading, or even standardized testing, for that matter. However, I am against teaching every student as if they learn the same way, and then by extension, grading them as such. Tests are certainly one way to identify what a student has learned. But they aren’t the best way for everyone, and we need to be cognizant of those students for whom testing puts them at a disadvantage when the time comes to assess them. If we put the onus exclusively on test score and GPAs, we are disenfranchising students who learn in alternative ways. Think of all the skills we learn without being tested. Tests provide a goal, a watermark for accomplishing a task, but there are other ways such as demonstration assessment, holistic assessment, and others that can and should be considered.

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I think that you are right in addressing student motivation, which is the key issue here. If we want to move beyond the linear, old-school teaching and assessment methods, then we have to motivate our students to focus more on the act of learning and less on the test or product. It starts, however, with the instructors (and the support of the administration) by catering to students’ learning habits. If we look at the classroom as a pool of individual learners, we can begin to move away from standardized teaching.

I thoroughly enjoyed this post! One of the things that really stuck out for me was your discussion of how to use connected learning to better understand and treat affliction such as cancer. Initially, one would look to science for the answer–doctors, research, treatment, labs, etc. But you provide a reminder that there is always more than one solution to the problem. Something as devastating and troubling as cancer requires a multi-faceted approach to treat, learn about, and fight. I think the suggestions you provide are a great start. Connected learning is something that, I believe, will only continue to grow the longer we live in an inter-connected world. It can be frustrating sometimes when we run out of ideas or fresh approaches to tackle a problem, but it is refreshing to know that there are others with different skills and different perspectives who can find new and creative solutions. Let’s keep this up!