What a great discussion! I agree that the traditional testing and grading systems certainly do not accurately reflect ALL students learning. But what has been threaded throughout many of the discussions here and in other blog posts is the need for change but not necessarily a revolution. Many students have managed to be relatively successful in learning and pursuing knowledge through traditional systems. But, as your stories illustrate, there are plenty of students “left behind”. Although I would point out that though a few of you were failed by the traditional education system, you have taken control, found motivation, and taken control of your own success, kudos! Perhaps, by addressing some of the problems with the current system, though, may have saved you some time and anguish.

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Thanks for the comment. I am not sure “work harder” is the words I would use. I think if things had been pass/fail, I would have pursued information more deeply. By memorizing the facts for the test, I feel like I still “learned” information . . . I just kept it all at a superficial level. Pass/fail grading or assessment might have allowed me to learn all things superficially but maybe given me the freedom to learn what I was most interested in a lot more deeply.

Thank you for the discussion point. I agree that sometimes we get “tunnel vision” when discussing these types of topics. Many are so anti-(whatever the current dogma is) that they throw all their energy into changing it. I think like most things in life, we have to be able to see the risks and benefits of each practice. And, usually, the most practically feasible plan ends up being something in the middle. In this case, I think we will see that the complete dissolution of grades will not be as useful as maybe utilizing some form of assessment that incorporates grades and feedback (as mentioned in Alfie Kohn’s piece).

Very interesting discussion. In my opinion, there is no right or wrong answer of course but it seems that both methodologies have their merits. I like the idea of combining the two ideas. Especially when a basic concept is very new (such as learning GIS would be to me, a biology gal), I think there is use in having step by step instructions. As an introduction, it is nice to have someone to show you how to navigate a new system. However, once the basic concepts are learned (or experienced), then maybe asking students to take what they have learned and use it a new way such as with “real world problems” might be useful. That way they still have to use their creativity and problem solve their way through a “real world problem” but they aren’t going in totally blind.

Thank you for this post. I had never thought about teaching/education in this way, but it is pretty accurate. It further points out the need for us to adapt our “product” to a changing “market”. That is to say that we no longer need students that can regurgitate information in jobs that require following a step-by-step protocol with no thought involved. Now, our world needs thinkers . . . students who can take knowledge from teachers, books, the internet, social media, etc., and assimilate it in such a way that is useful in a job market that needs problem solvers.

Thanks for your post. I too agree that sifting through large numbers of blog posts doesn’t usually pass my cost-benefits analysis, but agree that there may be some academic benefit. I think with all these ideas . . . connected learning vs traditional, blogging and social media vs other platforms, etc. . . that it ultimately comes down to how an individual best receives and processes information. Though I agree that the connected learning idea sounds interesting and may facilitate an interest in learning in more people, what about those for whom traditional learning has seemed to work? Many people have been successful (well, I guess depends on how you define successful) in the traditional learning environment. This could be due to multiple reasons. Some people process information better through hearing and visualizing such as through lectures and powerpoints. Also, some students may not learn as well through these methods but have the desire to go out and supplement their education in ways that work for them. Moreover, some students are more comfortable sharing their ideas in a smaller venue than the world wide web. I know for myself that blogging has always made me uncomfortable. I don’t always prefer to put my ideas/opinions on a global forum, but, rather, I like to have a little more control of who has access to my opinions/thoughts/ideas/etc. Again, I think there are certainly some great ways connected learning could improve our students’ educations, but I think we are still in the process of figuring out how best to maximize the positive impact it could have.

This is a great discussion thread! I think we can all agree that connected learning is a really interesting idea but that the implementation may be harder than it seems. I also agree with Willie’s point in that the resources are not only financial. In my opinion, the resources most important in trying to implement a connected learning environment would be time and faculty. As most students learn best in a slightly different manner, the need for such an individualized type of learning (or “interest building”) would require a lower faculty to student ratio and a lot more time investment. Also, although most agree that this type of learning environment could (and would) foster better learning and critical thinking, how exactly one shifts an entire education system based on didactic learning to one of connected learning is the biggest problem. So much needs to be done in terms of planning and preparing those in our current education system, that I am afraid we are still a long way off from really putting this into any kind of effect.

Hi there, what an interesting and relevant topic! The only discussion point that I would potentially posit is regarding student loan debt accrued in graduate schools. Here I am mostly referring to professional schools like medical, veterinary, dental, etc. These schools are often a lot more difficult to get into and, thus, an in-state option might not be feasible. Even so, they are still generally more expensive to attend than undergraduate schools. What makes it even worse is that this kind of education does not often have the same flexibility as undergraduate to accommodate additional jobs or income. I do agree that college students should learn to live within their means and that does not change as your education increases. But I wonder if that is really the entirety of the problem.