“Knowledge, the disciplines, and learning in the Digital Age”

“Knowledge, the disciplines, and learning in the Digital Age”
Jane Gilbert. Educ Res Policy Pract (2007) 6:115-122.


This article was very interesting. It raised some intriguing ideas and forced me to really think about the meaning of education. What is knowledge? What is learning? What is the purpose of education? What do we want the students to know? To learn? I have often wondered if our education system has gotten away from us, like a top spinning out of control, to the point where we aren’t achieving what we originally set out to. We are so busy going through the motions that there is little time to stop and really think through the purpose of those motions. I think that we waste way too much time and energy filling kids’ heads with “crap”. Do they really need to know what we currently teach them? Is having them be able to regurgitate it back to us on a test or a project really a sign of them learning anything at all? Perhaps we need to find a way to start over again and figure out what it means to be a “knowledgeable” member of society and THEN figure out how to educate to achieve that. I think the answer lies in simplicity – basic skills such as questioning, sorting, organizing, hypothesizing, verifying, criticizing, applying, etc. Maybe the focus should switch from “what”, to “how and why”.

Our current system uses technology as a means for finding and/or presenting existing knowledge, with the main focus on the content of the subject areas. I think the use of technology could be key to achieving an age where learners generate knowledge versus simply storing it. Where learners are active producers of knowledge versus passive consumers. Where literacy is multi-nodal and disciplines are not the be-all-end-all, but rather act as a means for us to explore relationships, connections and interactions. (Gilbert, 2007)

Technology can be used across all content areas, and is useful in integrating concepts of different content areas together. Rarely in life does one discipline exist as a separate entity, so doesn’t it make sense that instead of teaching this way we combine disciplines together and focus more on project-based learning involving multiple disciplines? As a high school teacher I find it really frustrating that we separate “knowledge” into individual compartments, organized by content, and then expect students to be able to put it all together themselves in the real world. We are focusing on the end product of what they should have learned, rather than guiding them on the process of learning.

Does out education system need a total overhaul to achieve this?

Putting It All Out There

ISTE's Educational Technology Standards for Teachers

My goal for Fall 2010 is regarding the fifth standard, "Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership". Specifically I want to show growth in the area of participating in local and global learning communities to explore creative applications of technology to improve student learning.




Where I am --> Beginning: Explore and discuss attributes of local and global learning communities where teachers can explore creative applications of technology to improve student learning.

I’ve set this particular goal for myself because it relates closely to SFU’s fifth capacity: Access, evaluate, use and participate in new media interactions in education. This is undoubtedly the most difficult of the five for me to focus on and therefore grow in. I’ve become comfortable joining educational communities – both online and in person – but have great difficulty in contributing to them. I take, but do not give back. I think this is because I still view myself as a fairly new teacher with only six years experience, so I am still like a sponge, soaking up as much information and ideas as possible. I had never really thought that what I thought would matter to people. But, I’m learning that I’m wrong thinking that way. I know many “rookie” teachers who have great ideas and know just as many “veteran” teachers who have given up on their passion and become jaded. I guess it’s just hard to put it all out there for people to see and judge. But maybe people will like what they see :)

Cooperative Learning in Math Class

I've been conducting an inquiry in my middle school level classes on the topic of cooperative learning. I teach mathematics, and my hope is that through cooperative work, students can gain confidence in their abilities and some anxiety that is commonly associated with mathematics may be alleviated. Working with the ever "connected" generation inspires me to create opportunities for them to cooperate and collaborate outside of the classroom. I'm interested in seeing how having a virtual support system for the students and having them be a part of an online community will affect their willingness to participate in cooperative situations. However, I'm finding that students are hesitant to cooperate; in fact, I'm noticing that many/most of them are competitive learners. I'm wondering how I can create, promote, and encourage a cooperative environment where students see the benefits of working together that we as educators see.

In my on-going quest to find instructional strategies that encourage and support student cooperation, I've come across the following articles that have been useful to me. Feel free to check them out (sign-in may be required using university ID), comment, or leave suggestions for all of us teacher inquirers out there!

• Supporting Whole-class Collaborative Inquiry in a Secondary Mathematics Classroom (Staples, M.) http://proxy.lib.sfu.ca/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=tfh&AN=31229180&site=ehost-live

• Cooperative Learning in the Secondary Mathematics Classroom (Whickerm K., Bol, L., Nunnery, J.) http://proxy.lib.sfu.ca/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ592345&site=ehost-live