What is Learning...
Learning is gaining knowledge, that will hopefully be useful at some future date. Sometimes the knowledge might be needed for only a test, but I think learning is more meaningful if you will use the information in real life. Learning is a continuous process, and takes practice to master. Hopefully some of the 'practice' can be in a real life situation.
How can learning best be effectuated?
Learning is most effective when it can be applied to a real life. I am lucky because I have opportunities to take students on community field trips often. Students with disabilities often have a tough time generalizing skills across different settings. As a result, we take field trips often. If students are learning how to grocery shop, we teach them grocery shopping skills at school, we role play grocery shopping, and then we practice the skills we have learned at the grocery store. This helps students apply what they are learning to real life.
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you know what I think of when I read your blog this week????
ReplyDeleteI think of my own personal experiences in school. Do I remember lessons in particular classes? NO! I remember socializing, dating, participating in extra curricular activities. The real everyday life situations that came along with the territory. I liked reading your blog, because your situation is teaching those students the everyday life skills that they need to be able to make it and be self reliant.
Great insight!!!
Hi Carlee,
ReplyDeleteCommunity field trip always arouse students interests, which is an effective method to effectuate learning. When I was a child, I did not like learning thoeries or memorizing formulas. By contrast, I enjoy the experiments and fielf trips, becaue they were full of fun.
As you said, "learning is a continuous process", applying what students learn in their lives is a good reinforcement. By which learning could be effectuated.
When you said that knowledge is sometimes just used for a test but hopefully will be used in the real world it made me think of the inert knowledge that was discussed in the theory. I feel that it is a sad thing when students have to learn material only for a test and see no relevance in how they can apply it to their lives. I think to be true learning, important learning, it has to be something we will use
ReplyDeleteI worked with a special needs class that did a PBL unit focusing on their communitiy's accessibility....they found it to be a very valuable experience especially in terms of its effects on their ability to engage in effective social interactions and gain in sense of responsibility. An article I wrote about that unit is posted on my web page.
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