Information about Crossroads Village and the most recent downloadable version can be found at: http://gel.msu.edu/crossroadsvillage.
by John M. Quick
Learning research has revealed stark contrasts between how students learn inside and outside of school. It can be inferred from the literature that the acquisition of knowledge is a much more social, active, and contextual process than is traditionally witnessed in institutions. Fortunately, there are opportunities to incorporate successful out of school learning principles into a classroom environment. The following recommendations are made to educators who wish to capture outside learning benefits in their instruction.
Create a social learning environment.
School environments typically focus on individual learning and accomplishments, especially regarding outcomes and assessment. However, “work, personal life, and recreation take place within social systems, and each person’s ability to function successfully depends on what others do and how several individuals’ mental and physical performances mesh” (Resnick, 1987, p.13). Resnick (1987) also identifies that one key attribute of successful institutional learning programs is that they consistently “involve socially shared intellectual work, and they are organized around joint accomplishment of tasks” (p.18).
Clearly there is a divergence between in and out of school social learning experiences. But to what benefit is a social community in school? Brown, Collins, and Duguid (1989) offer the following informative selection of prominent group learning features.
Collective problem solving
When learners work together to solve problems, they “give rise synergistically to insights and solutions” (p.40) that would not have occurred individually. Thus, group learning is capable of generating new, unforeseen, and more developed knowledge in students.
Multiple roles
Group activities “permit different roles to be displayed and engender reflective narratives and discussions about the aptness of those roles” (p.40). Work environments commonly demonstrate a division of labor and the use of specialized knowledge in specific circumstances. Mimicking the workplace in classrooms will provide students with a more genuine learning process.
Ineffective strategies and misconceptions
In high contrast to individual work, groups “can be efficient in drawing out, confronting and discussing both misconceptions and ineffective strategies” (p.40). Hence, social learning is more likely to expose learning opportunities that help students refine their knowledge than solo work.
Collaborative work skills
“If people are going to learn and work in conjunction with others, they must be given the situated opportunity to develop those skills” (p.40). Along with the description of multiple roles, students must actually be given the opportunity to learn and practice in realistic environments if they are to derive the most benefit. Schools were specifically designed to provide students with knowledge, making them an ideal place to provide such experiences.
Employ an active learning approach.
Semper (1990, p.50) refers to learning as an “active enterprise.” Active and interactive lessons have a number beneficial educational elements related to exploration, challenge, and feedback.
Exploration
Exploration (or play) is a fundamental learning technique for living things. Curiosity and intrinsic motivation are central to the concept of active learning (Semper, 1990). Educators should seek to create environments that are designed to isolate a “concept from the complex world so that a visitor has a chance to poke at, fiddle with and thereby begin to comprehend it” (Semper, 1990, p.50). In doing so, learners can freely explore without being concerned with the dire implications that mistakes can have in professional practice. All the while, learners are in control (Semper, 1990) and play a conscious role in developing their own education.
Challenge
Challenge is key to keeping learners motivated and interested in what they are doing. If tasks are too difficult, students will give up, if they are too easy, students will be bored (Semper, 1990). When she says, “allow skill to build up bit by bit, yet permit participation even for the relatively unskilled, often as a result of the social sharing of tasks,” Resnick (1987, p.18) alludes to a balance between challenge structure and the social learning community. Certainly, this is no simple task. However, it should not be viewed as impossible either. Discovering the appropriate challenge structure and social balance will require forethought, preparation, organization, and flexibility on the part of each educator in his or her specific context.
Feedback
Feedback lets learners know how they are doing and what their next move might be. It is an important component of explorative learning and motivation (Semper, 1990). Active learners rely on feedback throughout the knowledge acquisition process. Thus, it is vital not only to provide it, but to make sure that feedback is timely and has an appropriate level of detail.
Place learning into context.
Resnick (1987, p.14) states that “outside school, actions are intimately connected with objects and events” and suggests that learning in school is quite the opposite. Does this have to be the case? If “mental activities make sense in terms of their results in a specific circumstance” (Resnick, 1987, p.15), then perhaps educators should design learning opportunities that place students in realistic problem solving contexts. Semper (1990, p.55) warns that “authenticity is crucial.” Likewise, Brown et al. (1989, p.34) explain that students “need to be exposed to the use of a domain’s conceptual tools in authentic activity,” which is defined as “the ordinary practices of the culture.” Much importance then, should be placed on devising specific, immersive activities, rather than more traditional, abstract, and generalized tasks.
To conclude, Resnick (1987) cites the most successful educational programs as capturing the elements of apprenticeship. Similarly, Brown et al. (1989, p.33) assert that “to learn... a student, like an apprentice, must enter that community and its culture.” Making one’s classroom learning more like an apprenticeship entails the development of a social, active, and contextual learning community. Hence, an educator who understands that “activity, concept, and culture are interdependent” (Brown et al., 1989, p.33) is one who is starting down the path to unifying in school and out of school instruction.
References
Brown, J. S., Collins, A., & Duguid, P. (1989, January/February). Situated cognition and the culture of learning. Educational Researcher, 18(1), 32-42. Retrieved June 13, 2008, from JSTOR database.
Resnick, L. B. (1987, December). The 1987 presidential address: Learning in school and out. Educational Researcher, 16(9), 13-20+54. Retrieved June 13, 2008, from JSTOR database.
Semper, R. J. (1990, November). Science museums as environments for learning. Physics Today, 43(11), 50-56. Retrieved June 13, 2008, from http://www.exploratorium.edu/IFI/resources/museumeducation/sciencemuseums.html
In February of 2008, Smith Magazine published the first volume of its six word memoirs book, titled "Not Quite What I Was Planning." It was composed of nearly 1000 user-submitted memoirs. The challenge behind the entire process is to tell a story using only six words. I have submitted numerous memoirs in the past, but only last weekend was one of my selected as a "featured submission." Hopefully, this qualifies it to be published in the next collection. So, what exactly was the worthy memoir? "I have even Twittered during sex." You can currently see it rotating along with other featured submissions on the six word memoir homepage (at least until newer submissions bump it into the archive). The URL is: http://www.smithmag.net/sixwords/. Submit your own memoirs and be sure to check out the numerous other contests that Smith Magazine is running at any given time!
Another recent discovery of mine was yet another social networking phenomena, known as Twitter. It portrays itself as a place for close family and friends to go for the simple sake of letting everyone else know the answer to the question, "what are you doing?" Hence, it is common to see people talking about what they ate for breakfast or where they went last weekend. Others, especially marketers, use it as a viral method for distributing URLs, blog posts, and other online discoveries of interest. Yet others just goof around and use it as a place to joke with friends. Personally, I see little value in its original intention as a way to let people know about the everyday minutia of life. However, what I am intrigued by Twitter for is the prospect of creating a miniature creative writing blog. The key is that Twitter only allows one to update his or her status using 140 characters or less (which comes out to about two or three short sentences). Much like Smith's memoirs, 55 fiction, and other micro-fiction forms, "Twitter Fiction" is a likewise amusing and addictive way to practice one's writing skills. In every one of my posts, I make sure to use all 140 characters, no more, no less. You can follow my stories here. You may even be able to decipher that my updates are less fiction and more so real answers to the question, "what are you doing?," except written in a storytelling manner due to the self-imposed 140 character constraint.
I hope you enjoy both of these online opportunities for creative writing!
