I feel this is a relevant and compelling question.  During the last decade the way content is delivered  to students, the lay out of classrooms and the structure of learning have dramatically changed.  The blackboard is not the focus and quiet reflective and independent learning has given way to group work where each student gets the opportunity to take on different roles and development a variety of skills.  Both strategies have their merits and both suit different learning styles for students.

The big question is – have we gone too far from the core of learning and redefined it in a way that has been detrimental to our students’ future?

From the earliest of times, learning was explicitly taught with the teacher directing students from the front of the classroom. Students sat and listened to the teaching of a learned person and then left the scene to put the lesson into practice if they chose. It was that simple.

Today, our learning environments are diametrically opposed to the ancient ways. That is progress and that is good.  Today, we have room for creativity and to work collegially with peers. Today, we have wonderful technology that allows us to keep pace with global developments and to participate in  information based learning. Today students not only require knowledge, they require skills as well. They need skills to understand how to keep pace with the changes that will be a part of their future.

So…. do we need to reclaim education?  What we need to reclaim is a quest for knowledge and the desire to learn independently for while the modern learning strategies provide a rich and varied learning experience for students, has it been at the peril of developing independent learners who have an almost inherent quest for knowledge?

Please consider these books below if you wish to learn more about new ways of understanding the future of learning.  AND don’t forget to leave a comment to this post if this topic has resonated with you.