Are we teaching the Love of Learning?

Education Article Summary/Reflection
Periodical: District Administration
Date: October 2010
Title: For the Love of Learning
Author: Will Richardson

Teaching education is more than passing the test or getting students into college, this article focuses on education teaching students to be self-directed, self-organized, and passionate learners. Students have more information at their fingertips through the web than we could have ever imagined from the late 80's and early 90's.

This article allowed me to reflect on my classroom at Alburnett. Are we focussing on individual student interest? Or real-problem solving? Or just the love of learning which some may refer to as exploration? Are we using the tools we have to do our best? I feel that we have to practice being passionate learners for our academia interest, which will carry over into our students. Are we trying new things and constantly updating, some new things don't go as well as others, so the next year are we adjusting or modifying or do we just scrap that idea?

This article focuses on the 21st century skills, which Mr. Richardson defines as the ability of our students to publish information to global audiences, by collaborating and creating with others who may be half way around the world at any hour of the day. Also, the ability of our students to tell stories through the use of multimedia, up to date and practical multimedia.

Sometimes it is easier to focus on the barriers, but if we step back with the attitude we want our students to develop then we need to find ways to incorporate the tools that our students are using in their personal life into education. Being creative in finding ways to use those tools in our classroom. If our students don't want to do something they will find an excuse; if they want to do something, they will find a way. The article focuses on a New Jersey school that is bringing this philosophy to their 3,200 students by making the majority of their classes inquiry based and grounding those classes in social online tools, such as blogs.

I enjoyed this article because I agree with a lot of what the author is saying and to me it makes sense. Learning is more than learning the answers for the next test, it is a passion. We need to display that passion through our teaching.

Please post ideas or thoughts or possible tools/contacts to develop this concept further at Alburnett.