The Question of Formality vs. Informality
The NLG identifies Situated Practice as a mode in which students are immersed in experiences in order to learn skills and discourses. Immersion learning can be informal or formal, but young students thrive in an environment that is more informal and experience-based. Much of the immersion experienced as young students is supported by “our human biology and the normal course of human maturation and development” (NLG, 1996), which is to say that as young students develop biologically they are constantly absorbing their environment and learning from it. The concern is that as students get older, students’ development slows down with each passing year and does not allow for students to thrive in an immersion environment. In order for students to learn in a situated environment in later years, they need to be exposed to a method stronger or more in tune with their level of development and maturity instead of simply being immersed in a learning environment.
All of the above makes sense in the grand scheme of things, but just as anything else to do with human physiology, it’s really not that simple. A key challenge identified in education is the shift from young students thriving in non-formal educational settings to older students being reluctant to learn in formal settings. But what if that is the problem right there? Older students are still children; they are just at a different developmental stage than their younger counterparts. What if students innately recognize the fact that their learning environments have become formalized and they are just not developmentally ready yet? Wesch’s (2008) article addressed the concern that older students have become complacent with doing the bare minimum in schools in order to “get by”. He observed students’ behaviors in his classes, despite his extravagant teaching style, as being distracted, unenthused, and uninterested. His students learned the “school formula”, if you will, of just exactly how many classes to attend, how many assignments to complete, and how to study in order to pass the class – which is all that is expected of them, right?
The difference of being educated in an informal setting – filled with discussions, real-life situational problems, and formative evaluations – and a formal setting – filled with (extravagant) lessons and summative evaluations – is so incredibly different that it’s no wonder that students struggle with the change. Even as an adult, I still learn more by discussion and experience rather than by lecture and reading. For young students, it may come down to the developmental requirements that their brains are just screaming to be taught by experience, but the reality is that informal learning lends more opportunities for meaningful learning.
So how do educators ensure that older students are not lost in the formality of higher education? The answer is multifaceted, but it can come down to breaking down the classroom walls. Think about the informal learning experiences that teachers of young students create; the experiences transcend their physical location, they encourage thought and discussion, and extend beyond particular subjects or disciplines. Why do teachers of older students have to do any differently? The argument could be made that the rigor of higher academic classes increases with age, but the mode in which to learn the rigor does not necessarily need to result in a lesson that drives students away from learning.
Students like learning; they just don’t always enjoy school (Wesch, 2008). The solution is in the answer to the question: What is school doing to our students?
References
The New London Group. (1996) “A Pedagogy of Multiliteracies:Designing Social Futures.” Harvard Educational Review 66(1), pp. 60-92.
Wesch, M. (2008). A Vision of Students Today (& What Teachers Must Do). [Video]
I strongly believe that we only learn when we are interested. In order to be interested learning must be relevant. To make learning relevant it needs to have perceived goals applicable to the students understanding and personal goals. Learning must be cusotmized accoridng to interest. The multi-displenary & PBL is one of the solutions to offer learning in a more relevant and interesting manner.
Great points. I think that school doesn’t excite older students because they don’t see the relevance of it. I feel like elementary education has progress to incorporate more experimental learning but secondary education has not. I think there is a lot of improvements we could make to keep the students engaged and excited.
Catherine
Excellent post and comments,
The issues that develop in older students as education shifts towards more formal practice is something that secondary teachers witness daily. Immersing students in informal environments that afford personalized and meaningful learning would allow students to become literate in Dobson’s terms where literacy “has come to mean the ability to understand information, however presented” (p. 18). I agree that there is a need to develop and incorporate immersed informal experiences at the secondary level largely because I have seen its success in several smaller programs that incorporate informal practice; I have seen outdoor ed, cooks training, and trades programs gain favour from students, parents and teachers in my 7 years experience. Like many of the writing and communication technologies we have discussed in this course (like the scroll and printing press), new teaching technologies are being used by a few interest groups and the wider population is making due with the old. What I see a need for is greater access and a less specialized approach to creating these opportunities for students. If the pedagogy of situated learning and multi-literacy is viewed as a technology, I think we can see the forces of Bolter’s remediation at play. Changing the definition of literacy is not revolutionary and multi-literacy should not exclude the old definition entirely. Students in specialized programs would benefit from some lecture and note taking and students who thrive in a traditional classroom should be taken out of their comfort zone as well. Informal learning and situated practice should not be something that students have to sign up for. To understand information however it is presented, all students should experience a variety of learning environments both formal and informal.
Dobson and Willinsky. (2009) .Cambridge Handbook of Literacy:Digital Literacy.
New London Group. (1996). A pedagogy of multiliteracies: Designing social futures. Harvard Educational Review, 66(1), 60-92. Retrieved, August 15, 2009, from http://newlearningonline.com/_uploads/multiliteracies_her_vol_66_1996.pdf