One of my favourite quotes is from John Dewey in 1915. He said “If we teach today’s students as we taught yesterday’s, we rob them of tomorrow”. This idea has been true since the early 1900s and it continues to resonate in the design of learning experiences. When I think about designing learning experiences for all learners, what do I envision? I created a word cloud that helped me begin.
I believe that TELEs should foster learning and growth of new content and tools. Learners should be questioning, collaborating, evaluating, and building their skillset. It must be around a topic/content that they value or believe is important so that they are actively engaged. Lee and Choi’s (2017) research on higher-order thinking in technology enhanced learning environments helped develop my thinking and understanding of what I truly value. One of their ideas adds another dimension to TELEs to strengthen the experience; Lee and Choi explain that synthesizing information to arrive at multiple solutions is a critical component of higher-order thinking (Lee & Choi, 2017, p. 144). Technology-enhanced learning experiences should be layered with many opportunities that require learners to develop their skills and build knowledge in authentic contexts.
Lee, J., & Choi, H. (2017). What affects learner’s higher-order thinking in technology-enhanced learning environments? The effects of learner factors. Computers & Education, 115, 143-152. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2017.06.015
Hi Allison
I like the fact that — right at the beginning you quoted Dewey “If we teach today’s students as we taught yesterday’s, we rob them of tomorrow”
I wonder when (or if) this quote will be not true.
A good next step might be to share a “technology-enhanced learning experiences” that Lee & Choi allude to.
Christopher