I was intrigued viewing A New Culture of Learning (Thomas, 2012). It reminded me of when I was preparing to take the pedagogy portion of my educator certification exam. My instructor encouraged us to approach the question as if school existed in the perfect world. Thomas (2012) speaks of learning being effortless and encompassing passion, imagination and constraints, all which are elements of play. And I must agree, when one is passion about something they are engrossed in learning and understanding more about it, and imagination offers a unique element of hope and possibilities.
Researchers, scholars, authors, educators, and many others have detailed the importance of the teacher acting as a coach, providing feedback, allowing the learner to explore, and providing opportunities for authentic learning. Yet, there is a focus on standardized testing and doing more of the same as a measurement of student growth. The importance of imagination and creativity, although understood by many, seem to be misunderstood by the few that set important guidelines and standards. Therefore, it is incumbent upon educators to seek opportunities and become creative in designing lessons that foster and promote elements of passion, imagination, and constraint amongst their students. If we are to prepare students for jobs that don’t exist today (Harapunik, 2015), then we must provide a new culture of learning.
References
Harapnuik, D. (2015, May 9). Creating Significant Learning Environments (CLSE). Retrieve from https://youtu.be/eZ-c7rz7eT4
Thomas, D. (2012, September 12). A New Culture of Learning at TEDxUFM. Retrieve from https://youtu.be/lM80GXlyX0U
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