From a constructivist perspective, learning is based on past experiences (Ertmer & Newby, 1983). So why do we expect educators to incorporate deeper learning and 21st-century skills — areas that few teachers have engaged in personally — without first providing those initial experiences on which to build new knowledge and understanding?
Last week at the EdTechTeacher Innovation Summit in San Diego, I had the opportunity to facilitate some hands-on, Design Thinking activities for teachers. Each one afforded participants with an experience on which they could build new understanding of what it “feels” like to be a student in a non-traditional classroom. Whether through littleBits, BreakoutEDU, or the Extraordinaires, educators engaged in the design thinking process so that they could formulate an idea of what it might look like in their classroom.
Whether the goal is design thinking, project based learning, deeper learning, 21st-century skills, or any other new form of instruction, what may be most critical is ensuring that all teachers and administrators can have that initial experience on which to base new knowledge. If the goal is to transform education, then everyone needs an opportunity to learn.
Read the full article on EdTech Researcher.