New Learning MOOC’s Updates
The Paradigm Shift in Education: Didactic, Authentic, Transformative Learning
Rapid changes are inevitable in the educational system. We are not anymore confined in the four corner of the classsroom. Learning happens anytime and anytime. It occurs formally and informally. Didactic classroom settings as teacher-centered is not anymore applicable in this time. But we cannot do away with the traditional strategy and it is best if combines with authentic way of education. The hands-on approach of Maria Montessori and John Dewey which focuses on the well-being of the learner. The learner-centered classroom setting allows our learner to be a progressivist type of learner. They learn through experience or by doing. It is more inquiry-based and contructivist approach that leads them to be creative and critical thinker. As time goes on, the new era of learning evolve and it boomed during pandemic. School and University closure during pandemic did not hinder education to continue. It is more self-paced learning, wherein students are prompt to learn by following the course and fulfilling the requirements needed. It is where digital world take over the learning setting. Through video conferencing, google classrooms, coursera coursera courses we are able to bridge the gap of face-to-face interaction. But this has limitation, courses that needs practical approach like medicine, engineers needs to have real and practical interaction.
I think you're right. Consructivist methods are now very common in K-12 and appear to dominante in the younger grades. A focus on textbooks and grades is one of the main impediments but that is beginning to crack. Higher Education is still firmly invested in 19th century methods though. That sector is under increasing pressure to produce results that merit personal financial investment equal to the value of a house.
Monetssori is an interesting case. She focused on classroom methods and while she founded a movement, that never translated into routine classroom practice for the vast majority of teachers. The commercialization of the Montessori Method further isolated it into its silo. A little later, Lev Vygotsky came up with similar ideas in the Soviet Union, but expressed this as learning theory. His work has had much greater penetration, and underlies practices that most people who employ them have no idea come from his work.
So, when people say, Oh that's just a theory. Teachers need practical answers, remember this story about Montessori and Vygotsky.