Comments on: Rethinking How Students Learn

By: Robb

Robb — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 19:12:45 +0000

Will,

The web-based e-book version is coming soon, which you’ll be able to download at Solution Tree, with the iPad version to follow (though it should be available for the iPad, as noted, on the Amazon app)! The web-based version is being converted as I type.

By: logan.e.schmidt

logan.e.schmidt — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 17:48:37 +0000

Thought you would want to read more about 21st century learning.

Love,

MOM

By: Rachel

Rachel — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 16:58:29 +0000

Great post. I found a great non-profit that has been helping disadvantaged school districts and has had many success stories improving student achievement in Math, SAT and ACT including Collier County, FL and St. Landry Parish, LA. Their site is http://www.cyberlearning.org. CyberLearning also offers Technology courses that many schools could find useful.

By: Christopher D. Sessums

Christopher D. Sessums — Tue, 18 May 2010 17:11:25 +0000

Reading Froebel’s (1782-1852) work on methods of instruction where play, sharing, creativity, and community are featured prominently. It’s great to see we’re heading back to 19th century again! (I highly recommend you check him out.)

By: ayisha

ayisha — Mon, 10 May 2010 17:05:05 +0000

hi,

great stuff

the line which i have admired most is

“we are at once all teachers and learners—changing roles as required, contributing, collaborating, and maybe even working together to re-create the world”

very true i do feel teaching and learning are the processes which always search for knowledge, wisdom and the realities of life. Promoting students belief in their competence and involving them in realistic goals which enhance the growth of readiness towards learning with the help and support of teachers and parents.

By: Jeremy

Jeremy — Mon, 10 May 2010 14:12:30 +0000

This post caught my attention and reminded me of my class discussion today. We are preping to create wiki webpages, and watched the CommonCraft video regarding Wikis in Plain English.

A portion of the short video mentions wikipedia. The student again brought to my attention that a number of teachers continue to tell students not to use wikipedia because “it is not accurate” and has “mostly false information.” Of course I have already been through several discussions with students explaining how wikipedia works, that they have information assurance staff, that each page cites it’s sources and links to them, on and on . . .

So, from my perspective, the issue lies primarily with teachers. I feel these teachers continue to “fundamentally look and act that same as they did 100 years ago” (to quote you) just like you. It amazes me, angers me, humors me, concerns me and more.

The good news is my students feel informed from our discussions, they know more about how technology works than their teachers. Students are tech saavy and their teachers need to keep up with them. Wish teachers would evolve.

By: Shared Items – May 9, 2010 « Organic Learning

Shared Items – May 9, 2010 « Organic Learning — Sun, 09 May 2010 06:10:58 +0000

[...] Rethinking How Students Learn [...]

By: Yasmeen

Yasmeen — Fri, 07 May 2010 10:32:17 +0000

Congratulations and thanks for the preview. I completely agree with your statement: “…In this global community, we are at once all teachers and learners—changing roles as required, contributing, collaborating…”
As an educator, I believe, you cannot be a good facilitator of learning unless you continue to learn and this learning can be accomplished in collaboration with your students as well as in collaboration with your peers and as an independent intellilectual activity in your life.
I challenge myself to try new technologies into my teaching and in the process challenge my students with the hope to create a new, superior hybrid of learning.
Looking forward to reading your book.

By: Kobus van Wyk

Kobus van Wyk — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 08:57:20 +0000

Congratulations! I will rush out and get a copy (or, to be more correct, have one shipped to me to the southermost tip of Africa). It is with envy that I read about the conversations that are taking place about the way in which learning can be improved. We are still battling with provisioning of resources … but an even greater challenge: helping teachers to see the importance of learning to use available technology themselves!

By: Griff

Griff — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 02:03:01 +0000

I am not sure that these new skills will need to be taught. AS long as a child is literate, they will likely already know how to navigate the 21st century world much batter than adults.

By: Jennifer Messenger

Jennifer Messenger — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 19:41:43 +0000

Does the format by which we communicate really matter, cursive or printed, online or off? As long as our people are able to compose work that effectively shares what they know with the reader or audience, I don’t believe it’s all that big a deal.

Cursive writing is more of entertaining and fun than actually useful for students today. I know I don’t use it…mostly because you would have no idea what I had written. I guess I’m throwing this baby out with the bath water.

By: kathy Sierra

kathy Sierra — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 19:03:26 +0000

Hey Will,
Yes to everything you just said in your reply comment!! I do think that’s the answer, at every level: teach the “learning arts” to students both for themselves and for their role in helping one another learn. In most successful online communities that are based on learning (e.g. user groups), participants move from an attitude of trying to impress one another with how much they know, to an attitude of trying to impress one another with how well they can *explain* or teach it to others.

When we get people trying to out-teach one another–as an aspect of showing off– things get a lot more fun.

I don’t think helping someone learn is rocket surgery, but it IS a learned skill. Why our school systems don’t make metacognitive skills and learning theory a significant part of every child’s education is a huge mystery. Most kids aren’t even given a foundation in how they can learn *themselves*, let alone how to help create a context where others can learn.

I share your enthusiasm and belief that this is the way forward. I don’t share your optimism that it will happen simply because students/kids/learners are already connecting in this way. We need enough people leading the way forward by making the art/act of helping someone else kick ass a cool way to… kick ass.

Thank you for bringing up this topic!

By: Kenric Minges

Kenric Minges — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 16:38:02 +0000

Cursive writing has been removed from my state’s course of study for elementary grades. What happens to composition in the latter grades?

By: Will Richardson

Will Richardson — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 14:46:15 +0000

Cool! Thanks, Silvia. Don’t know why I didn’t find it when I looked.

By: Silvia Tolisano

Silvia Tolisano — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 12:10:47 +0000

Looks like it is available via Amazon Kindle
http://www.amazon.com/21st-Century-Skills-Rethinking-ebook/dp/B003H05XFC/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2

After that you can read it on your iPad via the Amazon App