Early last week one of my professors for a course that I am
taking on education in the 21st century wrote a post on her blog
about a new way of teaching. She referred to this as the culture of learning.
This professor (Dr. Susan Drake) stated that within the 21st century
classroom we are trying to create an environment where students “learn because
they want to learn.”
While reading professor Drakes blog I began to think about
my experience working with children in the classroom setting and I realized
that having children learn because they want to would be very beneficial,
especially for those students who are very self-driven, but I came a bit
concerned about the students that just don’t care.
For instance at one of my placements I encountered a student
who had absolutely no desire to learn. Even after we explained the importance
of education for the child’s day-to-day life and after trying to put the lesson
into terms that the child could better relate to, the child still refused learning
saying that it was not important for what he desired to do in his future. The
child explained that he wanted to be a cook at a local restaurant and went
further to say that he did not need to know his basic math or language skills
to do this. He had the impression that he would just walk in and get a job
without any prerequisite skills.
The situation above was very frustrating for me as a future
educator because I tried to explain the importance of learning math and
language for the child now and in the future in many different way, but the
child just refused learning and was set in his way of thinking that he does not
need school or an education for his future.
I believe that through the experience with the uninterested
in learning child it is difficult for me to look at creating an environment
where children “learn because they want to” because there are some children
that just do not have the motivation or desire to learn, even when the lessons
are geared or altered for them.
So, is there any other strategies that anyone has to get
students to want to learn? Is it actually feasible to think that all children
want to learn (especially when we have such a strict curriculum)? Would we have
to make a big educational shift if we transferred from learning for grades to
learning because you want to?
I’m not sure what the answer to these questions is. I don’t
even know if there is a right answer, but I do know that I would love to have a
class that learns because they want to. I’m just not sure that we can say that
every child wants to learn though, especially when it comes to learning the set
up Ontario Curriculum. Thus, I think setting up a classroom where children
learn because they want to is a great idea, but I’m not sure it is practical without making changes to the education system and the curriculum that is set in place right now, as all students may not understand why they must learn this way.
