Confusing teaching with learning
Posted on: June 19, 2012
One of my pet peeves is how some folks assume that when they are teaching that their audience is learning.
Teaching and learning are separate phenomena. One can teach but the others may not learn. One can learn without someone else teaching something.
So even though I get where the video above is coming from, I fear that there is still some confusion between teaching and learning.
If you listen carefully and think critically you might realize that the structured “explicit learning” is refers to forms of structured instruction.
The other problem I have with such a framework is the assumption that the type of learning is hierarchical, i.e., in order to apply, one must have structured instruction first. This might be true if you are training workers who are in a production line for pharmaceutical or iPad production.
But this is not necessarily true if you are learning to ride a bike, getting used to a new video game, or solving a complex problem.
Finally, it is not clear to me why this hierarchy applies to online learning. The framework seems to mirror what happens offline. Furthermore, online learning is an opportunity to break out of norms and restrictions. Why limit ourselves to what happens offline?
June 19, 2012 at 10:49 am
Hmmm… never thought of it as the way you did. Now I wonder if there is a better way to express the online learning “framework” then… I need more thinking time I guess.
Thanks for the post!
June 21, 2012 at 2:39 pm
Ah, well… that is the problem with frameworks. They tend to box things in or be inflexible. They are not good for complex phenomena or organic issues.