Final Blog

Our final readings were just as interesting as our previous readings this semester.  There is just so much to learn and consider!  I found the idea of cultural legacies an interesting concept from the Gladwell excerpt.  His assertion to be aware of our own cultural legacies and to give them up if they do not promote learning ties into Bandura’s caution of society’s influence on learning.  Specifically I thought about the values of our modern-day American culture; what do we value?  What values do we expose our children to in our culture?  Overload of media, messages from reality television, idolization of sports players,  – all of these things are creating our cultural legacy and influencing learning.  That’s some intense stuff!

I really enjoyed the Dweck chapter too from the readings this week.  A growth-minded approach to teaching and learning ties in many of the ideals I believe in and want to incorporate in my classroom.  Valuing each student and working with each student to obtain success is critical, as is the knowledge that I, as a teacher, am also learning and growing in the classroom.  As the author states, a growth mindset “has a key role to play in helping us [teachers, parents, coaches] fulfill our mission and in helping them fulfill their potential” (p. 204).  The suggestions at the end were quite helpful and I’ll use those in the future for sure.

My thoughts with regard to the question of how people learn are about as complicated as the issue of learning.  After careful reading and consideration of various theories and learning models this semester, I do not think there is one right answer about how and why people learn.  Learning is a complex and multi-faceted endeavor that should incorporate various techniques from each of these theories and models.  Learning goals and classroom contexts must be considered; as well as the individual learners.  Each learner is influenced by a myriad of things including prior knowledge, motivation, and culture.  Each learner is different and therefore no one approach is sufficient for everyone.  Not only is learning a complex issue, but it is also an extremely important one.  In addition, we have seen how the American educational structure may not be the best one to encourage learning.  Rigid assessments, unrealistic goals and chronic funding shortages all weaken this system.  This complex issue is going to take great minds and complex solutions in order to set our educational system on a better track in the future.

This class was great & I wish everyone the best of luck!

Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The new psychology of success. New York: Random House.