What we learn to do, we learn by blogging.

“What we learn to do, we learn by doing”
I plan to tie Aristotle’s quote in with the lecture on memory that we heard this week. My initial impression is that this quote seems to just be stating the obvious. Amusingly, it almost sounds like one of those pseudo-intellectualisms that I might have heard on an old Kung Fu television episode, “He who questions training only trains himself at asking questions Grasshopper.” At face value Aristotle’s quote is so blatantly apparent that it’s almost just as laughable. Only when we stop to think about WHY “learning by doing” (LBD) is such an effective way to learn, does the intended value of the quote become perceptible.
When we are experiencing a new activity, we are receiving information simultaneously through all of our senses, rather than just auditorially. With all the senses involved we can more adequately conceptualize the information as we are taking it in. Our brains are also linking this new experience to our existing ones, comparing and contrasting until there is enough context assigned to it that it can be properly filed into our memory retrieval system. Chances are also good that when we are engaged in LBD, because of the novelty of the situation, we are also in a heightened emotional state. This too raises the probability of the information being properly integrated. LBD usually takes place in a public setting, giving us the added motivation of peer pressure. Overall, LBD is a procedural activity that is usually practiced after the initial experience. This leads to retrieval automatization, virtually guaranteeing survival in our long term memory.
Understanding this process can guide us as educators in our quest to have our students learn in the classroom just as effectively. Now, obviously, we cannot literally provide a LBD environment for every single benchmark. But, if we are creative and industrious enough it should be possible to simulate a comparable state of mind in our students during classroom instruction. This is exactly why we are learning to COME IN (Connect, Organize, Model, Enrich, Interact, Nature and Needs.) This is why we are learning to use differentiated instruction, universal design, and applied technology. This is why we are learning about Inquiry Training, Concept Attainment, Learning Cycle, Concept Formation, Unguided Inquiry, and Cooperative Learning. These are our ‘virtual reality’ building blocks. When properly assembled we can construct a learning environment in which we’ve approximated the cerebral conditions that are present during LBD. I think if I go into every lesson plan with the goal of inducing this state of mind in my students, I should be able to become an effective instructor.
Now, what to say about assessment? It is what it is. At this point, we’re putting the horse in front of the carriage. Assessment has to be tied to skills that we are only now beginning to develop. I think the best thing to take away with us regarding assessment at this early stage is the idea that, as beginning teachers, it’s going be especially important to use ‘everyday assessments.’ We will do this not to test the students, but to test our own effectiveness while we learn by doing .