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karen
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Learning outside the classroom?
October 15, 2007 - 11:19 PM
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What about learning outside the classroom, like do your teachers/professors integrate your volunteer activities or things you are interested in doing outside of school into lesson plans and classroom teaching?
This post was edited on: 2007-10-24 at 08:24 PM by: karen doktor
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Nick Yeo
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Re: LEARNING OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM
October 19, 2007 - 11:13 AM
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I think that experiential learning is extremely beneficial for any student - it not only adds another layer of interactivity, but also allows students to apply their theoretical knowledge in a real world setting.
For instance, the International Baccalaureate program has mandatory volunteer hours that students have to complete - 60 hours. In this instance, when volunteerism/outside-classroom learning is a part of the curriculum, students tend to understand the value of experience. When you encounter a situation that isn't normally within your daily scope of understanding, you expand your boundaries and expectations - making you a more holistic and complete person.
I know that may sound a little bit hokey, but by enriching our learning lives, students stand a better chance of being prepared for post-education social engagements - whether it be volunteering at the local soup kitchen, hobnobbing with high-powered suits on Wall Street, or trekking the Sahara Desert.
Learning is not just facts and figures - it also prepares the mind and soul for inclusion on society.
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Jo
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Re: LEARNING OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM
October 19, 2007 - 11:16 AM
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I enjoy learning out of the classroom since it gives the material a real world and practical element. Through learning outside the classroom I can apply what has been taught to me and see the theories work (or not work). When material is translated to the real world I can see how my application of knowledge can change and shape the world, or at least my part of it. Learning outside the classroom is also fun! Field trips was always a favourite of mine when I was in school!
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~Mary*Anne~
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Re: LEARNING OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM
October 19, 2007 - 01:21 PM
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Hmmm, don't remember volunteer work outside of school hours being integrated into class work, aside from writing CAS reports, but that was an IB requirement... But at least they promoted volunteer work and always had something we could get involved with. In college, we have to do a lot of hands on exercises and projects on our own time and then present it in class, like short movies and stuff, due to the fact that we study radio and television, but nothing about our other interests, really, nor do they incentive volunteer work, unfortunately.
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cherry
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Re: LEARNING OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM
October 20, 2007 - 04:01 PM
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In my university, at the end of every semester, students fill out an evaluation form for rating the professor and the subject. One item in that evaluation form asks if the professor incorporates dicussion on relevant current issues, so there are some professors who make extra efforts on discussing topics that are normally not written on books.
Also, our university offers electives that usually tackle social awareness. In one elective, for example, we discussed the use and development of appropriate technologies. My professors presented the appropriate technologies that they have developed and how they promote it in our country. For our final project, they required us to either develop a new appropriate technology and a plan on how we are going to promote its use (marketing strategies, source of funding, etc) or develop a "green school building".
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S
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Re: LEARNING OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM
October 20, 2007 - 06:28 PM
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Simply put, if you don't learn outside the classroom, then your not learning!
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Kimia
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Re: LEARNING OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM
October 20, 2007 - 09:20 PM
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During my high school and university curriculum, i experienced the most growth and learning during hands-on programs outside of the classroom.
In Grade 11, i took part in CELP - Community Environmental Leadership Program, which was a full semester of off-site learning - making maple syrup, tree and animal classification, winter camping, canoing, two weeks dedicated to visiting local facilities such as meat production plant, sewage treatment plan, recycling facility, and a credit union, built a shed out of stucco, led a 6 week environmental leadership camp, you name it we did it or learned about it but never picked up a text book! Furthermore, there was a great focus on community-building and inclusion which i hadn't experienced before in school.
No other period of my life has had such a great impact on my life. My passion for the environment and sustainability were awakened and today I am walking a path so different than anything i could have imagined in my early teens...
In university, I participated in a semester-long program called Panama Field Study Semester, which again was focused on hands-on learning - taking the theoretical knowledge i had attained about international development issues and attempting to apply it to my field work in different areas of Panama. My courses and internship with a Panamanian NGO l allowed me to take a more critical look at the countries' historical development. Most importantly, i learn about the complexity of issues and injustices that plague many countries today. The theories we learn in school are simplifying these issues to such a primitive level - i can't imagine having graduated from my program not having experienced/observed these complexities - something that can't be taught. The fact that so many international development students graduate from their program with no international experience and only theory-based learning really concerns me.
Experiential learning is what gives us a holistic understanding of something and i stress that it needs to be adopted more widely by all educational institutions starting from primary school.
Volunteer/extracurricular activities must be recognized and put on scale with classroom learning if we want to learn to think outside the box and create some meaningful change in our lives.
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Jocelyn Sweet
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Re: Learning outside the classroom?
November 13, 2007 - 07:23 PM
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I think learning outside the classroom is critical to education generally. Applying knowledge to first hand experience creates an irreplaceable relevance and depth of understanding. Perspectives gained outside the classroom provide motivation for the learning itself, understanding where and how it can be applied in "real" life. It helps students find and focus their talents and interests. It provides and anchor to the lesson in a way that nothing else can.
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Madelaine Hamilton
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Re: Learning outside the classroom?
November 18, 2007 - 07:20 PM
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I spent my 3rd year in Uni doing "practical studies' when people as me how my undergrad experience was I always say this year was where I learned the most - I really wish that school focused more on practical learning and community involvement - there is so much that can be done outside of standard "classroom" activities!
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Carlos
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Re: Learning outside the classroom?
April 6, 2008 - 08:28 PM
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Learning outside the classroom is extremely important, we cannot subvert the tremendous opportunities that lie in learning from the technology available today, especially the Internet where a wide array of information, not only through literary works but videos, is so widely available, which would, I hope, inspire students allover to learn and become that much more familiarized with the world around them and understand the present curriculum being followed in schools.
I’m only a High school graduate, but because of the internet I’ve been able to enlighten my narrow teachings and expand on matters such as Business Law, accounting, literature, cooking (my favorite), even how to rebuild a house…
The current teaching system should consider some serious reforms and adapt to an ever faster changing society. I think many agree with me when I say that kids 5 to 12 years old know a lot more about technology than a lot of teenagers and most definitely adults.
"Love Yourself, Respect Others and Enjoy Life...."
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CanadianKate
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Re: Learning outside the classroom?
May 28, 2008 - 11:38 AM
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I have done little learning outside of the classroom, but the one time that does come to mind right now was my class's trip to a hydro-electric dam. I can still remember everything we learned there, and that was a couple of years ago!
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raptor jesus
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Re: Learning outside the classroom?
June 11, 2008 - 03:52 PM
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yes. i beleive you can. i remember when my pe teacher would invite me to come to his house after school. the things he taught me over there will stay with me forever!!
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FaerieGirl
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Re: Learning outside the classroom?
July 12, 2008 - 12:36 PM
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The biggest teachings I took from high school come from Model United Nations, which was almost entirely practiced outside classrooms, and the classes of exceptional teachers.
But I don't think I had the fortune of having so many exceptional teachers, haha.
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Emma Kowal
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Re: Learning outside the classroom?
August 4, 2008 - 07:05 PM
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It is of utmost importance to today's youth that they understand that school is not the only place they can learn. It's sad to see how many children and teenagers dislike school and associate learning with it, or think that school is the only environment in which learning takes place, and by association dislike learning.
Thanks to technology, primarily the internet, there are incredible opportunities available to anyone who has a minute to spare and the will to learn something new. Learning outside of the school environment isn't only easy, it's essential! There is so much knowledge out there just waiting to be discovered, if only children are given a little guidance to places where they can safely pursue their interests; libraries, websites, newspapers... it's sad to see how few teenagers these days show enthusiasm for learning about the world around them, whether it be volunteering in the community or even just meeting people, experiencing different cultures!
In my experience, I've had to make most of my own decisions to go out and learn about things out of pure curiosity, and often I wish I saw more people of my own age doing the same. I think the school board should make more of an effort to encourage students to pursue learning outside the classroom from a young age -- that could mean more field trips exploring the community, more attention paid to the media and politics, both local and global, more time looking at different ways of acquiring knowledge outside of standardized education, which is often limited. Knowledge is power, after all!
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"Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge" -- Charles Darwin
If we forget the things we know, would we have somewhere to go?
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Joseph Halpern
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Re: Learning outside the classroom?
September 2, 2008 - 12:35 PM
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I think school has been useless for my intellectual growth. I read a ton, fiction and non-fiction. I also believe educational TV shows are helpful. School is just about memorizing and learning stuff you're going to forget. I studied math for ten years in elementary and high school I barely remember a thing. Discovery and Discovery Kids actually make learning fun and I love watching documentaries although most of what I read is fiction sometimes I'll read non-fiction like Freakonomics or a Jon Krakauer book.
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