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Anchor 2

Authentic Learning

 

Authentic Learning is:

  • Learning that is the most similar to actual application as developmentally appropriate for the student

    • Typically part of a sequence of progressions &/or scaffolds

  • Contextual

    • Integrates as much as practical, the contextual factors associated with what is being learned

      • E.g. associated pressures, challenges, nuances, physical & social environments, etc.

    • Savery & Duffy (2001) propose that:

      • Understanding is a function of context/the environment

      • The goal (challenge) within that context is the stimulus for learning

      • Social negotiation & evaluation of variabilities shape learning

  • Meaningful to the student (clearly understands the relevance)

  • Most readily seen in "labs" & "practicums" but can be part of all learning experiences 

 

Basic Examples:

  • Investing in a virtual stock market to test potential economic strategies

    • Analyze outcomes for cause & effect

  • Self research on nutrition by planning & then utilizing a diet to determine progress toward desired outcomes

    • Shop for a week's groceries based on plan based on projected salary

  • Create teams & have the teams experience a variety of specific events, assignments, etc.

    • Analyze cause & effect; compare with social theories & models

  • Teaching various sized groups of students on varying topics of difficulty/complexity

  • Laboratory experiments, testing a variety of hypotheses

  • Designing & building a table or scaled model bridge based on key physics principles

  • Simulations & simulators, role play, actually writing a song, etc.

  • Creating & managing a course newspaper

  • Developing & following a fitness plan

 

Key Course Design Models:

What authentic experieces can you add to your course?

Bunker, D., & Thorpe, R. (1982). A model for the teaching of games in the secondary school. Bulletin of Physical Education, 10, 9-16.

Anchor 1

Instructional Principles

(Savery & Duffy, 2001)

 

1. Anchor all learning activities to a larger task or problem.

2. Support the learner in developing ownership for the overall problem or task.

3. Design an authentic task.

4. Design the task and the learning environment to reflect the complexity of the environment they should be          able to function in at the end of the learning.

5. Give the learner ownership of the process used to develop a solution.

6. Design the learning environment to support and challenge the learner’s thinking.

7. Encourage testing of ideas against alternative views and alternative contexts.

8. Provide opportunity for and support reflection on both the content learned and the learning process.

 

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"More than 700 studies have confirmed that lectures are less effective than a wide range of methods for achieving almost every educational goal you can think of. Even for the straightforward objective of transmitting factual information, they are no better than a host of alternatives, including private reading. Moreover, lectures inspire students less than other methods, and lead to less study afterwards.

 

For some educational goals, no alternative has ever been discovered that is less effective than lecturing, including, in some cases, no teaching at all. Studies of the quality of student attention, the comprehensiveness of student notes and the level of intellectual engagement during lectures all point to the inescapable conclusion that they are not a rational choice of teaching method in most circumstances."

 

(Gibbs, G., 2013, Times Higher Education).

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