Getting to the Bottom of Deep Learning

http://www.all4ed.org

When originally discussed in class, I was both confused and compelled by the notion of deep learning. My initial reaction: That sounds great, but what is it?

At first it seemed a bit of a tawdry concept, something that sounds really great on paper but doesn't hold the merit and promise within the 'real world'. I have found that the majority of education classes that I have taken thus far often promote theoretical/methodological approaches, but never really given an accurate 'how to' in terms of application. I think that's why I find this course so interesting, because we are no getting exposed to the practical means of larger theories like constructivism.

courtesy of http://www.musicteachershelper.com/blog/wp-content/images/quote2-300x225.jpg

As I've been perusing the internet, I've come to the realization that a lot of work has been done in many school boards to incorporate aspects of project-based learning, bringing applicable examples into the classroom, and allowing children to not only learn but DO.

A student-based learning objective seems ideal to me, but as an education student who does not have the advice/experiences of co-workers, organized professional development classes, and an abundance of school board resources - I have found that the internet has been the greatest tool in finding unique and interesting ideas.

The following is a list of websites filled with deeper learning objectives and resources that I found particularly helpful:

Edutopia PBL - Edutopia is a site containing outstanding educational content for teachers. It contains an area devoted to Project Based Learning. Edutopia defines PBL, "as a dynamic approach to teaching in which students explore real-world problems and challenges, simultaneously developing cross-curriculum skills while working in small collaborative groups." The site contains videos, real life examples, articles and blogs relatinging to PBL activities, lessons, practices, and research.

PBL-Online - has tons of information on Project Based Learning! It assists teachers in planning rigorous and relevant standards-focused projects that engage students in authentic learning activities and teach 21st century skills. It also has a PBL-Online Collaboratory and Project Library in which you can search for projects and contribute your own.

In my ventures into the world wide web, I also found interesting videos on YouTube that show how classrooms are incorporating deep learning. The following video discusses some deep learning being incorporated into various boards in the United States. I really enjoyed the report because it showed three different examples ranging in subjects and grades.

This video aligns nicely with the conversations we've had in lecture - it even discussed the fixed mindset versus growth mindset study that we discussed in class last week. And while I really enjoyed how these teachers were implementing new ways of learning, the video also raised some questions. The first of these request ions is how this kind of learning can be implemented as the intermediate/senior level of teaching. I believe that this kind of pedagogy requires students to have a lot of faith and trust in their teacher (as we have seen this be an important issue within our own classroom), which is difficult when you have students for a restricted amount of their school day. The video had a high school classroom that completed a statistics activity outside of regular school hours. The teacher must have worked hard to gain the respect from her administrators and students needed in order to do something like that.

Another immediate question this video raised was the issue of cost. It seems that the first two examples within the video implemented the usages of resources that would put extra costs onto the classroom. One class had a robotics lab set and another had a visiting artist twice a week. How much would these types of tools cost? If a student had a project that required a variety of materials, who would be responsible for the purchases? I know that at my high school art supplies were a prominent issue, and I was in a Regional Arts School. I often heard snippets of conversations between my drama teachers complaining that their budgets had been cut once again. It is my opinion that schools should allocate more funds towards the arts, but I am aware that there are certain realities that a teacher must face, even with great planning.

Regardless, I am appreciative of the opportunity to expand my horizons of how I wish to teach. I have found some great resources and examples to lean on for the time being, and I know that as I start my practice I will have even more to expand with.

I will end this post with a quotation that one of my favourite teachers in high school often recited:

"The best teacher is one who makes himself progressively unnecessary."