Week 10-Authentic Learning for the 21st Century

Authentic learning or learning by doing instead of learning by listening is a much more effective way to get students to meet lesson objectives. Additionally, students would much rather spend time doing things than listening to the teacher lecture. Unfortunately, many of the lessons that are presented in classrooms would be extremely expensive if we chose to conduct them instead of listen or read about them. However, recent advances in technology have made it possible for students to actually to have a more authentic learning experience based on experimentation and action. With the help of the Internet and a variety of communication, visualization, and simulation technologies, large numbers of undergraduates can begin to reconstruct the past, observe phenomena using remote instruments, and make valuable connections with mentors around the world. This real world experience provides students with a number of important tools that can be used to access online research communities. Students are able to gain a deeper sense of a discipline as a special “culture” shaped by specific ways of seeing and interpreting the world.