The Learning Trap
Learning. Many educators see it as something we need to stuff into learners. As some information that the learner is a vessel to be filled with. Many look at teachers as the shovers of stuff into the vessel, or the crafters of learning to hit the most targets at once. I don't. I look at learning as something that students need to love. That students will love if just the right combination of environmental elements are met. If the environmental elements are just right for learning to occur, then it will happen in a much more meaningful and fun way than if it is poured into someone. Teachers are the creators of the environment. Their purpose in school is to create the traps of learning that students will fall into. Take an example we discussed today as a group. A toy baby is left lying around almost haphazardly in a junior classroom with a towel, and a bowl of water. Play will inevitably lead students towards a discussion of bathing a baby. This is t...