Self-Directed Learning

A major theme I have encountered this semester in TEL 313 is that technology is not useful in the classroom if it is only added as an afterthought. To really be an asset and not a distraction to the lesson, technology has to be used in an authentic (real-world applicable) way. Debra Sprague and Christopher Dede continue the discussion of this topic in their article “If I Teach This Way, Am I Doing My Job?” The two authors relate the organic use of technology in the classroom to the learning theory of Constructivism, which allows for students to take information from the real world and discover its meaning themselves, rather than being given the information and meaning from an authority figure. This type of learning requires a different atmosphere then traditional schooling; students must be allowed to be noisy, collaborative and somewhat self directed. They must be allowed to fail, ask questions and come up with answers that the teacher might not expect. All of these elements can make teachers reluctant to employ this theory in their classroom, since traditional ways of thinking about education require that students be silently working in rows while the teacher lectures. Sprague and Dede argue that technology can greatly enhance Constructivism, since it makes it relatively easy for students to find lots of information on their own and interpret it in innovative ways. In other words, technology helps students to more effectively self-direct their learning.

What some people who don’t like this type of teaching don’t understand is that having students use technology to guide their education doesn’t mean the teacher stops teaching. Actually, since this style often leads students into discovering new realms of information the teacher has to really understand the topic as well as the learning process. Having students become active decision makers in their own education requires just as much, if not more, work on the teacher’s part as traditional teaching.

What I really like about this article was that it gave some specific examples of integrating technology into the classroom, rather than just saying that it should be done. I know that technology will have to have a place in my classroom and that my teaching can be greatly enhanced by its use. As an English teacher there will be plenty of times that students can use technology to write, research and interpret literature on their own. Just because the answers they come up with don’t match what I would have doesn’t mean they’re not learning. Actually, their different way of thinking could be an indicator that they are exploring the topic using higher order thinking skills. The idea that technology can help students to direct their own learning is exciting to me and something I will definitely use in my classroom.