Te learner of today is like a good librarian
They don't know all of the latest info, but they can tell you where to find it.
They don't know all of the latest info, but they can tell you where to find it.
In his article, George Siemens explains the relatively new learning theory of connectivism, in which knowledge is created through external connections between learners, or groups of learners.
Siemens lists some recent trends in learning, one of which is that "Know-how and know-what is being supplemented with know-where (the understanding of where to find knowledge needed)"
This reminded me of a good librarian. If you ask him a question about Russian history, he may or may not have that information internalized, but he will certainly be able to tell you where to find an external source of the required information.
In this video entitled "The conflict of learning theories with human nature," Siemens argues that "as human beings, we desire the ability to externalize what is in our heads" but that the older learning theories of behaviorism, cognitivism and constructivism are "substantially in conflict with many of the learning theories which we have based our educational system on." He argues that in the learning environment that is growing ever-more technological, teachers should "focus less on bringing knowledge into the mind of the person, and more on developing skills of our learners so they are able to go out into fairly complex environments and function in a distributed manner." Just like the good librarian, he says that learners need not have a vast amount of knowledge internalized, but must be connected to the knowledge networks in a way that allows them to access what they deem to be relevant and important.
Siemens lists some recent trends in learning, one of which is that "Know-how and know-what is being supplemented with know-where (the understanding of where to find knowledge needed)"
This reminded me of a good librarian. If you ask him a question about Russian history, he may or may not have that information internalized, but he will certainly be able to tell you where to find an external source of the required information.
In this video entitled "The conflict of learning theories with human nature," Siemens argues that "as human beings, we desire the ability to externalize what is in our heads" but that the older learning theories of behaviorism, cognitivism and constructivism are "substantially in conflict with many of the learning theories which we have based our educational system on." He argues that in the learning environment that is growing ever-more technological, teachers should "focus less on bringing knowledge into the mind of the person, and more on developing skills of our learners so they are able to go out into fairly complex environments and function in a distributed manner." Just like the good librarian, he says that learners need not have a vast amount of knowledge internalized, but must be connected to the knowledge networks in a way that allows them to access what they deem to be relevant and important.
Your suggestion that a librarian is analogous to today's learner works quite well and you have chosen quotes that show some of the key concepts in Siemens' theory.
ReplyDeleteDr. Burgos