Comments on: Will Richardson’s Vision of Self-Directed Learning http://generoche.net/blog/2006/11/187/ The Times They Are A-Changin' Sun, 13 May 2012 19:37:34 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Gardner http://generoche.net/blog/2006/11/187/comment-page-1/#comment-4795 Gardner Mon, 20 Nov 2006 19:35:59 +0000 http://generoche.net/blog/?p=187#comment-4795 That's an extraordinary post. Will never disappoints. Thanks for sharing that link, particularly as I am so (painfully) behind in the blogosphere. Other than "hurrah" and "amen," I have two observations. One is that I have to agree with Will about learning only when one decides the learning is "relevant" and the assessments are authentic. Learners are not always in a position to judge the relevance of what they're learning. Children and adolescents (up to 21, I'd say) are usually <em>not</em> is a position to make those judgments. That said, I do think it is the teacher's job to demonstrate the passion of one for whom the subject matter is not only relevant, but crucial. The other observation is that the heart of my own hopes for education, as well as my own disappointments, is summed up in this beautiful sentence from Will's post: "And I want to remind you that in my own experience, all of the “learning” I did in all of the college classrooms I’ve spent time in does not come close to the learning that I’ve done on my own for the simple reason that now I am learning with people who are just as (if not more) passionate to “know” as I am." Without that community, the education always suffers. Paradoxically or ironically or inconsistently, this is one of the main reasons my wife and I homeschooled our kids for several years. The lack of thorough, passionate intellectual commitment in most institutional educational settings made us want to forge that community early at home, so that our kids would always know how it *could* be and not just settle for how all to often it *is* (and, they say, must be--but I don't believe them). That’s an extraordinary post. Will never disappoints. Thanks for sharing that link, particularly as I am so (painfully) behind in the blogosphere.

Other than “hurrah” and “amen,” I have two observations.

One is that I have to agree with Will about learning only when one decides the learning is “relevant” and the assessments are authentic. Learners are not always in a position to judge the relevance of what they’re learning. Children and adolescents (up to 21, I’d say) are usually not is a position to make those judgments. That said, I do think it is the teacher’s job to demonstrate the passion of one for whom the subject matter is not only relevant, but crucial.

The other observation is that the heart of my own hopes for education, as well as my own disappointments, is summed up in this beautiful sentence from Will’s post: “And I want to remind you that in my own experience, all of the “learning” I did in all of the college classrooms I’ve spent time in does not come close to the learning that I’ve done on my own for the simple reason that now I am learning with people who are just as (if not more) passionate to “know” as I am.” Without that community, the education always suffers.

Paradoxically or ironically or inconsistently, this is one of the main reasons my wife and I homeschooled our kids for several years. The lack of thorough, passionate intellectual commitment in most institutional educational settings made us want to forge that community early at home, so that our kids would always know how it *could* be and not just settle for how all to often it *is* (and, they say, must be–but I don’t believe them).

]]> By: Selma http://generoche.net/blog/2006/11/187/comment-page-1/#comment-4491 Selma Mon, 13 Nov 2006 16:19:58 +0000 http://generoche.net/blog/?p=187#comment-4491 What a fabulous post... I am a huge supporter of SDL and hopefully more people will catch on and it will become just as important as having a formal degree. What a fabulous post… I am a huge supporter of SDL and hopefully more people will catch on and it will become just as important as having a formal degree.

]]> By: Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach http://generoche.net/blog/2006/11/187/comment-page-1/#comment-4248 Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach Thu, 09 Nov 2006 11:38:02 +0000 http://generoche.net/blog/?p=187#comment-4248 Self-directed learning use to be the way most learned in America early on. Miguel Guhlin quotes you on his site. Here is my comment to him about this idea... Our country was founded on self-directed study that took place while individuals were serving as indentured servants learning an apprenticeship. In fact, Nathaniel Bowditch, an early mathematician, made most of his important higher mathematical discoveries while serving as a bookkeeping apprenticeship on a sailing ship. He is one of many examples. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathaniel_Bowditch" rel="nofollow">Nathaniel Bowditch</a> Conventional education, whether it is K-12 or higher education is one way of learning. But it isnt the *only* way. Here is my comment on Will's site. http://weblogg-ed.com/2006/dear-...e/#comment- 7021 Self-directed learning use to be the way most learned in America early on. Miguel Guhlin quotes you on his site. Here is my comment to him about this idea…

Our country was founded on self-directed study that took place while individuals were serving as indentured servants learning an apprenticeship.

In fact, Nathaniel Bowditch, an early mathematician, made most of his important higher mathematical discoveries while serving as a bookkeeping apprenticeship on a sailing ship. He is one of many examples.

Nathaniel Bowditch

Conventional education, whether it is K-12 or higher education is one way of learning. But it isnt the *only* way.

Here is my comment on Will’s site. http://weblogg-ed.com/2006/dear-…e/#comment- 7021

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