Beyond Worksheets, A True Expression of Student Learning

Shawn Pomatto

ET

McCusker, S. (2014). Beyond worksheets, a true expression of student learning. Learning In the New Economy of Information,4. Retrieved from http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2014/04/beyond-worksheets-a-true-expression-of-student-learning/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+kqed%2FnHAK+%28MindShift%29

The information era has allowed for a constant connection to information that can be accessed immediately from almost any location.  But there is much more than merely the accessibility of information that needs to be taken into account.  This information needs to be understood.  Skills that will help students to identify the most valid components and use that knowledge to create meaning through expression need to be nurtured.  Student creation allows for each individuals own unique ideas to shine.  Higher level skills are promoted and students work on and evaluate their projects for both positive and negative components.  This reflection is done so that new ways to improve their project can be identified and applied.  These types of lessons are found to be most memorable to students when they are allowed to create and build upon their own unique ideas.  This constructivist approach allows for multiple variations of a central idea or goal.  Individuals talents are allowed to mature and develop young students into artistic creators of wonderful ideas.

This article supports the constructivist ideas of creation, imagination and intellectual freedom.  Its is true that students are presented with so much information that they still need to be able to comprehend.  Skills that foster creativity are the main points of this new form of teaching.  Gone are the days of teacher centered classrooms where students take an abundance of notes, only to reguritate the information in a multiple point quiz.  This approach to learning is clean and natural.  The article refers to it as organic.  Evaluation techniques are engrained within the lesson design so that students can identify areas for improvement.  This type of learning and student engagement allows for unique qualities of each and every student to shine through.