Learning By Design

This is an interesting online article and project supported by Common Ground Publishing by the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education under the Small Business and Innovation Research (SBIR) Program.

What I found interesting is the effort made by some organisation and the government to continue encourage teachers and educators to find ways of learning and teaching. Finding and discovering knowledge has never been a linear process, even though regularly in schools we were asked to learn in specific ways. But it is important to know that there are other ways of learning, the only different is that the teachers might not know the ways and has been taught one on specific ways.

I always like role play in learning, for me I found that method is very helpful. Now, for others they might find one of my method is childish and not interesting. I can understand that each of our personality is varied thus, some people find it difficult to engage in acting or role play. I think its fun and I learn better when it is fun. Although I also noted (having spending 5 years working on a PhD dissertation) that not every learning process end up as fun. Most of the time it is hard, difficult, painful and stressful. Therefore I always add some fun in that process (or at least I believe I did).

What I like about Learning by Design is that its really begins with a conceptualisation – “a place where learners are actively engaged as knowledge producers and in which teachers have assumed a transformed professional role as designers of hybrid online and face-to-face learning environments. The projects leads to articulate the guiding Principles in the Learning by Design project, situating ˜pedagogy in the contexts of ˜curriculum and ˜education”. (Learning by Design Website 2011).

Now, how many of us understand what design mean? Or the word sounds grand for some? For now, just ignore the terminology. What is important for you to understand at the moment is how can you learn and learn better?

If you go to the link of knowledge process link in Learning by Design website, you will be shock that there are almost hundreds of links that will lead you to understand ways of learning. Most of them are slightly different from the way we been taught at school. For example, Learning by Conceptualisation. I have trouble to see and then understand text and numbers. It doesn’t mean that I cannot count, or cannot read, but my ability to read is a bit slower that others who doesn’t seems to have problem with texts and numbers. What I have discovered in my high school is that when I read or count, I have to start my visulisation process going, otherwise the whole information will be just like a dust or part of the air. It will get better if I have something, an object or two in front of me to act as the numbers of the text (overall content or subject). And I also realised that when I speak my hands and fingers move, to show the content of my conversation. May be you don’t realiased it, but some people don’t do that.

Back to the Knowledge Processes in Learning by Conceptualisation for example, this is how you can learn and there’s plenty more to know. Enjoy!!

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(Image copyright and credit is by Learning by Design Website 2011 by Mary Kalantzis and Bill Cope)