Learning Model

Sound-bites  ==>  Transformed by                                         

                                    Time investment

                                    Perseverance

                                    Information literacy

                                    Connections

Sound-bites expresses our perception that students want to learn in small bites, with delivery timed to a point when the sound-bite is meaningful. Our students are continually challenged by many activities competing for their time and attention. For our population, work is a significant competing challenge, even for traditionally-aged students. Small bites of timely learning are more appealing.

 

Given our experiences working with students who have many things competing for their attention, we all agreed that investing time into learning was required by students to achieve the goal. This is particularly difficult for students to do. With time investment we also need perseverance to face and overcome obstacles. We've noted that students seem to give up faster than previous generations. This may be part of the Google effect, of asking a question and instantly getting thousands of answers without any effort at digging. Another view is that if a particular effort doesn't quickly yield some positive results, new learners are more willing to quickly change directions and try something else, rather than to keep in pursuit. For those of us used to teaching through a gradual unfolding of method, we may not reach an audience that expects a quick return on their time investment.

 

Information literacy must be pervasive throughout and is even more important if time and perseverance are critical factors. Our students can't waste time and effort on information that they perceive as having little consequence or value.

 

Through this, students will make connections, what we use to call "things learned en-route to seeking other things", flowing from Connectivism learning theory.