

A Few Thoughts on Teaching and Learning - wslh
http://sophisticatedfinance.typepad.com/sophisticated_finance/2011/06/a-few-thoughts-on-teaching-and-learning.html

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pwhermanson
In today's world we are already seeing a dramatic shift in educational
methods. Examples include Internet classes where you only meet your teacher
face to face for the final exam, the usage of Youtube and other internet media
in the classroom and the acceptance of Wikipedia as a source in a paper. We've
known for a long time that traditional classroom schooling does not work for
everyone. The difference is that students growing up with technology today
have better opportunities to discover how they learn the best. Institutions
are slowly catching on.

Garciag said..."I'd be interested in seeing how long the students would need
to adapt to the new classroom dynamic. I would suspect that the students would
at first present cautiously, seeking your approval of the material, until you
are seen as the mentor and not just a traditional teacher observing and
grading."

I agree with him. I believe that this model would be easier to adjust to if
each "teaching project" was graded as pass/fail. Either you did it, or you
didn't go it. Anyone in an undergraduate entrepreneurship class should LOVE
what they are doing. If they don't, then they will never succeed as an
entrepreneur. So, if they do it at all, the chances are they will put effort
into it. I believe that this concept of teaching in order to learn is
absolutely correct. However, just like your favorite chocolate, it must be
done in moderation. Along with the chocolate metaphor, you don't want to eat
straight cocoa, you want to add powdered sugar with it to balance the
sweetness and bitterness. Likewise, a typical lecture dynamic and breaking
students out into groups are equally as important. Try to tap into different
forms of learning so that all the students will latch onto the concepts. In
conclusion, the model of teaching in order to learn is a form of learning that
is rarely used. It should be used almost as regularly as breaking students out
into groups.

