“There isn’t anyone you couldn’t love once you’ve heard their story. ” I think it’s so important for us as learner developers to humanize learning. Stories make learners care. They can also take abstract learning and ground it in the real which helps learners empathize. When I first considered the role of storytelling in education, my…
Month: November 2018
Assignment 2: Deconstructing Duolingo
This assignment was a great way to reframe how I think about learning experiences. I’m not sure that learning can be as clearly delineated as Plaut’s Framework would like us to believe, but looking at each component: Strategy, Requirements, Structure, Interaction, Sensory can make it easier to find the gaps. Click the image above to…
Reflection 3: The Power of “Why?”
When I was still in the classroom and teaching Academic Writing, “Why?” was my most powerful tool for giving feedback and working with students: I know that this week was about much more than a single word- but I love that it started with “Why?”. “Yes- you’ve explained the challenges of learning a new language….
Learner Motivation & Assessment Culture
Expanding on the discussion of Learner Personas and understanding learner motivations, I wonder if we are feeding the learner obsession with tests through the assessment culture we’ve created. If we emphasize exams as the primary assessment tool, do we really have any right to become frustrated with students who emphasis learning that helps them excel…
Reflection 2: Understanding the Learner
It’s such an obvious concept – you need to know your learner in order to build a suitable and effective learner experience. But in practice, the motivations of the learners are often met with bemusement or scorn. In every field I’ve worked in (which now encompasses ESL, Engineering and Medicine), the learners all asked the…
Assignment 1: Universal Characteristics of Good Learning
Can all good learning experiences be measured on the same characteristics? What defines a “good” learning experience? I would argue that learning does require some key similarities: Coming from language education, I may be biased, but if we understand language as a key tool for collaboration, co-constructing knowledge, and learning, I would argue that one…
Reflection 1: “The Modern Learner”
This week we started by reflecting on the modern educational landscape and the unique challenges and opportunities presented by education today. One thing that immediately struck me was trying to have discussion around identifying what the “modern learner” is. It seems like a misnomer to treat and discussion today’s learners as a single entity. One…