Learning as Creating Knowledge Rather than Receiving it

So, one of the big ideas we talked about in my class last night was the idea of the process of learning being an active, creative process, rather than a passive, receptive process. We've talked a lot about the failings of what the scholars call the "banking" model of teaching, in which students are the passive receptacles of a body of knowledge which teachers must pour into them. But while this intuitively makes sense, I've struggled with it because sometimes there are things that are simply facts which the students must know, and which they don't know already.

I don't want to go too far with saying one thing or another is true based simply on theory and readings, but the connection which makes sense to me is the juxtaposition of classroom teaching and Professional Development days that you often see in many districts.

I don't want to speak for every Professional Development system in every district, but what I've seen so far has been executed in a mode very much casting the teachers as passive recipients of the knowledge presented by some speaker. The things I've identified about this mode, at least as I've seen it done so far...
* Learners (who are themselves professional teachers in this case) are cast in a passive, receptive mode
* Material presented is simplified to the point of being demeaning to our intelligence and expertise as professionals in this area
--- composed of rigid, "one-size-fits-all" lesson plans or discipline/classroom management plans
--- cover the equivalent of the ABC's of pedagogy
--- present answers instead of questions
* Demands time that the participants feel resentful of and unrewarded by

By contrast, I also had an experience with the Mills Teachers Scholars, and am currently having an experience in my master's program, where each individual learner becomes a researcher as well, framing an inquiry project of their own design and carrying forth the research to study the topic and ultimately, present on it. This model...
* Casts learners as active experts who are creating knowledge through hard work, research, and personal insights
* Assumes intelligence on the part of the participants
--- presents questions, and learners do the work to find the answers themselves
--- tackles challenging questions of interest to the learners (rather than one-size-fits-all)
* Provides time, and so creates opportunity, for participants to pursue vigorous and meaningful learning opportunities according to their own interest and motivation.

So, in comparing these two modes of teacher learning, it's clear that there's no contest. One is a winner and the other isn't.

So why do we use the receptive mode in our classrooms?

Simply stating the theory, "students should be cast as creators of knowledge, not recipients," isn't as compelling to me as seeing the advantages and disadvantages of each model in action. The words themselves raise questions, complications can be found, edge cases--it's just not as clear. But comparing a model that works to a model that doesn't work gives me a more complete vision of not just the theory of what works and what doesn't, but an example of the practice that makes that possible.

So the question, then, is how can I create an environment in my own classroom in which students are creators of knowledge rather than recipients of knowledge?

Research projects are an obvious choice. And, to be fair, some of the most memorable moments from school come from research projects. (My data on that being personal experience and anecdotal.) When I hear students or former students talk with interest about a subject they studied, it's often one that they personally performed a weighty research project on.

But can this be executed in smaller, more daily ways? I mean, this ties into how it's good pedagogy to raise the question in the students mind before you answer it. Every day I give warmup questions. A lot of times the students don't know the answer, and they ask me. Does that count as casting them as creators of knowledge, with myself as the resource they turn to for answers? It seems roughly parallel to a mode in which students turn to encyclopedias or google for answers. But are they really motivated to answer that particular question, or are they simply carrying out rote behavior?

Moving away from rote behavior is key to putting students in the role of creators of knowledge. But...

Okay, here's another example. I'm trying to teach them grammar, right? So I have this set of powerpoint slides. They're wonderful and I'm doing one presentation a week, introducing a concept and then later reinforcing it with activities. This is basically casting students as passive receptacles of knowledge, right?

Is this an activity where it's appropriate for learners to just be passive recipients? Or is there a way I could cast them as the creators of knowledge? Have them do a research project on sentence structure, or something? Would that actually be any more successful?

Days of Wonder

Today has been a wonderful day. Yesterday was Veteran's Day, and we got it off even though it fell on a Tuesday. This meant, for me, that I had one day off, a single, precious day that was unscheduled and un-spoken-for, in which to catch up on those things which need doing but don't fit in my regular schedule.

In this case, among other things, that meant getting two couches to put in my classroom, and a metric dumpton of food and snacks for the kids. So... well, naturally it was a good day :)

I like the idea of making the room comfortable for my kids. I feel that it's easier to learn if your basic needs are met--food and physical comfort. Sleep too, but I can't do much about that. (The couches are not for sleeping--at least not during classtime.) Previously, I had the two soft armchairs, but with them in the back of the room around a little table, that area became a magnet for students to gather and socialize--sometimes at the expense of class focus.

What I'm doing instead, this time, is lining up all the best seats, the two couches and the two armchairs, in a broad curve as the front row of seats in the room. Behind them are a couple cool little tables, and then the very last row is composed entirely of the least-desireable conjoined seat/desk hybrids that are so ubiquitous--and so unpleasant--in classrooms. The experiment now is to set the class up this way, so that the most desireable seats are in the front, and offer open seating. If all goes according to plan, this will draw students to fill up the front row of their own volition, without me having to either assign seats or crack the whip to explicitly call students to move forward.

I also had my master's class tonight, and instead of the usual exhaustion, I felt happy, even buoyant. When I'm not drained and braindead, this class is so wonderful for sparking ideas. Something about getting together, hearing other teacher's perspectives, and bouncing ideas around really gets the old brain juices flowing. But... in the spirit of trying to stick to one idea per blog post, I'll save those for future posts!