My Profile
Active Members
TodayLast 7 Days
more...
Awards & Gifts
Online Exams
Fresher Jobs
Our fresher job section is exclusively for fresh graduates! Find jobs for freshers in major Indian
cities including Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune or Kochi
Resources
Find educational articles, blogs, discussion threads and other resources.
Colleges
Find details about any college in India or search for courses.
|
What are natural learning environments?
Posted Date: 01 Apr 2008 Resource Type: Articles/Knowledge Sharing Category: Education
|
Posted By: Atul Vohra Member Level: Diamond
Rating:  Points: 5
|
|
|
Natural Learning Environments
Tools for Student Responsibility
During the last hundred years, our society has moved away from natural learning environments to heavy dependence on classrooms. To further narrow learning opportunity, society is accepting the belief that the standardized test measures achievement potential. The production line mindset that Henry Ford started during the early 1900s, "repetitive action with limited skills and no responsibility," is now the mindset of our education system.
Natural learning is assuming responsibility, asking questions, seeking answers, analyzing information, which leads to more questions. The answer is never complete because there are always broader possibilities and/or better ways. Learning by asking questions is a treadmill that has no end. This method trains the mind to keep searching, even when a reasonable answer is found. This is the key to educating oneself without dependency on others.
Benjamin Franklin went to school for two years between the ages of 8 and 10, then was out. His continuing education was a life long process of creating challenging projects with familiar objects, asking, "There must be an alternative use?" Then he would seek answers and analyze them. Examples: Lighting has power that can be beneficial to man if harness or moving fire from the fireplace to a stove in the center of the room for greater efficiency. He found answers to these familiar forces of nature by asking questions, then trial and error, then more questions.
Remember:
For every successful result, there were hundreds of incomplete answers or total failures.
Self-motivated projects are natural learning environments.
Compare Mr. Franklin's achievements to people who spend many years in school, then stop developing their learning skills when they are out. Personal achievement is based on a learning attitude, not how many years spent in school.
Page Bookmarks:
What are natural learning environments?
Unschooled Education
One Room Schoolhouse
Team Education
Teenagers Learning Responsibility - Tall Ships
Home Schooled
Apprentice Programs
What are natural learning environments?
Natural learning is based on curiosity and projects where participants share knowledge to reach a goal. Knowledge that is useful for a project is customized to the project needs and personality of the participants. Knowledge is gained by tapping information sources through research, trial and error, networking, and intuitive forces. The ability to tap these resources and make sound judgments is the key to achieving the desired goal. As one goal is achieved, another is established. Each goal requires new knowledge and skills, and this is achieved through the ability to acquire knowledge from many sources.
Before compulsory classroom education, team environments were standard for educating the young. Typically, the team was made up of family members, who passed on their skills. Being inspired, by those who care, is a natural way to learn. The problem was that results varied widely and local governments saw the need for control. The efficient way for governments to educate large groups of students is in a controlled classroom by a qualified teacher. This is not man's natural way to learn, it is an efficient way. The price of efficiency is the acceptance that many students will fall through the cracks.
There are many natural ways to learn and scattered groups are reintroducing them to society. The winners of spelling bees, as I write this, came from home schooled students. Teachers unions and textbook industries are attacking these programs and are trying to get politicians to pass laws against there use.
As business and political monopolies increase their control over our education system, many parents are breaking away, taking on the task themselves to teach their children. In fact, a small portion of our society is going back to the days of parent-child relationship that was the norm before compulsory public education. Experiential education is man’s natural learning tool. When learning methods are in harmony with compatible learning environments, a love to learn develops.
|
Responses
|
No responses found. Be the first to respond and make money from revenue sharing program.
|
|
Watch TV Channels
Watch Asianet TV onlineKairali TV in InternetSurya TV onlineAmritha TV Channel
|