Drafts

Consumer education model

Definition

Many students in today’s higher education system are what has been labeled as “strategic learners.” These are students who have become very adept at performing well in school while avoiding challenges or courses that might lower their GPA and therefore often miss out on the opportunity to develop deep understandings (Kain,2004). Also known as “Bulimic Learners” (Kain, 2004), these students have mastered the art of absorbing information imparted unto them for the sole purpose of regurgitating it for an exam, and promptly forgetting all about it.

This certain articulation of this model of education should come as no surprise to anyone familiar at all with higher education. Students feel the pointlessness of many courses they are required to take, faculty see blank face students who are more interested in pop media than whatever contnent they are currently consuming. Faculty blame the students for being apathetic and un academic, students blame faculty for being out of touch with what really matters.

What is lost

What is lost when this is this status quo of higher education- when the blame game goes on? Well, a variety of things, of course

One downfall of consumer model is that students who learn for the test can only use their knowledge in the contexts of tests. That is, when asked to apply knowledge to different situations, the chain of thought breaks down. This lack of what is known as “Transfer Learning” (Colby, Ehlrich, Beaumont, Stephens) makes us wonder if shit even matters.

Based on existing mental mode of pre-packaged everything.

“ ‘Strategic learners’” focusing primarily on doing well in school,

avoiding any challenges that will harm their academic performance and record, and often failing to develop deep understandings.” 34, best teachers

“bulimic learners”40 best teachers

In many cases students cannot apply what they know even in a slightly different context. The research on the lack of transfer learning is often startling, calling into question the subsequent usefulness of much academic learning. 133” Ed. Citizens

“Education is something done unto them. (Weimer, 23)”

Meeting them where they’re at.

Lot of people have commented on this (insert names). The consensus is apparnt. For meaningful constructive learning to occur, learning where students are engaged and excited, the teacher must meet them where THEY are.

Here are two examples, one success and one failure: I’ll begin with the happy story.

I’ve made a habit out of introducing Paulo’s Banking concept of education or the Mug and Jug- where students are recepticles of information and are expected to spit it out come test time. I contrast with the scaffolding method, where the instructor makes great efforts to create an environement that allows students to construct their own educational experience and knowledge base as best as possible with the materials that are provided by the instructor.

I draw the pictures on the board and draw a line between the two, and speak about how I am striving to be more in line with the latter model, noting the irony that I just presented the material in more or less a mini-lecture.

This time, however, I did something different. I began with the students, and asked them to draw their own education before even mentioning Paulo. Everyone took a few minutes to sketch out “their education”. The results were quite entertaining, and this, unintentionally provided some good group cohesion, etc. Once everyone had shared (including myself) then I went into my old routine. The difference was staggering. Students were making suggestions on how the banking system was even more dogmatic and enslaving and how the scaffolding could be more liberating. Instead of consuming this knowledge, they helped to build it. First by establishing their a base rooted in their own experience to which they are expert, then taking it a step further to look at how their experience fits into the systemic big picture.