Just a drop from a knowledge-emptied cup.

“When does learning take place?” This question has been asked in so many (if not all) of our classes. Lecturers then proceed to tell us it happens “in the zone of proximal development” or “when knowledge is deconstructed and reconstructed”. Very big words for something so simple and natural. We start learning in the womb – no teacher there to create an “optimal learning environment”. Just the safety and security that our mothers provide.

Therefor I have to wonder sometimes if we are not over complicating these things. Maybe all we need to really be good teachers are respect and understanding for our learners and a little bit of creativity to set their minds free from the constraints that have been placed upon them by this society that strives to take the fun out of learning.

We need to make learning fun again in order to engage learners. When children play, they are relaxed, curious and even adventurous. It is in these early years, that most of our learning takes place (and is most effective) and yet somehow we have convinced ourselves that it is best to discourage children from playing.

In many of the so-called leading educational countries, children go to school from the age of four. They learn how to read and write in two languages before they are five years old. And somehow that has become acceptable, because “We live in a very competitive country” and “We just want our kid to have the best opportunities”. As a result, children spend up to eight hours a day at school.

However, at the current rate of development of knowledge and technology, spending eight hours a day at school from the age of four, is simply not enough. They will never learn all the content. There are not enough hours in a day to do so.

I believe that there is a shift in focus needed. We need to stop sucking the joy out of learning by forcing kids to study content that will be irrelevant in one or two years’ time. We need to move away from this idea that we can simply “teach to the test” and expect learners to just be sponges slurping up all the knowledge that we as teachers spill out of our little knowledge-filled cups. It’s archaic and insulting to the intelligences of our learners.

We need to start teaching learners how to utilise new technologies and adapt to changing knowledge environments and then give them the freedom to explore and engage in the content that interests them.  Maybe we should even make room in those knowledge-filled cups of ours to learn a thing or two from our learners. Just a suggestion.