Chapter 3 - The Power of Authentic Learning
Learning Objectives
- After reading and discussing chapter 3, participants will be able to identify what is and is not authentic learning.
- After reading and discussing chapter 3, participants will be able to describe several ways to assess an authentic task.
- After reading and discussing chapter 3, participants will be write a lesson plan for an authentic task activity.
Chapter Summary
The ability to take lessons from school and apply them to your personal life, or take things that happen in your personal life and relate them to what you do in the classroom, is called authentic learning. Providing students the concrete evidence that what they learn in school is connected to their lives is a component of learner centered teaching. This third unit will delve into the research behind authentic learning as well as strategies for creating and assessing authentic learning activities.
The Research
It is obvious to most educators that students put forth more effort when they know others will see the end result of their work or when the lesson applies to their personal lives. Researchers have studied the brain to see why this is so. It has been found that the reward pathways in the brain are stimulated when activities are relevant and meaningful to the student's life. Not only does new learning need to be relevant, but it must also contain a component of rigor, according to findings by Dr. Kelly Lambert. Activities that are not challenging may actually have a negative effect. Teaching activities must embrace authentic learning to maintain a high level of interest and motivation in students, which will in turn increase memory retention of the content (Doyle, 2011).
It is obvious to most educators that students put forth more effort when they know others will see the end result of their work or when the lesson applies to their personal lives. Researchers have studied the brain to see why this is so. It has been found that the reward pathways in the brain are stimulated when activities are relevant and meaningful to the student's life. Not only does new learning need to be relevant, but it must also contain a component of rigor, according to findings by Dr. Kelly Lambert. Activities that are not challenging may actually have a negative effect. Teaching activities must embrace authentic learning to maintain a high level of interest and motivation in students, which will in turn increase memory retention of the content (Doyle, 2011).
Strategies for Creating Authentic Learning
Listed below are some strategies to keep in mind when creating a lesson using what research tells us about authentic learning (Doyle, 2011).
Listed below are some strategies to keep in mind when creating a lesson using what research tells us about authentic learning (Doyle, 2011).
- Ensure the activity is relevant in today's world.
- Define the activity in loose terms so the student must create their own path to accomplish the lesson's goal.
- Include opportunities for the student to examine the task from different perspectives.
- Collaboration and teamwork elements should be a part of the learning experience.
- Provide a self reflection component so students must consider the relevance of the task.
- Integrate topics across the curriculum to bring additional learning and perspectives.
- Include a wider audience for the final project so students know others will view it.
Authentic Assessments
Obviously the traditional "paper and pencil" written test will not work for authentic learning activities. There are however, a wide variety of ways to assess student learning of authentic tasks, such as a performance assessment, rubrics, a portfolio of work, a written report or self-assessment, concept mapping, active listening, peer review, skills checklist, creation of a website, or lab performance.
Obviously the traditional "paper and pencil" written test will not work for authentic learning activities. There are however, a wide variety of ways to assess student learning of authentic tasks, such as a performance assessment, rubrics, a portfolio of work, a written report or self-assessment, concept mapping, active listening, peer review, skills checklist, creation of a website, or lab performance.
Personal Connection
Writing grants for a public school is not just about the money. Although my initial intent is to find a way to fund more technology initiatives, it turns out to be a way to get teachers to think about different ways to help students learn. For example, one grant that our HS wanted required "out of the box" ideas on using educational technology. Our grant proposal, titled "R & R -- Rigor and Relevance . . . not Rest and Relaxation," was all about activities that were cross-curricular, relevant, challenging, and produced a final product for an area of the community. Teachers submitted ideas like "Flyer Fortitude" (newsletters about community members facing a variety of life challenges), "Teaching Tots" (tech students created animations and games that taught a lesson on a specific topic for students in grades K-2), "Digital Documentaries" (English III students did video documentaries on a current social issue), "Weaving Websites" (high school technology students were paired with an elementary teacher to create a website on particular subject) and many other authentic learning projects. Although it was a lot of work, and took some people out of their comfort zone, it turned out to be an educational experience for staff as well as students.
Another grant we received was specifically directed toward science education. That group of teachers came up with an idea centered around the topic of watersheds. The grant, titled "Go with the Flow," took students out to the various watersheds and tributaries to gather data. Students became the scientists that gathered, hypothesized, analyzed, and communicated their field research. They did a variety of tests, such as taking water samples at various points of the lake, using GPS so that future tests could be taken for comparison. Just like the R & R grant, the watershed grant was a great learning experience for both students and staff.
Another grant we received was specifically directed toward science education. That group of teachers came up with an idea centered around the topic of watersheds. The grant, titled "Go with the Flow," took students out to the various watersheds and tributaries to gather data. Students became the scientists that gathered, hypothesized, analyzed, and communicated their field research. They did a variety of tests, such as taking water samples at various points of the lake, using GPS so that future tests could be taken for comparison. Just like the R & R grant, the watershed grant was a great learning experience for both students and staff.
Suggestions for Implementation
When implementing an authentic lesson in the classroom, I would recommend these steps:
#1 - Make sure students have any necessary prerequisite knowledge (terminology, technology skills, etc.).
#2 - Instructions should include what the task entails, but leaves it vague enough so students must decide the path.
#3 - Have the assessment in place prior to assigning the task and make students aware of it.
#4 - Monitor and facilitate progress along the way. Gently guide or nudge students that seem to fall off the path.
#5 - When the activity is complete, have students do some form of self reflection.
Taking a traditional teacher out of his/her comfort zone and into an arena of lessons centered on authentic learning can be overwhelming. There should be training about authentic learning prior to asking the teacher to implement a such a lesson plan. Training should include background on the research as to why this is effective as well as some guiding ideas for implementation and how to assess student learning of an authentic task. Once the teacher steps into the pool of assigning an authentic learning activity, don't let them drown! Provide support along the way with any questions they may have. At the conclusion of the authentic learning project, provide the teacher an opportunity to reflect with other teachers, a principal, curriculum director, or other school staff. So in conclusion, provide training prior to the authentic learning lesson implementation, support during the task, and reflection time after the project is complete.
#1 - Make sure students have any necessary prerequisite knowledge (terminology, technology skills, etc.).
#2 - Instructions should include what the task entails, but leaves it vague enough so students must decide the path.
#3 - Have the assessment in place prior to assigning the task and make students aware of it.
#4 - Monitor and facilitate progress along the way. Gently guide or nudge students that seem to fall off the path.
#5 - When the activity is complete, have students do some form of self reflection.
Taking a traditional teacher out of his/her comfort zone and into an arena of lessons centered on authentic learning can be overwhelming. There should be training about authentic learning prior to asking the teacher to implement a such a lesson plan. Training should include background on the research as to why this is effective as well as some guiding ideas for implementation and how to assess student learning of an authentic task. Once the teacher steps into the pool of assigning an authentic learning activity, don't let them drown! Provide support along the way with any questions they may have. At the conclusion of the authentic learning project, provide the teacher an opportunity to reflect with other teachers, a principal, curriculum director, or other school staff. So in conclusion, provide training prior to the authentic learning lesson implementation, support during the task, and reflection time after the project is complete.
RESOURCE:
Doyle, T. (2011). Learner-centered teaching: Putting the research of learning into practice. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing.