Most higher education is based on modernism, with its roots in the Enlightenment and the values of optimism, discoverable truth, reason, and science. Postmodernism tends to be more pessimistic, sees “truth” as individually created, to value opinion and preference over truth, experience over science or reason, and to foster a delegitimation of authority. (Taylor, 2006 pdf)
It is interesting how thinking patterns can fall into a rut. I seem to recall an expression to this effect – “if the tool you have is a hammer, everything begins to look like a nail”. Clearly, technology is my hammer.
I am involved in a graduate class focused on developing the teaching skills of future college professors. No, I am not there because of personal skills, but I do have plenty of stories to tell. The course has involved me with a different literature than I normally follow. The introduction to the book the group is reading made reference to studies on college freshman (e.g., the annual American Freshman survey) and the expectations and attitudes of this group. A great deal of the descriptive information sounded familiar and seemed to match the “engage me or enrage me” challenge (Prensky) I have somehow connected to digital natives. This is a literature with a broader view of education and learning than classroom educators (professors) tend to adopt. It has more of a “Dean of Students” and “Student Affairs” perspective. Technology is there among the influences, but it is important to note that greater use of technology covaries with other factors.
I think I prefer thinking of myself as a modern (rather than a postmodern) in comparison to an immigrant (rather than a native). Beyond that, this new material raises similar concerns and similar challenging and sometimes confusing suggestions.
Students can only connect the course’s content to their own lives, in application and meaning, if they are given the opportunity to actively work with the material. The time pressures on many students obviate this happening outside of class, so it must happen in class.
Class time is too valuable to spend transmitting information. ….. If students must pass a content-based quiz at the beginning of each class to participate in that day’s learning activities, ….. they might be more likely to come to class prepared to learn. (from page 2:52 of the pdf linked above).
The use of class time has become one my new preoccupations. Whatever happened to “study” or self regulated learning. My poor pragmatic mind just has difficulty making the pieces fit. I do encourage your reading of this material – I guess I assume you also fall into the modern category. 😉
