Learning Is More Than School, Classroom And Teachers

have learned many things outside the school, classroom, and from many different people, not just my teachers. I have learned things from my parents, grandparents, friends, neighbors, books, and even strangers. My school has also taught me many things that are not just academic knowledge but also about life in general.

One of the most important things to remember about learning is that it's something we can all do, no matter our age or circumstances. It's never too late to learn something new, and there are endless opportunities to do so.

We can learn from books, movies, TV shows, conversations with friends, experiences at work – really, any situation where we're taking in information and processing it in some way. And the great thing about learning is that it can be fun! When we're engaged in something we're interested in, the learning process is often more enjoyable and effective.

Here is a summary of 3 talks that will help you look at learning from an alternate perspective.

1. How We Learn is More Important than What We Learn | Glenn Dakin

He says that learning is a lifelong personal journey and skills that you need to learn to include how we write, listen, manage our time and how we plan to learn.

• Why are we writing, why are we listening? How do we make time to learn? A student needs to understand this because it sets the context for everything else that is learned.
• He says that our learning experience shapes the beliefs, confidence, and motivation of how we learn, and these beliefs influence our decisions.
• If we were made to believe in our school years that we are incapable of learning a topic or a subject, we will tend to agree with that and not bother trying to learn it.
• I agree with his statement that' learning is a social and emotional experience' and therefore how we feel during the learning process matters just as much as what we are learning.
• We all start learning with the right intentions but then we are judged by being right vs wrong or that we did not finish the work on time. This puts a lot of pressure on students and the fear to be judged.
• If educators spent more time helping students strengthen their skills to learn, it would help students become lifelong learners. When children learn the skills to learn they can transfer these skills to any content and any context.
  

2. Online learning could change academia - for good | Tyler Dewitt

When Tyler ditched the regular college and started online videos to teach chemistry, he realized he could connect with thousands of students and reach out to them.

• He believes that online videos or e-learning is the future because it is flexible, engaging, and very convenient. It has low entry barriers- all you need is an internet connection and a computer or phone.
• He realized that online learning could decrease the dependency on colleges and universities. It could help people learn at their own pace, without having to worry about exams or grades.
• I think online learning is a great way to supplement traditional learning. It can be used to supplement what you are learning in class, or it can be used as a standalone resource.
• Online education allowed the students to choose their teachers, it allowed teachers to conduct the sessions the way they wanted and it was a great way to connect with people from around the world.
• He says that if educators were given all the necessary tools to take their learning online, it would change academia. This will also change the teacher's goal from preparing students for exams to becoming lifelong learners.
• He said that many students prefer taking online classes to learn a skill, and many mid -age people take online learning to change their careers. This leads us to the question of why we need a rigid structure to learn. if the idea is to gather a skill for a job why does a degree matter? Rigid structures make people think that all these preparations are for exams and not for learning the skill.
• He says that the future of education may include discussions in communities, and learning from YouTube videos, and other online resources. Learners get to decide what credentials they need to get the job they want.
• The best line from his talk - the focus of education should be learning not teaching. If there was an opportunity to teach students better with videos, wouldn't you choose it over a lecture?

3. Paper towns and why learning is awesome | John Green

• He starts his stalk by telling us that as a child he was a terrible student, and education to him felt like a hurdle that needed to be jumped to get a degree and then find a job that you don't like but forced to do. Schooling always felt like being scared for the future and not being able to do anything about it.
• The path that school showed him wasn't exciting enough to motivate him, it wasn't about learning it was about getting good grades and going to college.
• Then he talks about going to a school where he found a community of people who were passionate about learning. This is what made him love learning, it was the first time he realized that education could be something more than just a piece of paper.
• He says that the motivation to learn can come from things happening outside the classroom, in his case it was the community of people he found. It can also be from the passion to learn more about a subject, or from the desire to be better at something.
• He talks about learning being inconsistent and making you curious enough to push you to explore more. It's about the moments when you suddenly understand something, or when you make a new connection.
• He talks about discovering his journey going from one community to another and how it helped him be a better learner. He realized the power of community on the internet like Reddit, and Youtube where people connect over common topics whether they hate the topic or like it, they have discussions, collaborate, and produce something new.
• Educational videos are watched on Youtube like it is a classroom followed by learners who have similar interests, people are engaging on the subject matter and anyone can choose to answer and discuss. The educator gets to participate in the same space irrespective of their geographical location.
• He says that learning has introduced him to some very interesting topics and that he has realized that learning can happen irrespective of age, time, and place. It is a lifelong journey that can be taken at any point in life.
• He concludes his talk by saying that he is excited about the future of learning and how it can help people connect and the world in a better way. young people are recreating learning for themselves, they are finding their communities and resources to learn from.
  
  

The bottom line is: Learning is more than school, classroom, and teachers. It's about finding your communities and resources to learn from. It's a lifelong journey that can be taken at any point in life.