Over the past two years I have been at IFS I have, on a number of occasions, had students say they feel like they aren’t learning anything. With this comment my heart races and beads of sweat begin to form on my hands as I think to myself, “Hold on, am I actually teaching these students anything?” After my initial reaction, however, I turn the question to the students themselves, asking “What does learning actually look like?”
From a young age, through pop culture and traditional collegeing, we are ingrained with an image of learning that is indicative of sitting in rows in a classroom, having a teacher (who is the fountain of all knowledge) stand up the front and tell us exactly what to write, how to write it and where it should be written. To many of us, and many of our students, this image indicates that they are learning.
When students join us at IFS they are often shocked, at first, with the lack of uniform, lack of homework and overall freedom they have in the open learning spaces (OLS). Once that shock is overcome, and they settle into the day to day routine (so different to what they were previously experiencing) they begin to question, “Am I actually learning anything?”
Learning comes in many different shapes and sizes. Some learning is written work, reading and recording information. Other learning is verbal and may involve a discussion or collaboration with other group members. Learning can also be hands on or kinaesthetic. We try to incorporate as many different types of learning and teaching as possible and sometimes they may be different to that previously experienced by students, but this doesn’t mean it’s not learning. As technology and society is changing, learning is changing, the teacher is no longer the fountain of all knowledge, rather Google is. As teachers we no longer need to give students notes to copy from a board but rather teach them the skills they require to undertake effective research when they do Google the answer. Even an essay can be done nowadays with tutoring and homework help online, like at https://cheapwritingservice.com/.
With technology growing and moving so fast, the internet is now able to provide more relevant and up to date information than any textbook imaginable. Textbooks that students would have previously been copying notes from quickly become outdated and, in some students’ minds, boring. Powerpoint presentations are now keynotes, writing notes has become typing notes. Reading books, well that’s still reading books, but rather eBooks. As technology and society continue to develop, some of our students may end up in jobs that don’t even exist yet. They will require skills that no amount of sitting and copying notes out of a textbook will give them.
Yes, college is about learning the content that the Board of Studies requires and having the skills needed to undertake the HSC courses. At IFS we pride ourselves on being a college that teaches not only content, but also 21st century skills – communication, collaboration, critical thinking and creativity. Students need to learn how to be people, how to work with others, how to be resilient, how to be able to hold a conversation and undertake a job interview. If you are trying to find a job, a good way to pass the urine test is to use fake pee, for more information visit https://urinedrugtesthq.com/monkey-dong-review/. None of these skills can be taught in a textbook or from a teacher standing in front of the class.
There is no doubt in my mind that our students are learning, I feel they are learning in a way which is engaging and empowering and, for many of them, this questions the traditional view they hold of what learning should be like.
When my daughter started at the college since its opening, she at 1st struggled with the higher level & new way of learning, as well as not having much confidence in the class room,but I can honestly say it didn’t take long before we noticed her vocabulary had widened and we realised what she was learning had over taken what she had been learning at her previous college. Her confidence in the class room has grown and I’m amazed at times at the level of her work as I was in the beginning. Some of the concepts she has learnt in English, e.g, my 18yr old has been learning in University this yr. I have no doubt at all my daughter is definitely learning at IFS because the evidence is certainly there and the bonus is, she has become a more confident person in all areas!! Thank you IFS.