Authentic learning is about the experience

I often had the experience of studying, "learning," reviewing, and memorizing something during my university days. I worked and studied during my first two years but did not practice anything I had learned. I was excellent in theory, in expositions in essays and texts, but as time passed, I felt I had forgotten everything. I was learning new content, the cycle of studying, reviewing, memorizing, passing my grades, and continuing with the next thing returned, but I needed authentic learning.

After finishing my first associate, I realized I did not know anything when I started to work and get involved in what I had studied! I thought I knew and remembered the theory in the first months, but I needed to learn how to apply it in the real world. I had not practiced problem-solving, research, and application in actual cases, which cost me. I did not lose my job; on the contrary, I came out of it very successfully, but I had to work harder to reorganize my learning and the way I learned.

As a mother and teacher, I want my children and students to have authentic learning; I know it! We make the mistake of delivering the information without allowing the child to question what and how they are learning, even avoiding the time to reflect on their learning. We only deliver information (points) they do not know how to use in the real world, without the option to connect the dots and make mistakes as part of their learning process. We must allow our students/children to make mistakes as part of having an authentic learning experience. When the learner makes an effort and sacrifices to learn something, she builds authentic learning based on her experience.

As Dr. Dweck (2016) says in her book Mindset, It takes a growth mindset to learn from a situation and not feel like eternal defeat. We must invite our students and educate them to have growth mindsets where they may be part of their authentic learning, providing them with situations that lead them to solve problems in the real world.

Expose them to situations that do not physically hurt them but lead them to think about solving problems independently.

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References

Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset : the new psychology of success. Random House.

‌Harapnuik, (2022). Harapnuik.org. https://www.harapnuik.org/?p=6946

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Please visit the following links; they may be too interesting.

Introduction to applied digital learning

COVA AND ADL