Michael Wesch: What Has Baby George Taught Me About Learning?

 

The strongest memories I have of my learning experiences are the ones where connections were made. I felt connected to my teacher or my peers in some way. It may have been a mix up in a science lab that left us laughing or a personalized learning example where my teacher sought me out to encourage me to continue the task. None of my lasting memories are centered around book work. None of them are of me sitting in my seat by myself completing worksheets or class reading, although I am sure there were plenty of tikes where these types of learning took place. 

General learning activities are designed to meet the needs of specific students. These students are the ones that are self-motivated, completion driven and able to accept direction and bring about a desired result. Not all students learn this way. 

In his Ted Talk Dr. Michael Wesch outlines the way he learned to re-imagine teaching college students, and the effect his new approach had on the members of his classroom. Dr. Wesch gave himself the task of eating lunch each day with his students. This allowed him the opportunity to build relationships with the students sitting in the chairs of his classroom. They became more than a number. Their thoughts and needs mattered to him. 

As he began to get to know his students better he realized that they all similar questions that they were searching for the answers to: Who am I?, What am I gonna do?, Am I gonna make it? Questions that college students on every campus across the country have asked themselves. Questions that I have asked myself on more than one occasion. Dr. Wesch realized that these were the questions he should be helping his students figure out the answers to. 

When Dr. Wesch changed the dynamic of his classroom and reworked his teaching methods the students began to challenge themselves. They transitioned from being singular learners to supporting each other in the work they were doing to complete the class. I think this may be a welcome, although hard transition for students. The educational system is set up for students to demonstrate their best abilities. They are taught to work hard as an individual, not to think about the group. Maybe if we begin to teach students that together they can achieve more than they will begin to take responsibility for their learning at an earlier age. Maybe more students will remain in school because they are able to find a reason for what they are learning instead of feeling inadequate regarding their learning experiences. 

This Curriculum 501: Digital Media Literacy is pushing me outside my comfort zone. It is causing me to use platforms I would normally never think about. The class is something I will continue to push through though because connections are being made. Shared learning spaces are providing an opportunity for me to both observe and interact at the rate of my comfort and ability. Had these connections not been present I would have checked out already. This dynamic may not work for all students. There may be points in this class that I still feel overwhelmed. The support and the challenge is there to continue to cause me to persevere.