Learn Different ??
For the hundredth time this month, I get this question from a future student:
“Hey, your online courses at OpenClassrooms look great, I’d love to follow this curriculum to get a degree… but I wonder: if I do this, will I know everything I need?”
This is a question almost every new student asks. I think this comes from a belief, assimilated at an early age, that school will teach you everything you need to know:
- The teacher knows everything and shares this knowledge.
- The student passively receives this knowledge by just listening.
Sounds familiar? Well, I believe this perception is deeply toxic for students. Let’s see why.
We have to transform the way Education is seen
Students can’t come to a new school and expect that the teachers will “fill up the gaps in their knowledge”. That’s is just not how it works from my experience.
As my colleague Erwan, Education Specialist at OpenClassrooms, puts it:
Education is not about filling an empty basket, it’s about lighting the flame
Think about it. There is no way to “know everything”. You don’t have to memorize everything in your head nowadays: you have to know where to look if you need anything.
You want to be able to learn what you need, when you need it. It’s not easy, but that’s the one true skill you’ll need this century.
What should you do as student?
As a student, if you’re going to school expecting that all the heavy lifting will be done for you, you’re likely to be disappointed. That’s a job that you have to do. School is there to help you find your way, not to mass-produce students stuffed with ready-made information.
You’re not a robot. You’re not your fellow classmate’s clone. You’re unique, and you have to discover in which way. It takes time, but this is how you’ll do what you really love (the good news is: when you do what you love, you also become good at it!).
Think about your Education as a moment where you can be curious about everything. You should try out the works, until you experience that very special feeling: “wow, this is actually interesting, I want to know more about this”.
Once you have identified your subject, you’ll soon discover that you’re more experienced in it than your classmates and even your teachers. This is the beauty of finding your way: at some point, you’ll start to learn on your own at an accelerated pace.
Congratulations. You can now teach people about your craft, inspire them and light their flame. ??
Senior Data Analyst chez Bouygues Telecom
7 年Très bel article ! Surtout la petite citation à propos du panier à remplir et de la flamme à allumer. Etre actif et rester curieux, la base de l'apprentissage que l'on semble parfois oublier en France... :-)
Assistante Manager Front Office
8 年si tous les profs étaient comme vous, les enfants seraient moins blasés ;)
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8 年C'est si vrai ! Je suis (encore mais pour plus longtemps) prof de maths et beaucoup de lycéens pensent que la connaissance se transmet comme un virus ou alors comme on gave des oies. L'image du robot me plait bien aussi... Et, finalement ils sont dé?us/frustrés par leurs résultats. Eh bien non, nous ne sommes ni des robots ni des oies et cela implique d'être actif dans les apprentissages. Facile à dire, pas toujours facile à faire pour ceux qui n'en ont pas eu l'habitude jeunes. Peut-être que le problème est plus lointain et vient de la perte de curiosité/émerveillement qu'ont les très jeunes enfants. On voit tant d'enfants en primaire déjà blasés... A l'inverse, un enfant, un jeune curieux de tout va être avide de connaissance et va s'emparer de toutes les possibilités de nourrir sa curiosité ! Personnellement, je suis une MOOC addict comme dit une prof de Openclassrooms et je dois être encore une enfant curieuse et émerveillée de tant de choses à connaitre ! J'espère bien le rester longtemps !