What we Learn vs What we Know

Since 2008, when I first started teaching, I have been thinking a lot about what the word "learning" means. Mostly because of the challenges I, myself, was coming across while teaching students with different cultural backgrounds. Helping my students learn only was not an option, I had to constantly learn as well.

Today, there is one thing I strongly believe in: we need to cut down on learning, and leave more room for getting to know things.

?But isn't knowing the result of learning you might say. Isn't knowledge what we get when we learn?

I would agree with you: yes, it should be. Yet, there seems something to be missing between these two ends.

Today, we focus on making sure students/children learn. We add subjects to the school curriculum, we sign them up for after-school activities, we make them finish plenty of homework in usually more than one activity/work book.

On the other hand, how often do we make time and let learners turn the info input into knowledge? How often do we make time and let them ask questions, or inspire them to come up with ones? Or help them do a quick Google (or any) research about what they are interested in? Or let them share their opinion without judging them immediately and showing them they "got it wrong"? Or just allow them to try and FAIL? And try again. And fail again. Until they understand, or become good at something new.

In my experience, unfortunately, rarely. We try to make students walk before they learn how to crawl. They must never make a mistake. There is no time to make mistakes. There is the next unit to be covered, the next homework to be done, the next class to be attended. They have to get the right answer the first time, nail the new skills in their first attempt. That would they usually mean they have to finish things the way they have been told (taught?), shown, explained. In other words, they need to copy-paste what has been said or done. No emphasis on understanding it, no time to investigate it.

?Still, adult life does not work that way. Adults would not often get things right the first time. Instead, they try, and fail. They try again. Ask questions. Use their imagination. Get somewhat creative. Ask for help. Eventually, they (might) get it right.

?Why do we teach children otherwise then?

?In my experience, today children don’t always come to class to learn = get info input. This is especially true when it comes to leaning languages. I dare say this since I have been an English teacher/tutor for a long time.

They already get all the info input through TV they watch, social media, games they play, music they listen to, trips they go to.

What they need is someone to listen to what they have to say. Give them space and time – allow them to take that extra one minute of silence – to get the courage to make a mistake without the fear they will be punished with a lower grade for it. Give them the opportunity to learn from their mistake. Not just give them the time to, but inspire them to ask questions as well. Encourage them to use their imagination. Listen to them share their thoughts out loud. Children love to talk. Talk about themselves in particular. Once they feel they need the language to talk to you, it is where the magic happens. Students start making the foreign language personal, they get creative with it and their language production skills develop. That is when communication starts. And shouldn’t that be an important part of why we learn foreign languages? Shouldn’t that be the most important part in fact?

?I don’t think I need to answer that question so that you know how I feel.

?Would you agree it is high time to reinvent classroom learning? Go beyond the multiple choice questions, the grammar rules and definitions and alike?

?It is high time to go beyond classroom leaning.