New Culture of Learning
Today, we are amidst constant change, and the relevance of meaningful learning is on the rise. This pedagogical approach empowers students to actively construct their knowledge, connecting new concepts to their prior knowledge and real-life experiences and applying them in practical contexts. This approach contrasts with rote or superficial learning, which has been prevalent for years, where students memorize information without grasping its significance or practical use, and sometimes making learning monotonous, uninteresting, and complex.
Now, as a Pre-kindergarten teacher and after reviewing literature about this new learning culture and its importance in creating meaningful learning spaces, I have decided to have another perspective, and in this way have the tools to change my teaching style. I am teaching where a meaningful, fun, and accessible learning environment prevails, children learn naturally from experience at school (Thomas, 2012), and more profound and lasting learning is promoted. In this sense, among the fundamental ideas of a new learning culture that I will bring to my teaching and learning environment will be, first, to promote active and participatory learning where my students, despite being between three to five years old, age to be active participants in their learning process. Engaging in activities that encourage exploration, experimentation, and reflection. This shift in our approach promises a more engaging and practical learning experience for our students, fostering their curiosity and love for learning.
Encouraging student participation in meaningful learning environments fosters greater engagement and commitment to the study content. This can lead to a deeper understanding and longer-lasting knowledge retention (Thomas & Brown, 2011). Secondly, I will prioritize developing skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, effective communication, collaboration, and creativity. Things which are fundamental to success today. Third, I will focus on recognizing and valuing the diversity of students and adapting the teaching-learning process to individual needs, interests, and learning styles. Fourth, I will integrate technology meaningfully, leveraging it to enhance learning and offer opportunities for exploration, collaboration, and access to educational resources and tools. This collaboration can enrich learning by providing different perspectives and experiences (Thomas & Brown, 2011).
Moreover, I will connect learning with real experiences and contexts, allowing students to see the practical application of concepts to develop a more profound and lasting understanding. However, like any change, these actions will generate a series of challenges in my innovation plan (to enhance the teaching and learning of mathematics through Gamification by creating different games adapted to this level where the way to acquire mathematical knowledge is more rewarding and fun). I consider that at first there will be resistance to change from some administrators, fellow educators, and some parents or guardians of students who may feel overwhelmed by my idea of wanting to change the paradigm of a traditionalist education in the teaching of mathematics towards a more meaningful learning approach, where playing engaging games will help children learn and improve their math skills enjoyably.
As Thomas and Brown point out in the book A New Culture of Learning (Thomas & Brown, 2011), Children depend on play and imagination as their primary tools to understand and adapt to their constantly changing environment. When children encounter unfamiliar situations, individuals, objects, or concepts, they use play and imagination to manage the overwhelming amount of information they encounter. Thus, information becomes playable once it is assimilated and practiced, indicating that play is the primary method through which most children come to understand the world from the earliest stages of their development. This idea then confirms that the development of the actions that will be taken in my learning environment will significantly impact the development of my innovation plan.
To address our first challenge mentioned above, I will offer training and support to help everyone involved understand the benefits of the change and develop the skills necessary to implement it successfully. Additionally, adaptation of curriculum and resources will be addressed by reviewing the curriculum and educational resources to ensure they are aligned with the Texas Pre-K guidelines and principles of meaningful learning. This could involve creating new teaching materials, integrating educational technology, and collaborating with other educators and experts in the field. In addition, evaluating meaningful learning will require developing new ways of evaluating learning that goes beyond simply measuring the memorization of facts and that allow assessing deep understanding, the practical application of concepts, and the development of skills.
Another challenge may be time management to achieve the objective; I will establish priorities to ensure that a meaningful learning approach can be effectively implemented without compromising other aspects of our organization. In this sense, I will encourage broad and holistic thinking among educators and students to get people to think broadly or holistically. During professional development, I will promote the excellent resource of reading the book A New Culture of Learning. In addition, I will model my teaching practices, showing my achievements in student performance in learning mathematics. I will provide opportunities for reflection, open dialogue through continuous feedback, and finally through comments on experiences by students and parents; all this will allow there to be little resistance and greater motivation to try to develop new strategies.
In terms of impact on my organization, taking the perspective of creating meaningful learning environments at the beginning will affect some pedagogical practices. However, this change will be positive in improving the quality of education we offer and preparing our students for the first stage of formal education to succeed in an increasingly complex and changing world. Finally, this perspective is broad enough to become a fundamental perspective that will influence my learning philosophy. I will continue to be committed to creating meaningful learning environments that promote the holistic development of our students and prepare them to face the challenges of the 21st century with confidence and skill.
References
Thomas, D. (2012). A new culture of learning, Douglas Thomas at TEDxUFM. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lM80GXlyX0U
Thomas, D., & Brown, J. S. (2011). A new culture of learning: cultivating the imagination for a world of constant change (1st ed.). Createspace independent publishing platform.
Dwayne, H. (2015). Creating significant learning environments (CLSE). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZ-c7rz7eT4.
