I think this week promoted the concept that learning doesn’t really occur until it is applied to an environment. Even then, it is different because it could change meaning slightly in various environments depending on the learner’s experience. The amount of learning also is affected by the lack of proper environment for context.
Brown, Collins and Duguid (1989) mentioned situated knowledge which I understood to mean learning in the environment that the topic will be utilized in. People use knowledge differently thus people learn differently because of this reason. (Brown & et al., 1989) I find this to be an interesting statement but true. We are all taking the same course but each of us is learning something different depending on how we plan to use the knowledge.
Another great example was learning vocabulary words in context not just from a dictionary or vocabulary list. Studies have shown that more vocabulary words would retain if used in context not just presented from a list for the purpose of testing. I think this explains why children who don’t read regularly might struggle on standardized tests. The vocabulary words are not seen or used often in context to promote learning them. (Brown, Collins, & Duguid, 1989)
In another article, authentic tasks were addressed. I think this again solidified that those activities associated to a course (testing and practice work) should relate to the real-use environment. The four G’s (generated, gathered, grouped, and given) were mentioned to highlight how online course but potentially most learning today was similar to the commercial industry in that information is generated, relevant resources are gathered into content, then this information is grouped for weekly presentations and finally given to the class for use. This model would be counter to authentic learning approaching. (Herrington, 2006) I argue though that this may be a necessary step in the authentic learning approach because some kind of structure needs to be in place to address learner and instructor expectations. Other activities within this structure can include authentic learning tasks to allow learner exploration into real-world situations.
Reference
Brown, J. S., Collins, A., & Duguid, P. (1989). Situated cognition and the culture of learning.Educational Researcher, 18(1), 32-42.
Herrington, J. & Oliver, R. (2000). An instructional design framework for authentic learning environments. ETR&D, 48(3), pp. 23-48.
Ed's Reflections for IU courses 
4 replies on “Week #6 Blog – Authentic Learning Review”
Great insights this week, Ed! I appreciated this statement from your blog post: “We are all taking the same course but each of us is learning something different depending on how we plan to use the knowledge.” I think this statement is demonstrated well in our blog posts. Every week, we all read the same readings in the course, but each week I gain new perspectives from our blog group! I love that we have the ability to learn from each other in this course. I also agree with you regarding the four G’s. Though I can see how this model can be formulaic if not infused with authentic learning opportunities, I do think that the structure it provides can be a help jumping off point for many courses.
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-Shanna Sanders
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Hi Ed,
I like what you say here. I love how Brown, et al. compared knowledge to a tool, or set of tools. It is one thing to own the tool, it is quite another to know how to use it. I would also argue that it is quite another to know how to make it “sing”.
I think that that is how one would align your comment about the Herrington article (as you did in the end). Even with situated learning, there often needs to be some scaffolding. With the tool analogy, it is not enough to give a fifth-grader a chain saw and them them to have at it. There must be some sort of introduction to the tool, a safety check, and then even a few guided practice runs before one would ever even think about letting the child have a go.
-Kevin
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Ed, I appreciate your insight that while we are all taking the same course, we are all learning differently depending on how we plan to use the knowledge. In both of my classes, I have found that I am trying to apply everything to my background and industry. I am constantly thinking of how this applies to higher education or how can we use this to enhance our online classes. I am sure that for others, not in higher education, they are looking at the content from a different perspective. The benefit is that we are all able to share our understanding of the content from our own lens. Seeing it from different perspectives has been helpful for gaining a more holistic understanding.
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