Trying something new

There is a lot to be said about trying something new; whether it be just the chance to gain a new experience, learn a lesson from that experience or open your eyes up to the possibilities out there. I believe that each is important to in shaping character, enthusiasm for life and the drive to continue exploring.  None of these are possible without the courage to go out on a limb and explore. And that is a beautiful thing. Not at all of what we try is going to be successful, and maybe most experiences may be more negative than not, but that doesn't deem them useless. Every experience has a valuable lesson that compliments it.

This, is 'trying something new' for me. Never before have I formulated my thoughts, experiences or ideas in a document like this, but it is definitely something worth trying, even if I crash and burn before getting it right. Being a fourth year science student I have learned an extensive amount of literary proofs, methods and experimental procedures. Until this summer I had never put those lessons into practice and I can truthfully say that I have learned more than I ever imagined I would. Through hands-on-experiences and the ability to 'explore', I was able to experiment, play, succeed, fail and most of all, learn. That is what I can hope for in the future of all students in the education system.

This type of approach is called a project-based learning which encapsulates constructivist learning, mastery of content and critical thinking. This is not a traditional way of teaching and I believe that this aspect alone is extensively beneficial to learners.  This type of approach allows for students to be creative, think outside the box, question teachings, search for answers and collaborate. One of the most important aspects of this type of learning is the capability of it to be self-directed. "Personalization" is a term deemed by Barbara Bray and Kathleen McClaskey as a self-directed type of learning that is based on the individuals' goals, passions and needs. Through personalization of lesson plans, students are active participants in what they learn and how they go about it. The assessment of this type of learning is not so straight forward. I find it almost ironic that students are encouraged to create, explore and construct their own knowledge, but most of the time they are assessed through a strict set of expectations. I hope to be enlightened on how to assess learners who have learned under this approach, without discriminating against the various expressions of learning.

Sitting in class, it dawned on me that there was not a lack of knowledge and resources in schools, but rather the lack of motivation, imagination and energy in the lessons being taught. Sciences are neither boring or difficult subjects, but are becoming increasingly labelled this way because, of what I think, is rooted in the execution of lessons. Teachers do not need to be bearers of knowledge or the judge of success and the classrooms do not need to be made up of four walls that encapsulate the words from textbooks and lesson plans. In the same way, students should not be seen as vessels to be filled with knowledge and facts. I believe that teachers should be the motivators of imagination, the assisters to success and that classrooms should be an outlet for creativity, exploration and 'trying something new'.

Albert Einstein said a wonderful quote: "You cannot solve a problem from the same consciousness that created it. You must learn to see the world anew". Thinking about that quote, its almost impossible to not relate it to your life in one way or another. There are always things that seem impossible to us, until we take a step back and see them from a new perspective. This is what I thought about when we were talking about the exceptional teachers that tried things a little differently and reached out to their students in an inclusive, creative and engaging way. Who is to say that there is one definite way of teaching? Of learning? We have already seen how the system doesn't work for everyone and we have all experienced the 'crash and burn' I mentioned above.

In that light, how about we 'try something new'; as students, as educators, as friends and as the future. How about we go out on a limb and try veering a little from the path because we never know what wonderful lessons we may learn on the way.