Comments on: A day at the museum http://epistemicgames.org/eg/a-day-at-the-museum/ building the future of education Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:24:03 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: David Williamson Shaffer http://epistemicgames.org/eg/a-day-at-the-museum/comment-page-1/#comment-309 David Williamson Shaffer Tue, 08 Apr 2008 02:41:43 +0000 http://epistemicgames.org/eg/?p=557#comment-309 Sylvia, You make an excellent point--although I think in the case of my own kids they still see "learning" and "school" as not completely the same thing. But either way, it is a sad commentary. It also occurs to me that if I asked the same question ("What did you learn?") after they played a video game, they would probably say much the same thing. Even if it were clear to me that they had learned something. So it may also be that the question itself is problematic. Either way, thanks for raising the issue. David Sylvia,

You make an excellent point–although I think in the case of my own kids they still see “learning” and “school” as not completely the same thing. But either way, it is a sad commentary.

It also occurs to me that if I asked the same question (“What did you learn?”) after they played a video game, they would probably say much the same thing. Even if it were clear to me that they had learned something. So it may also be that the question itself is problematic.

Either way, thanks for raising the issue.

David

]]> By: Sylvia Martinez http://epistemicgames.org/eg/a-day-at-the-museum/comment-page-1/#comment-308 Sylvia Martinez Mon, 07 Apr 2008 02:21:49 +0000 http://epistemicgames.org/eg/?p=557#comment-308 David, I agree with your conclusions about time. However, I think there was something else going on in their answers to you. I think your kids have learned to associate "learning" with "schooling". It's too bad that they mean different things, but most kids pretty quickly learn the "rules" of school, and what belongs and what doesn't. The lessons of school go beyond math and reading, kids get an education in age segregated classrooms, tests, being quiet, the bell schedule, report cards, the politics of the school bus, and many more unintended lessons. When those conditions aren't present, they tend to assume that learning isn't involved. We end up with a society that believes that learning happens in little bites with a test at the end, and fun and learning don't go together. David,
I agree with your conclusions about time. However, I think there was something else going on in their answers to you. I think your kids have learned to associate “learning” with “schooling”. It’s too bad that they mean different things, but most kids pretty quickly learn the “rules” of school, and what belongs and what doesn’t. The lessons of school go beyond math and reading, kids get an education in age segregated classrooms, tests, being quiet, the bell schedule, report cards, the politics of the school bus, and many more unintended lessons.

When those conditions aren’t present, they tend to assume that learning isn’t involved.

We end up with a society that believes that learning happens in little bites with a test at the end, and fun and learning don’t go together.

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