This is a big question. Initially, I couldn't answer it. I think people learn in many different ways and it's difficult to put it into a concise thought. So I let it marinate....for quite a while. I worked on exercises for class, I read about things online, I read our books, I observed students. It wasn't until I watched students "learning", or not learning in some cases, that I began to wrap my head around how people learn.
*Learning happens when we allow students to use their preferred learning style.
My preferred learning intelligence, or style, is visual-spatial and interpersonal. I need to see, feel, and design information to learn it. After I have done this, I need to talk about it...a lot! Once I am able to discuss new learning with someone or a group, I internalize the information and I remember it much easier. Students have their preferred learning styles - generally not a sit and listen to lecture style either. We want students to be aware of their learning and know how they learn best. But we also have to take it a step further and ensure that we are accommodating the various learning styles.
*Learning happens when we communicate and collaborate.
Communication and collaboration are 21st century skills that our students should be honing every day. There simply isn't an excuse for not allowing students to work together in pairs or small groups and talk about their learning. These skills are expected in the real world. What better place than school to model the skills, address issues that come up while working on them, and practice their use? The real world and school world can no longer be isolated places with no overlap.
Once we allow students to work together and talk through things, we will see that learning takes place because there is shared learning. It is inevitable. Students will work through the levels of Bloom's Taxonomy of Learning by progressing through each stage. If students take the time to verbalize the information that they are taking in with others, they will learn how to understand and apply the information, as well as analyze and evaluate the information.
*Learning happens within the context of the tools that students know how to use.
Students are very literate in their preferred literacies of technology, gaming, and more. Imagine tapping into that literacy to teach content that meets standards. Technology plays a large role in students' literacies now, but so do many other areas. We have to assess what tools our students use and bring that into the classroom if we want them to understand the application of content. If we continue to teach content without context or a real world application, the learning will not be committed to memory.
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