How People Learn

Catalog description

Based upon claims made by leading educators and psychologists that what we know about learning does not support current teaching practice, this course will engage us in an investigation of the rapidly exploding knowledge base available to those interested in how human beings acquire and represent knowledge. Together, we will derive the implications of this knowledge base about learning for the practice of teaching, and engage in a substantial, authentic project that will help put the information in a real-world context. Among other things, you will articulate and explore your personal theory of how people learn, distinguish "education" from "schooling", understand how experts differ from novices, identify gaps between pedagogical theory and classroom practice, and learn about what the best teachers and educators do.