Learning to Learn in a Digital Age
Howard Major, Ed. D.
Debbie Taylor-Major, M. Ed.
Aims Community College

ABSTRACT

Many educators are making great strides in guiding students to become autonomous, self-directed learners. These educators are leading a methodological transition from traditional instruction-centered teaching strategies (such as the classroom lecture), which have focused upon dispensing information to students, to an emerging focus on facilitating student-initiated and discovery-based student learning. These “guide-on-the-side” approaches include practices that are centered on helping students become selfdirected learners while the teacher assumes a planning and supporting, or “coaching,” role.

One key feature of this “facilitator” approach involves helping students “learn-to-learn,” or develop, learning skills. Of course, the learning skills of the 21st century often require the use of communication technologies, especially the Internet. Just as the learning skills of the past included using the library’s card catalog and searching paper indexes, the learning skills of today and tomorrow often involve using Boolean Operators (and, or, not) searching online databases and search engines.

Additionally, when students are active learners, they must make judgments, analyze content, synthesize information into coherent forms of communication, and present that information to others. These are examples of the higher level thinking skills advocated by Dr. Benjamin Bloom and others. This paper provides information about the shift from teacher-centered delivery of information to a learning-centered method of helping students to become skilled in 21st century learning practices by using accessible resources such as online re-usable learning objects.

Online Re-usable Learning Objects:

Learning objects are “bite-sized” pieces of instructional content, usually 10-15 minutes in length, which are created by subject-matter experts and placed in an online “repository” with many other learning objects addressing various content. Learning objects can be in text form, such as paper or essay, or they can be in media format, such as an audio clip, a video clip or an animated presentation. These learning objects can be accessed by learners from anywhere and at anytime. For example, two popular repositories of learning objects can be accessed at http://www.merlot.org/Home.po, commonly referred to as Merlot, and http://ali.apple.com/ali/resources.shtml, commonly referred to as Apple Learning Interchange. Upon accessing the Merlot repository, the user can select the academic content area, or subject category, of interest by clicking on the collection of subjects. The Apple Learning Interchange will require the user to select a topic, learning level for participant, and language such as a Boolean searching strategy (and, or, not) to locate a learning object. For more information about Boolean searching strategies, see the following website: http://library.albany.edu/internet/boolean.html.

Transitioning from “Providing” Information to Supporting Student-directed Learning.

Traditional teaching practices have included such activities as lecturing, distributing notes, giving paper and pencil examinations and requiring oral examinations. These practices have been a customary practice of pedagogy. While these practices have at times offered quality learning opportunities to students, there is currently a shift in the strategies of teaching and learning that encourages the instructor to facilitate learning rather than drive it. Lectures may be considered only one of many instructional practices. Learning activities can be incorporated that are participatory, engaging, and encouraging of self-directed learning skills and inclusive of activities that teach learning skills, as well as provide content.

Thus, facilitating the use of re-usable learning objects is one way to provide students with learning-to-learn skills. The instructor (or student) who wished to see what learning objects were available on Merlot that dealt with the Year 2000 American National Election would simply type in the repository web address on their Internet browser, select the category of social sciences, then select the political science category. A listing of the selected topic learning objects will appear inclusive of the author, a description, and a rating score for ease of selection. An assignment might require the student to create some form of “evidence” that s/he gained appropriate information from the learning object(s) that were found and interacted with during the learning process. That evidence could take the form of a paper to be submitted, appropriate participation in an online discussion with the other students, or the creation of a “powerpoint-type” slide presentation highlighting the major points learned about the American constitution, etc.

Evaluating Accuracy and Quality of Web-based Information:

One challenge facing students who use the Internet to locate and access information is that some of the information on the Internet is inaccurate and incomplete. Additionally, the information might present only one side of a controversial issue or intentionally mislead the person who is accessing the information. While the potential for proliferation of inaccurate information has always been present, even in traditional sources such as books, encyclopedias and periodicals, this threat has become exacerbated by the freewheeling Internet in which there are no opportunities for authority control. To avoid this potential pitfall, students must be taught to apply strategies that will allow them to validate information. One site that can help students with this task can be accessed at http://www.virtualchase.com/quality/

Developing Higher Level Thinking Skills:

One of the reasons given for the shift from a “presentation” model of learning to a“facilitator” model is that higher level skills are often the result of active and participative learning by students. A common criticism of American education is that learning focuses almost entirely on memorizing and regurgitating of content-specific facts. To address this issue, a large group of educators convened in 1956 under the leadership of Dr. Benjamin Bloom of Indiana University to develop a conceptual basis for thinking about levels of learning. The result was the development of the construct known as “Bloom’s Taxonomy.” Bloom’s Taxonomy has provided educators with a way to promote development of higher-level thinking skills. As illustrated in Figure 1.0, achievement at the lower levels of the taxonomy, Knowledge and Comprehension learning, can be facilitated by effectively presenting information to learners. Commonly used presentation strategies include lectures, assigned readings, viewing of videotapes, multimedia tutorials, etc. However, for many learners, achievement of skills at the higher levels of Bloom’s taxonomy requires more than presenting information to a passive recipient. If a student is to apply, analyze, synthesize and evaluate the course content, then s/he must interact with the information, with the faculty member and with other learners. Therefore, learning activities used to facilitate higher-level thinking must provide opportunities for active learner participation, practice and feedback.

*Noted are verbs used to describe tasks at each level of learning on the taxonomy.
• Knowledge: arrange, define, duplicate, label, list, memorize, name, order
• Comprehension: classify, describe, discuss, explain, express, restate, translate
• Application: apply, demonstrate, illustrate, interpret, operate, practice, sketch
• Analysis: analyze, compare, contrast, criticize, differentiate, examine, experiment,
• Synthesis: create, design, develop, formulate, manage, organize, plan, prepare,
• Evaluation: appraise, argue, assess, judge, predict, evaluate

Figure 1.0

Summary:
Accessing and using online re-usable learning objects is a powerful tool for educators and learners alike. The process of finding, evaluating, applying and synthesizing these resources requires learners to be active, reflective and self-directed. The teacher who is able to shift the classroom model from one of “filling the bucket” (dispensing information) to “lighting the candle” (planning learning activities and facilitating active student learning) can empower learners to become more self-directed and in doing so, enable them to develop and practice the skills necessary for lifelong learning in the emerging digital age.

For additional information, contact:
Debbie Taylor-Major, M.Ed: dtaylor@odlearning.com
ACC web site: http://www.aims.edu/

Resources Used:
Apple Learning Interchange, Digital Learning Events. Retrieved online August 14, 2004 from the World Wide Web: http://newali.apple.com/ali_sites/ali/nav5.shtml

Benjamin S. Bloom, Bertram B. Mesia, and David R. Krathwohl (1964). Taxonomy of Educational Objectives (two vols: The Affective Domain & The Cognitive Domain). New York. David McKay.

Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching, MERLOT. Retrieved online August 14, 2004 from the World Wide Web: \ http://www.merlot.org/Home.po

Wiley, D. A. (2000). Connecting learning objects to instructional design theory: A definition, a metaphor, and a taxonomy. In D. A. Wiley (Ed.), The Instructional Use of Learning Objects: Online Version. Retrieved August 10, 2004, from the World Wide Web: http://reusability.org/read/chapters/wiley.doc