Australian Curriculum Development - Literature review Example

Demonstrate and discuss the importance of ‘rich authentic learning tasks’ in generating ‘irresistible learning’ for the 21st century Name Institution Introduction Authentic learning centres on complex real-world issue and their solutions by applying role-playing exercises, case studies, problem-focused tasks, and use of virtual technology to build communities. Authentic learning enables learners to create meaningful and useful products they can share with their individual communities and the wider world (Mantei & Kervin, 2009). They consist of real life or simulated tasks that offer learners an opportunity to connect in a direct manner with the real world. Some scholars have depicted authentic learning to be the answer to the 21st century learning environment. Lombardi & Oblinger (2007) portray authentic learning as particularly suited for the 21st century learners who must contend with challenges like constantly changing learning content. Mantei and Kervin (2009) also consider it a learning style designed to encourage learners to establish concrete, helpful product that can be shared. The idea points to a need for irresistible learning, which is structured to make it difficult for children to resist. Therefore, in a typical authentic learning situation, a teacher serves the purpose of a facilitator and the authentic learning task serves as the predominant force while the content collected is set up into portfolios (Lombardi & Oblinger, 2007). This paper demonstrates and discusses the significance of ‘rich authentic learning tasks’ in enabling ‘irresistible learning’ in the 21st century. Theoretical framework Authentic learning is firmly grounded by the theories of learning and cognition, particularly the constructivist learning theory by Lev Semyonovich Vygotsky (1896-1934), which hypothesises that the overall objective of education is to "generate knowledge and contribute to development through social learning processes, social relationships, and internalisation of culture. It further contends that learner serves the primary role of constructing information, as the information constructor rather than the teacher. Hence, curriculum is student-centred, where students have to engage in active construction or creation of own subjective meanings based on an objective reality. Motivation, innovation, and engagement of learners Authentic learning encourages teachers and learners to be more innovative, motivated to learn, as well as to be more engaged. As Mantei and Kervin (2009) explain, the authentic learning model places emphasis on innovation and on the quality of learning tasks. It permits learners to take up their individual learning opportunities, which are exclusive to their interests, using real life practices. Therefore, consistent with Vygotsky's constructivist learning theory, learning is learner-centred. Lombardi & Oblinger (2007) also explain that it emphasises the development of a combination of skills sets by applying self-motivated inquiry techniques to come up with useful products that can be shared by particular audiences, rather than repeating learning content. The urge to innovate ideas is, as Mantei and Kervin (2009) explain, what actually engages students and motivates them to be engrossed in meaningful experiences.  Authentic learning also engages students with practical learning experiences that make learning tasks specifically irresistible to the learners. As Lombardi & Oblinger (2007) explained, authentic learning brings forth a learning experience that is particularly life changing, given that it connects learners to the multi-sensory processes instead of short-term memory skills that are typical of content-based learning methods. While the content is significant, an authentic learning model considers content as suitably intended designed to serve as a portfolio of plans, records, contacts, and support information, which are essentially learning artefacts. Because of an ability to access online remote instruments in the 21st century, authentic learning provides learners with an opportunity to use unique and costly equipment to conduct own experiments, as well as to individually interpret data (Learner, 2011). Consequently, they actually manage to come to grips with complex patterns, as well as making personal critiques of the weaknesses of real-life research, a singular right answer may not exist. As a teacher, I can apply technologies like simulation-based learning, such as Mekong e-Sim, which is a Web-based learning environment that applies role-playing and simulation to engage students in authentic decision-making and improve in their collaboration and communication. For instance, while teaching a history lesson on managing historical projects, I would ask learners to assume the roles of stakeholders of the Mekong River Basin so that they can discuss the advantages and disadvantages of a certain development project. While debating on the project merits and demerits, students also get to interact and collaborate. In particular, the Mekong e-Sim provides a framework that exposes students to a variety of historical, political, social, scientific and economic conflicts affecting a certain complex projects. I believe that such a simulation-based learning would motivate students by enabling an irresistible learning environment. According to Har (2013), learners tend to be naturally motivated to learn from a world they live in and can relate to, particularly when they are motivated to interact, understand, and take the roles of changing the world. Improved accessibility of learning material The unique aspect of improved accessibility makes support information to be readily available to the learners. Such function specifically appeals to today’s students who are often on the go, as learning can be undertaken at any time and place, whether at home or school. Mantei and Kervin (2009) explain that technologies like the internet have made content to be readily accessible to learners at any place and time. Teachers can research on any subject at any convenient time. Learners can also access the content via their computers, tablets, and mobile phones. Lombardi & Oblinger (2007) comment that authentic learning still demands that a teacher has to mostly give out content to learners, before evaluating the regurgitation of such content provided as the key assessment of a student’s learning ability in the 21st century. Authentic learning enables learners to exhibit their skills using a string of related learning processes based on what they can actually demonstrate. Hence, consistent with Vygotsky's constructivist learning theory, learners stand to generate knowledge by themselves. Lombardi & Oblinger (2007) observed that educational researchers have today arrived at a consensus that the significance of authentic learning tasks is not necessarily restricted to learning in real-life environments and practices. Instead, its benefits can be attained by carefully designing Web-based learning environments, which provides learners with improved access to many of the similar resources used by professionals in their pieces of research. For instance, because of internet-based access to radio astronomy data, learners have an opportunity to discover stars that veteran researchers have disregarded while compiling research data. Additionally, students of history who can access online archives on American Civil War archives are provided with an opportunity to feel a sense of ownership of their study activities when they draw own conclusions regarding history of the time. The sense of ownership is augmented by the idea that learners would feel like real stakeholders beyond the boundaries of the classroom, as they can be held accountable for their work. Therefore, I would ask students to collaborate in searching for certain information online, and to make their collective reviews of the online content before making presentations in class. Improved student confidence and community participations Authentic learning tasks provide learners with the much-needed confidence that result from recognition of their roles as genuine peripheral participants in a community of practice. According to Mantei and Kervin (2009), authentic learning is particularly vital in the present-day rapidly changing world that is characterised by a desire for succinct information from different disciplines, as learners expect to advance through a number of careers. Such an aspect makes authentic learning particularly irresistible to learners. Therefore, consistent with Vygotsky's constructivist learning theory, learning is learner-centred, as well as depends on social relationships among learners. As Lombardi & Oblinger (2007) explain, complex communication and expert thinking tend to distinguish learners who possess career-transcending skills from learners with minimal opportunity for career progress. In his view, expert thinking consists of the capability to discover and resolve issues that have no particular routine solution. Such a situation calls for meta-cognition and pattern recognition. An additional differentiator includes complex communication, including persuasion, explanations, negotiations, and acquisition of trust. Essentially, a learning experience is authentic in the sense that it seeks to demonstrate skills and knowledge in a real setting, as well as enables the student to correlate the school setting and the requirements of the wider communities. For this reason, authentic learning offer a model for analysis of teachers’ planning and designing of classroom experiences to enable students to develop profound and adaptable knowledge, which is applicable to a variety of community practices. In authentic learning experiences, tasks are undertaken in collaboration despite the physical distance. As a teacher, I can use internet-based communication tools to help students to improve their confidence and community participation. Examples of 21st century tools I can use to engage students in peer-based evaluation is Calibrated Peer Review (CPR), which refers to a free online program that enables teachers to integrate regular writing assignments into courses in spite of the size of the class without the possibility of an increased workload. Using this tool, I can train students to improve their competencies as reviewers, as well as provide them with an opportunity to review their classmates’ assignments and provide them with feedback on their writing assignment. Because of the ability to access all students’ works, I believe I would be able to monitor the classroom in general, as well as evaluate each student’s progress. According to Lombardi and Oblinger (2007), the CPR system has a capacity to manage the whole peer-review process, as well as creation of assignments, submission of assignments electronically and training students on how to conduct reviews. Therefore, authentic learning enables learners to be far more than technically competent to having a capacity to demonstrate integrity and ethics, as well as work in collaboration with others. Improved problem-solving and improved preparation for future career Authentic learning tasks enable learners to improve on their problem-solving skills, as well as prepare them for their careers in future. According to Lombardi and Oblinger (2007), students would find learning particularly irresistible when it prepares them for their future career. As explained by Har (2013), the modern-day rapidly changing world demands that students have to understand constantly the global economy. In his view, authentic learning is essential in this regard, as it provides learners with meaning contexts through which they can learn problem-solving skills using varied information sources as though they are in a real world. Mantei and Kervin (2009) agree that authentic learning also enables learners to develop problem-solving approaches that experts use. In his view, authentic learning tasks expose the weaknesses of real-life decision-making, as it enables learners to engage reflective judgment during a learning task. Hence, unlike the traditional content-based learning approach, authentic learning exposes learners to skills that are far from merely memorising content. Lombardi and Oblinger (2007) explained that as learners today look forward to being more competitive within a global job market, they are likely to feel more comfortable with the intricacies of vague real-world problems. Therefore, as authentic learning exposes them to authentic disciplinary communities, they are more likely to be in favour of it, as they believe it prepares them better in addressing ambiguities and applying a higher order analysis developed through problem-based learning and multifaceted communication that professionals require of them. Examples of tools I would use for a history class to help students to develop problem-solving approaches is “Agora.” By description, it is a 3D model editor that can enable students to reconstruction ancient historical scenes to relive the past, including ancient buildings or tombs. I believe that when I use Agora in class, students would learn more effectively when they learn by reconstructing important ancient architectural environments or artistic designs of the ancient world. Conclusion Rich authentic learning tasks are uniquely important in generating ‘irresistible learning’ for the 21st century student. They lead to improved innovativeness of students, which is particularly appealing to students. They also engage students with practical learning experiences that make learning tasks specifically irresistible to the learners. The unique aspect of improved accessibility makes support information to be readily available to the learners. Such function specifically appeals to children, as learning can be undertaken at any time and place, whether at home or school. They provide learners with the much-needed confidence that result from recognition of their roles as genuine peripheral participants in a community of practice. They also enable learners to improve on their problem-solving skills, as well as prepare them for their careers in future. References Har, D. (2013). Authentic learning. Retrieved: Learner, R. e.d. (2011). Product Design and Technology Victorian Certificate of Education Study Design. Melbourne: Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority Lombardi, M. & Oblinger, D. (2007). Authentic learning for the 21st century: An overview. EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative. Retrieved: Mantei, J. & Kervin, L. (2009). "Authentic" learning experiences: what does this mean and where is the literacy learning?, In Moult, A (eds), Bridging Divides: National Conference for Teachers of English and Literacy, 2009, p 1-16, Hobart, Australia: Australian Association for Teaching of English/Australian Literacy Education Association Read More