Experience to learn

I love the way Ayers unriddles how to create an environment for learning. As a way of explaining, he uses the analogy of removing one's shoes at the door to leave the city streets behind. In this program, we often discuss that when walking into the classroom, we are to check our stress at the door, and must leave the stress behind, in order to provide a happy environment for our students.

During this week’s readings, I found myself thinking about my favorite book as a child, titled Where the Wild Things Are. This book is one of my all time favorite children’s book because Max used his imagination and created a world where he felt like he belonged. Being in his own element and having a safe feeling, he felt like he was the king of his imaginary world. I believe this is what students should feel like when they walk into a classroom. They should feel like they are in their own element and feel like they are important and their ideas matter. Like Max, children should have access to create a learning environment that is best for them. In order to create such an environment each student needs to be represented in the classroom.

I strongly agree with Ayers' contention that the setting in which children learns should be appealing to not only their interest, but also one that would lead to further exploration of their interest. Students have their different environments where they learn best. For instance, I like to study in my own home where I light candles and have soft music playing. Others like the library and some even go to coffee shops. All students need an environment where they feel like they can express themselves safely.

Ayers mentions that building bridges from what is “known to the not-yet-known” is the base for when learning can start to begin. I like this idea because the life experiences that individuals have are what makes who that person is. Creating an environment based on each student life can make students feel like they belong in the class and they matter. I feel that when students are able to express themselves and use their imagination, anything is possible when it comes to their learning. I agree with Ayers' assertion that when students are able to include their interest in their learning, it will lead to more exploration on that subject, which I have experienced as a student.

Learning is an experience because the more you experience, the more you learn. Ayers' discussion about testing being a way to separate students into losers and winners, is a proposition I somewhat agree with. However, I have always believed that I can take the same test any given day and depending on what was going on in my life or what I was experiencing during that point, is how I will perform on the test.

In addition, I agree with Ayers' opinion that a test is bias to the test taker depending on who is the author of the test. This is why I think that if there is going to be testing, then students should be graded not only on the answers, but on what rationale the students used to come up with the answers. This possibly can allow for accessing the thought process, rather than basing intelligence on whether the right answer was chosen or not.