The Case for Authentic Learning

October 24, 2012 , by George Rislov

Posted in Learning

It was John Dewey who created the notion of “learning by doing.” His famous line was, “Education is not preparation for life: Education is life itself.” And years later it was Jerome Bruner who stated that it wasn’t enough to learn, say, history. The more successful approach would be to teach students to think like a historian. The ideas of these education philosophers, and others such as Johann Pestalozzi, are making something of reappearance in the call for more authentic learning experiences in an age of extensive testing. Authentic learning could be defined as learning that involves real-world tasks and problems. Testing, and the preparation for it, would be seen as decidedly un-authentic. Overemphasis on testing and test preparation was recently called “a perversion of what was intended” by outgoing Texas Commissioner of Education Robert Scott.

There is a real desire among many teachers to move away from rote learning. The flipped classroom, in which students receive direct instruction at times other than class time, reserves teachers’ time with students for more authentic activities, such as projects or simulations. Organizations such as Future Problem Solving Program International and National History Day provide formats and competitions for students to hone their skills and create authentic products.

To find out more about authentic learning, read this white paper by Marilyn Lombardi, which lays out a thorough overview of authentic learning for the 21st century. Also, you can check out this on-demand webinar on authentic learning with noted education consultant Dayna Laur who will guide you through the basics of authentic learning with lots of examples for all levels of students.

Teachers: What’s your take on authentic learning? Are you incorporating opportunities for your students to experience authentic learning in your classroom? If so, we want to hear about it in the comment section!

Tags: 21st Century skills, authentic learning, innovation, instruction

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George Rislov

George Rislov is senior marketing manager at Compass Learning, and was formerly the chief architect for the social studies department. George taught middle school, high school, community college, and university courses in the Dallas area before he came to Austin to work for the Texas Education Agency, where he served as managing director of the division of curriculum. George has served as president of the Texas Council for the Social Studies, and in 2000 was selected to be one of four Southwest Region trainers for the new AP World History course by the College Board. He has been at Compass Learning since July of 2007. He is owned by two totally spoiled Boston Terriers, Zac and Django.

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