The Problem of ‘Pedagogy’ in a Web 2.0 Era

By Trent Batson

In a time of knowledge stability, teach; in a time of rapid change in knowledge, learn…

Clearly, we have left the time of knowledge stability and entered a time of incredibly rapid change. Web 2.0, a term coined in 2004, is a description of the new Web architecture, but is also a historical marker between the era of comfortable stability and the era of unsettling change. Many in higher education say we have accordingly turned to learning and away from teaching, but in fact we haven’t. Most educators I talk with are unaware of the degree of change necessary today or of the degree to which deep change will continue over the coming decades. And so, the dominant emphasis on teaching remains.

There is no requirement that faculty in higher education understand learning theory. Even saying that, and knowing it is true, seems astonishing. How is it possible to make the turn from teaching to learning without knowing what that means? This is the 800-pound gorilla in the middle of the room. Faculty members in higher education are researchers. The focus of their research has traditionally been on disciplinary knowledge and not on how humans learn. To make the turn from teaching to learning become a reality and not just a phrase, the first step should be toward a faculty development effort across the board to dramatically increase awareness of the basic research in learning theory of the past 30 years. Those who have been teaching for years without this awareness may find astonishing discoveries: “Oh, that’s why that innovation worked that I tried three years ago,” or “Okay, now I see why problem-based learning can work so well if designed correctly.”

Continued at: http://campustechnology.com/articles/2011/06/15/the-problem-of-pedagogy-in-a-web-2.0-era.aspx

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