The Wikiness

It’s model it, guide it, and get out of the way of the learner, gradually. It reminds me of the Tao te Ching:

…the Master lets things take their course
and thus never fails.
She doesn’t hold on to things
and never loses them.
By pursing your goals too relentlessly,
you let them slip away.
If you are as concerned about the outcome
as you are about the beginning,
then it is hard to do things wrong.
The master seeks no possessions.
She learns by unlearning,
thus she is able to understand all things.

Teachers would do better to yield up control of the learning process as soon as it’s possible. We educate more when we let them do the tasks we tell them are important.

Fisher and Frey have a nice overview of this pedagogical strategy at their resources page. While nothing new, the “gradual release model” is going to be necessary with the new tools arising all of the time.

Coming soon: my record of my adventures with said tools, specifically voicethread and some screencast tools. Then, as soon as they can, students will decide how to best implement them for learning!