ENroute Yearbook 2017-18
Context is Key: Engaging Learners
Sean McKeown, School of Computing, Associate Fellow
Tell me and I forget. Show me and I remember. Involve me and I understand.
Xun Kuana
There are things I remember learning in high school, largely mathematical, which
were promptly forgotten as quickly as they were acquired. On reflection, I realised
that things are easily forgotten when they are divorced from the context of their use,
or why they are actually of interest in a larger knowledge space. It’s easy to forget,
or avoid learning, things which don’t appear important or have seemingly dubious
intrinsic value, or utility. It’s also too easy to regurgitate material, rather than actively
engage with it, which does everyone involved a disservice.
For these reasons, I do my best to involve students in their own process of
learning, seeing my role as a facilitator of their journey. Perhaps the influences of
my Philosophy undergraduate degree imparted a subconscious affection for the
Socratic method, but I find it useful to ask students why they think something is
done the way it is, or why it is important. Fortunately, for the material I teach, I
have personal experience which I can relate
to, and use as a platform for describing why
things are done the way they are, or where
this part of the curriculum fits in with the real
world. I feel that it’s important for students
to foster a deeper interest in the subject of
their study, so that they’re actively inclined
to pursue materials which are not part of
the coursework. It’s easier said than done,
but I find that simply having an enthusiastic
conversation during a lab can get them
interested in aspects of their study which they
may have glossed over previously.
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