tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574469779496191524.post5587054086418039205..comments2023-11-11T22:23:28.499-07:00Comments on KARE Givers: Calling All Experts- What is Authentic Learning?Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17898902767993372053noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574469779496191524.post-63623090909694111822010-03-08T05:59:44.483-07:002010-03-08T05:59:44.483-07:00Good question and I agree that educational terms g...Good question and I agree that educational terms get mis-used and eventually no longer have any real meaning--a pattern we educators encounter frequently.<br /><br />To me, "Authentic Learning" is the idea of having students learn about something that is meaningful to them, they learn because they have a real need or desire to learn. <br /><br />Authentic Learning involves having students solve real-world problems in the context of the classroom. Students naturally ask us educators all the time, "why do I need to learn this information." <br /><br />In Authentic Learning, the question is turned around, students ask "I want to know something, what information do I need to learn it?"<br /><br />The students experience, explore and research information, ideas and innovations to solve problems grounded in their reality. Students learn to make change because they are "buying" a can of soda. They learn to compare and contrast because they want to determine which cell phone plan is more cost effective.<br /><br />They learn engineering and physics concepts because they want to build a jump for their snowboard or bike.<br /><br />Authentic Learning is focused on the world outside of the classroom, the context for the learning is not "will this be on the test," the context is "in my life, I encounter this problem, how do I solve it?" <br /><br />If you are looking for a reference, here is a link to a great overview.<br /><br />http://www.ncsu.edu/meridian/win2003/authentic_learning/Karl Kapphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10586071112339563727noreply@blogger.com