Veblen, K. K., Elliott, D. J., Messenger, S. J., & Silverman, M. (2013). Community music today. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Education.
I found it very interesting that there are more options for learning after university, with different styles. Learning is a pursuit that everyone should be able to follow, not just children, and having lower stress options is important for someone who wants to learn as an adult. I also think that taking classes can be a blow to the ego or confidence for older people. School is seen as something for children to do, especially to learn something completely new, like a new instrument. Having other places to learn in a less structured, more fun way is very important to help foster learning.
I also think that the internet has changed the landscape for learning for the better. Youtube tutorials are very popular, and they’re very learner-led. The internet is a place where someone can learn a bit about whatever they want to, and the selection for different topics is limitless. People can watch videos explaining music, drawing, or more practical things like how to cook or do laundry. Learning is becoming more accessible for people, and more acceptable for adults to learn new things. I think this is representative of a rise in nonformal learning, which mirrors how schools are changing to be more accommodating to all students. As times and societies change, so do the ways we teach and learn.
It surprised me that there were more than two ways of learning. The nonformal practice struck me as useful and wasn’t something I had ever thought about before. It is a balance between the two types of learning that I had heard before, which I think is useful. If there are only two ways of learning, then some people aren’t going to be able to succeed, and as teachers we should be able to adjust our teaching to help everyone.
I was frustrated that children aren’t allowed to experience theses different approaches to learning. School can be stressful, and kids are supposed to play to learn, and experience life as children, but schools aren’t usually built to allow this. Some schools start at age 3 and are putting pressure on kids to be able to thrive in a formal learning setting. If someone doesn’t succeed in this setting, young people can be put off from learning altogether, even if there are lots of other places and ways to learn that might be useful for them. As a society, we seem to prioritize formal learning over the other types of learning, and that frustrates me.
I would like to tell the author that I think that these different approaches to learning are important, as they help erase stigmas that surround education. Not everything that’s important things in life can be taught in school, and not all of them can be graded. Learning is an important pursuit that goes beyond school and is a life-long endeavor. That’s why recognizing other perspectives of learning is vital.
Opmerkingen