“How do I Know if my Students Are Learning (Online)?’
The question was asked by a colleague in the context of online learning due to the corona measurements. I think it’s an important question because we spend so much time on education; it’s important to reflect on what is effective. I also believe it’s a complex question.
At first, we have to determine what we ‘learning’ to be. I prefer to think that we are learning when we are actively able to reconsider our own values. From this starting point; learning is more than acquiring and remembering new information. It’s relatively easy to quantify much information can be remembered or reproduced by someone else. We can also assess if someone is able to apply this knowledge in a given context by giving tasks that require certain knowledge. It is complex to determine if someone has changed its values. Our values are often hidden.
I believe ‘learning’ in the sense of changing values; often does not take place in class. In class, we introduce knowledge and we try to apply it through repetition and application in activities. The learning takes place later, sometimes much later when realization kicks in and we decide to do things differently from then on.
One of the best ways of learning is teaching.