Chapter three of the Connected Educator focuses on the process of learning, and what that looks like. A theory from Cochran-Smith and Lytle about knowledge is described in the chapter, on how there is knowledge for, in and of practice. Knowledge for practice is when reputable information is shared from educators to others, so that we can properly teach others. Knowledge in practice describes the stage of experimentation that comes with developing knowledge, where trying different things helps you learn more along the way. Finally, knowledge of practice describes how educators can learn with each other to develop new ideas and processes for effective education, in and out of the classroom. The Connected Educator has a constant focus on in the classroom versus out of the classroom approaches to learning, and how both are necessary and useful.
The process of learning, unlearning and relearning is so important for me in my process of creating things as an artist, as there are always new ways to improve and new techniques to be aware of. I struggled with unlearning things until recently, as certain processes become more comfortable even if they are more difficult to do and there is a stubbornness that comes with changing the way you think about, do, and accept things. Pushing past what we know to know more is something I believe everyone can constantly be working on, and I definitely have more to do to improve. Experimentation is part of the process that is so important for development and improvement. Stubbornness to new things will most often never lead to anything advantageous for yourself or others. This applies in any field, and even in our personal lives, where an unwillingness to change and learn creates endless negative effects for us. We should all want to learn to improve ourselves and our lives.
One part of the chapter that specifically spoke to me was a quote from Alvin Toffler, who said, “The illiterates of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn” (Toffler, 2011). I think this is true in our current day and will continue to be for a long time unless people begin to let go of willing ignorance. I believe the culture of convenience we are living through is perpetuating ignorance as luxury, but we are depriving ourselves from mental stimulation by the lack of learning new things and developing our thoughts. There is a laziness among society right now, where we are so overwhelmed by life that learning does not appear as a necessity to many, but rather an afterthought. I think shifting this rhetoric will be hard, but it would help everyone’s education and cause improvement in our communities. As the chapter discusses, learning is a constant, not something that is done with at some point, and we all just know different parts of a much wider whole. This is why creating connected learning communities is so important, so we can hold each other accountable for learning and share what we know with others to expand our minds.
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