“We learn more by looking for the answer to a question and not finding it than we do from learning the answer itself.” - Lloyd Alexander
This quote is the inspiration behind the name of my blog but what does it mean? Quite simply, Alexander is saying that we learn from our mistakes. However, I believe that the phrase "learn by looking" tells us that our greatest educational advancements come from knowledge that is sought after, not that which is forced upon us.
I am about to begin a journey to complete a Bachelor of Arts in Special Education at Western Governors University. WGU is an online school that was founded by 19 state governors and uses what they call a "competency-based approach" to learning. In short, what this means is that once you can prove, through various assessments, that you really know that material in a given area then you can move on to the next area of study. But what has this to do with learning by looking?
Well, WGU also does not have teachers in the traditional sense. Much of a student's learning comes from the rigorous trek through a multitude of resources in which the they must ascertain what is relevant and what is not. In other words, students must LEARN by LOOKING. That is my quest and this is my blog: Learn by Looking.
Enjoy your stay!
Shane
Good luck with your new endeavor at WGU. I am finishing my first term this month in Special Education. I love this university and if there is anything I can do to help just let me know. Connie Balch
ReplyDeleteThanks Connie!
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