In the News

2 Authentic Activities

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Authentic activities or tasks reflect the kind of activities that people do in the real world, that are completed over a sustained period of time, rather than a series of shorter disconnected examples. They are generally ill-defined—that is, students find as well as solve the problems. Many classroom activities are so structured that they fail to account for the nature of real-world problem-solving. An authentic approach would have learners exploring a resource with all the complexity and uncertainty of the real world. The learners would have a role in determining the task and how it might be broken up into smaller tasks, selecting which information is relevant, and finding a solution that suits their needs. Many project-based assignments in school readily provide such opportunities, especially when they allow the use of powerful technologies.

3 Expert Performance

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People sometimes comment that it is much easier to learn a skill or concept when they see it demonstrated by an expert. Authentic learning environments provide access to such expert thinking and performances, allowing students to observe the task before it is attempted and to access the modelling of processes. This characteristic draws largely from the apprenticeship system, where a learner is assigned to work with an experienced practitioner. Technology allows for the incorporation of a range of “experts” within the classroom environment in ways that are accessible, cost effective and appropriate for the experience.

4 Multiple Roles and Perspectives

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Rather than learn through interaction with a single perspective (the teacher's), an authentic learning environment provides the learner with the opportunity to investigate multiple ideas, roles and perspectives. Different people, media and resources are employed as required to provide a rich array of opinions and points of view. Technology allows for this range to be brought into the classroom. However, it is vital that students are supported in the management of these as they discriminate and discern amongst sources.

5 Reflection

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Many learning opportunities in school are wasted when students are not given an opportunity to reflect upon and consolidate their learning. This is typified in anecdotes of students' study, where they know that they only need to remember the information long enough to complete the test, then they can forget it and move on to the next topic. Boud et al. (1985) contended that reflection is a social process, not necessarily a quiet, solitary activity. An authentic learning environment requires students to reflect upon a broad base of knowledge to solve problems, and to predict, hypothesize, and experiment to produce a solution.

6 Collaboration

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Many classroom tasks are designed for the individual learner. However, there is much research (see Del Marie Rysavy & Sales, 1991) to show that there are clear educational advantages to be derived from collaboration between students who are required to solve problems. Authentic learning environments allow opportunities for much of the time for students to work in small groups or pairs. Such an arrangement allows students to “put their heads together” on problems, and to fully articulate their progress as they go about the task.

7 Articulation

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Being able to speak the vocabulary and tell the stories of a “culture of practice” is critical to learning what it means to be a professional (Lave & Wenger, 1991). And yet, many classroom activities are done quietly with no communication allowed with other students. An authentic learning environment would ensure that tasks are completed within a social context—with students working in groups, discussing the issues or processes, presenting talks to class, sharing stories or pictures, interviewing and debating, and so on—to ensure that students have the opportunity to articulate, negotiate and defend their growing understanding. Vygotsky believed that speech is not merely the vehicle for the expression of the learner's beliefs, but that the act of creating the speech profoundly influences the learning process. Vygotsky wrote: “Thought undergoes many changes as it turns into speech. It does not merely find expression in speech; it finds reality and form” (cited in Lee, 1985, p. 79). This active process is reflected in Mercer's (1996) comment that: “Talk is now recognised as more than a means for sharing thoughts: it is a social mode of thinking” (p. 374).

8 Coaching and Scaffolding

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In an authentic learning environment, the role of the teacher is one of coaching and scaffolding—observing students, modelling, providing resources, offering hints and reminders, providing feedback, and so on—rather than a didactic one. In this role, the teacher provides the skills, strategies and links that the students are unable to provide themselves to complete the task. When appropriate, the support (the scaffolding) is removed until the student is able to “stand alone”. Coaching is highly situation-specific and is related to problems that arise as students attempt to integrate skills and knowledge (Collins et al., 1989). Such assistance can also be provided by other students, and collaborative learning can ensure that more able students can assist their less able partners (Collins, et al., 1989; Greenfield, 1984).

9 Integrated Authentic Assessment

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When a topic is complete, students are often assessed with separate tests or quizzes. While institutional and course demands often limit teachers' discretion on testing, where possible, in an authentic learning environment, assessment should be seamlessly integrated with the activity. That is, students are assessed on the task they perform rather than with a separate test. Assessment of authentic learning can take the form of a number of evaluation measures which do not include formal tests, such as portfolios, journals, and self-assessment (McLellan, 1996) and it creates opportunities to enable students to craft polished performances.

10 Professional learning

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Professional learning is crucial in a time of rapidly changing technology and concomitant pedagogy. It is important to keep up with both technology and its applications in classrooms. However, many argue that training in technology and pedagogy alone is not the answer. Schlager and Fusco (2003) argued:

Training (and technology that supports a training model of learning) tends to pull professionals away from their practice, focusing on information about a practice rather than on how to put that knowledge into practice. Only by engaging in work and talking about the work from inside the practice can one learn to be a competent practitioner. (p. 203)

Establishing communities of practice for teachers is a means of maintaining professional learning and development in a supportive and meaningful context that relates directly to the day-to-day work of teachers.

“to assume ownership of their knowledge, rather than reproducing the teacher's” (Jonassen, 1994).

The practical ways we identify for technology to be incorporated within classrooms highlight the importance of identifying clear purpose and rationale for its inclusion within learning experiences. Experiences that put technology into the hands of the students challenge the traditional roles of teachers and students and their associated relationships. It is the teacher's responsibility to ensure that technology experiences are closely associated with the rationale and purpose of an authentic learning experience. Each of these examples highlights the importance of the teacher and students having a clear rationale for completing the task, understanding of the real-life application of the task and appropriate support to complete the task. Technology affords students the opportunity to engage with tasks that could not be completed using traditional paper-based methods.