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Interestingly enough, schools often seem to discourage activities with these distributed forms of knowledge and resources, instead focusing on testing for what students have "inside their heads". However, I think it's just as important to recognize, evaluate, and help develop students' strategies for learning, collaborating, and accessing knowledge that they don't already possess, as this seems to be much more aligned with what we do as adults. I mean, I don't know all sorts of things, but I have pretty good strategies in place for finding them out.

experts and novices participate in the same areas and activities in affinity spaces. So, as I mentioned previously, novices aren't prevented from engaging in creative activities that they find interesting, even if these activities are challenging for them. And, through working in the same space as experts, novices are able to benefit from this exposure, by asking questions, collaborating, and by observing how experts go about certain tasks.

Never before has it been more possible for educators to put instruction front and center of learning space design (i.e. physical classrooms and virtual spaces) than now.

Never before has collaboration with students and peers and with the world been more possible than now. Yet we still educate with strict control of space. It seems ridiculous even to think of learning spaces as confined now that students can connect with the world and glean content from everywhere.

As educators, we don't want to focus on developing test takers and rote repeaters of information; we aim to develop individuals who can think for themselves, find new information, work with others toward a unified goal, and utilize all resources available to them in their endeavors.

1. Good Practice Encourages Contacts Between Students and Faculty

2. Good Practice Develops Reciprocity and Cooperation Among Students

3. Good Practice Uses Active Learning Techniques