"True" Learning

​"True" learning.

What does that mean?
 
To each person, it may mean something a little different. But to me, true learning means…

Authentic experiences
Deeper connections to the objective
Real world application
Learning that happens over time
Deeper learning
Lifelong learning 

True learning isn’t something that happens in a 20-25 minute period. It doesn’t begin with a lecture and end with a worksheet.
 
This kind of learning happens spontaneously, it happens when it’s preplanned, it has no time limit, learning happens continuously....

Get the picture?
 
There is a difference between trying to cram in material and allowing kids time to think about a topic and brainstorm what they think it means. I’ve been thinking a lot about how I learned math. Topics were thrown at us, notes were taken and then we were given assignments to practice what we had learned. However, I only completed those assignments to get a grade. I only completed them because I needed those grades to help my overall grade. That was not “true” learning....and it still isn't to this day.
 
When I think about how I want my kids to learn math, I think about reflection time for them. I think about time for them to practice through games and a limited number of math problems. And video tapping. Video tapping explaining answers is so deeply embedded into our classroom culture that they think nothing of videotaping an explanation of how they solved the equation.
 
At this point in my career, that is where the “true” learning happens. 

​What does "true" learning look like to you?