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We are witnessing a virtual explosion in knowledge about human learning. Ted Marchese, American Association of Higher Education The more we discover about how the mind works and how students learn, the more disparity between what we say and what we do. Robert Barr and John Tagg, "From Teaching to Learning," 1995 Academic freedom is based on two interlocking principles: 1) that colleges and universities serve the common good through learning, teaching, research and scholarship and, 2) that fulfillment of this function necessarily rests upon the preservation of the intellectual freedoms of teaching, expression, research and debate. American Association of University Professors |
Central to a substantive dialogue about learning is a shared understanding of what the term "learning" actually means. In most colleges and universities, limited discussion and reflective time is spent on systematically and continuously developing a collective understanding of learning -- the process at the core of our profession. The Maricopa Community College District is no exception. The general scarcity (exceptions are acknowledged) or truncated nature of dialogue about learning suggests the existence of at least three overarching organizational assumptions:
However, many of the responses to the Maricopa Roundtable Policy Perspectives paper received after the October 1996 Instructional Council Meeting question or contradict the above assumptions on an individual level. Some faculty respondents state that we must have "more dialogue about learning and its elements," and "more opportunities to learn about learning." Others recognize the "new complexity of learning" and the "accelerating tension between traditional and emerging teaching strategies and techniques." Faculty comment also identifies the "changing demographics of students being served" and the "increasing diversity of entry level skills of students enrolling in MCCD" as key elements that impact the teaching/learning relationship. Even more enlightening, however, are the large number of responses that state fundamental disagreement with some of the central elements of the Maricopa Roundtable Policy Perspectives. The notion of the learner as "customer," the dichotomy between the "desired and traditional paradigm," the "vocationalization" of education, and the tension between the "prescriptive nature of the document and academic freedom" each triggered negative responses and therefore signal opportunities for dialogue and learning. Perhaps most revealing are the number of responses indicating that the transition to the "desired paradigm" advocated in the document is "in process or has already taken place." As such, many view the paper's call for change as an indication of "communication problems" and as evidence of a "disconnect." |