Authentic Learning

Authentic Learning

Authentic learning is an approach in teaching and learning that can be used practically. The use of authentic tasks is to introduce the outside world or practical activities in the classroom. The learners get to interact socially with one another and be able to give their point of view based on the given tasks. In authentic tasks the learners can create and think critically.

Authentic tasks are used in a wide range of classroom settings, including mathematics, science, and history classrooms. Furthermore, an increasing number of instructional programs feature authentic tasks as a means to situate learning in real-world contexts (Blumenfeld, Marx, & Harris, 2006).

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Use of open-ended inquiry, thinking skills and metacognition.

Students engage in discourse and social learning in a community of learners.

Students direct their own learning in project work.

Characteristics of authentic learning

Authentic tasks motivates learning and learners are amused by real- world context in learning.

Motivation is important because it can lead to increased cognitive engagement and thereby enhance learning (Blumenfeld, Kempler, & Krajcik, 2006). For instance, authentic tasks often create compelling and relevant need-to-know situations for learning that heightens interest and motivates students to invest in their learning.

What makes authentic tasks useful in learning

Research projects Practical/ experiments Creating structures Case studies Comprehension to read & listen to then

answer questions( integrates with language) Demonstration

Examples of authentic tasks in Life Sciences.

Authentic assessments are "direct" measures of student performance, tasks are designed to incorporate the contexts, that students would use in real life. Traditional are seen as "indirect" measures, designed to "represent competence" by extracting knowledge and skills from their real-life contexts.

Tradition vs. authentic

Conducting authentic tasks

Use of Web technology in reducing water pollution in learning ( life sciences)

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Student collaborate in authentic tasks on how to reduce water pollution.

Learners will interact with one another in accomplishing authentic activities in social context.

Learners can be given an audio based on water pollution and given questions, where there are expected to critically answer questions or make a research project.

Learners share information online about the factors that pollute water.

Looking at the : What is water pollution. Factors that pollutes water. How can it be reduced conclusion

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To make things more constructive they must have a specific educational side where they can share information e.g. face book page or via e-mail.

Learners can submit their work on the educational side where the teacher can access all their work

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Authentic learning is very in important, learners can work practically and all engaging in that work. Authentic tasks introduce the real- world practices in the classroom. Authentic tasks are much better than traditional tasks, authentic tasks are practical whereas traditional tasks not practical( face- to face, question answering) and is also content based only.

CONCLUSION

ReferenceBlumenfeld, P. C., Marx, R. W. & Harris, C. J. (2006). Learning environments. New York: Cambridge University Press.

Blumenfeld, P. C., Kempler, T., & Krajcik, J. S. (2006). Motivation and cognitive engagement in learning environment. New York: Cambridge University Press.