Authentic Learning - By Jason Pinsker

Authentic Learning - Profile by Jason Pinsker

If ever a student complained about how a certain lesson was never going to be needed in the real world, they weren't talking about Authentic Learning. Authentic Learning refers to a type of instruction that takes into account the applicability of a given topic outside the classroom, specifically the professional workplace. According to Tiffany Mara ("Authentic Learning," n.d.), "Authentic learning says that...we should learn what happens in the "real world", and become "cognitive apprentices" to the experts" (p. 1, para. 3).


General Characteristics:

Authentic Learning involves students taking on the role of a non-student in order to learn how to apply knowledge to real-word scenarios. "Authentic activities focus on active learning in real-world contexts, and typically involve production, rather than activities that are abstract and remote from practice" (Harasim, 2012, p.69). The goal of authentic learning is not to have students make-believe, but to develop the skills and cognitive processes for solving problems in an authentic environment.

The idea of Authentic Learning has been embraced by many educators and institutions. A brief video of a group of educators discusses their take on Authentic Learning:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNP7hv0d0Rk


Technology and Authentic Learning:

There is a major connection between technology and authentic learning. Technology is used by both students and professionals, and act as authentic experience without involving travel. Technology such as the Internet, allows people to access and interact with elements around the world authentically, albeit remotely. Mara (n.d.) notes that, "computers are best utilized as supplements to good learning environments and provide tools that normally would not be available to students." (p. 4, para. 5). With the influx of technology in our daily lives, both students and professionals often have access to the same type of tools (word processing, the Internet, professional graphics software, etc.). The very use of these tools in a way consistent with a given professional industry, is a true authentic learning event.



Family Tree:

Authentic Learning falls within the Constructivism/Interpretivism school largely because it relates to the individuals' learning experiences. Where Behaviorism is concerned with stimulus and response in terms of learning, Cognitivism is concerned with. "what comes between stimulus and response, seeking to understand the processes of the mind..." (Harasim, 2012, p.47). Authentic Learning falls within the Constructivism/Intrepretivism school because it allows the learner to interact with the actual challenges that face individuals in the world. "Learning activities should be authentic and should center around the problematic or puzzlement as perceived by the learner" ("Instructional Design Knowledge Base," 2014).


Practical Examples:

The beauty of Authentic Learning is that it is utilized by teachers unknowingly. Every time an activity uses knowledge to solve a task based in reality, it is considered authentic. For example, a science experiment where a genuine hypothesis is acted upon, is authentic (as opposed to working out a hypothetical science experiment as an excise in a textbook, for example).

Example 1: Biology laboratory experiment. This high school lab experiment introduces students to the scientific method and has them participate in an experiment that is applicable to the real world. Students test glow sticks that are designed to be used as fishing lures. They test the sticks' performance in different water temperatures and have to carefully log their results. This activity is authentic because it involves testing an actual product just as scientists would prior to it being marketed. http://jfmueller.faculty.noctrl.edu/toolbox/examples/osterberg00/lightsticklab.htmPromotional videos for campus

Example 2: Promotional School Video. This assignment would be designed for a secondary video production class. It would involve students helping to create a promotional advertisement for their school. Students would select an aspect of school life and create a video based on it that features flattering imagery, interviews, and editing. This activity would be authentic because students would be producing a video in the same manner than a professional advertising agency might, and the finished products could ideally be used to promote the school's programs. An example of promotional school videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMxHwPdCir0


References:

Mara, T. (n.d.). Authentic learning. Retrieved from: http://www-personal.umich.edu/~tmarra/authenticity/authen.html.

Harasim, L. (2012). Learning Theory and Online Technologies. New York: Routledge.

Collaborative for Teaching and Learning (2013, Sept. 6). What is Authentic Learning? [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNP7hv0d0Rk

Instructional Design Knowledge Base. (2002-2014). Goals of Instruction: Constructivism/Interpretivism. Retrieved from: http://cehdclass.gmu.edu/ndabbagh/Resources/IDKB/models_theories.htm#theories

Mueller, J. (2010). Light Stick Lab (Formal Lab Report). Retrieved from: http://jfmueller.faculty.noctrl.edu/toolbox/examples/osterberg00/lightsticklab.htm

Affixxius (2012, Jan. 11). Promotional Video Showreel - Affixxius Education [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMxHwPdCir0