What is the contextual learning ????
The Contextual Learning is reality-based, outside-of-the-classroom experience, within a specific context which serves as a catalyst for students to utilize their disciplinary knowledge, and which presents a forum for further formation of their personal values, faith, and professional development. Beyond the challenge of direct, meaningful experience, contextual learning requires reflection to build lasting cognitive connections.
These are some ideas about Contextual Learning.
Contextual learning: occurs in close relationship with actual experience, allowing students to test academic theories through real world applications. Contextual teaching and learning strategies:
- emphasize problem-solving;
- recognize the need for teaching and learning to occur in a variety of contexts such as
home, community, and work sites;
- teach students to monitor and direct their own learning so they become self-regulated
learners;
- anchor teaching in students diverse life-contexts;
- encourage students to learn from each other and together; and employ authentic
assessment.
Research shows that not all people learn best abstractly. In fact, most people learn best through informal, contextual experiences (Caine and Caine, 1991, Gardner, 1983, Kolb, 1984). Therefore, accommodating the learning styles of all learners requires the use of a variety of learning strategies, multiple ways of organizing curriculum content, and diverse contexts for learning-opportunities.
Contextual learning requires coordination between academic and technical skill standards.
Educators, policymakers, and employers have emphasized the value of creating stronger connections between academic and vocational education for several years. As an example, the Alaska State Board of Education in conjunction with educators, employers and the state department of education, created employability content standards that work in tandem with the state's academic content standards.
So, what do you all think ? Can these Contextual being apply in teaching physics? Is it relevan?