The Importance Of Unlearning

1545 Words4 Pages

In this generation, it is not enough to be a “good student”. Nobody even knows what exactly that entails anymore. There are so many different ways of accomplishing the same grade so no single person can claim that their method is better than someone else's. While the means of achieving good grades can vary, the motive and drive behind it is the same. The acknowledgement of one's shortcomings and having the confidence to fix them them is an educational phenomenon known as unlearning. Unlearning, as described by Cathy Davidson, “requires that you take inventory of your changed situation” and “that you take inventory of your current repertoire of skills” so that you may have the confidence to learn something new (Davidson 67). It is a very …show more content…

It has taken education away from standardized curriculums and testing and more towards confidence in personal achievement and ability. When students “think of learning as something external..learning becomes a levy--an assessment, not an asset. The assessment no longer matters after schooling stops. The asset is a resource one draws on for a lifetime”(68). This is such powerful lesson because it explains how even though a student might cram and memorize information for a test simply to pass it, actually learning the information and making it an asset will allow them to keep the skills they’ve learned well into their future. The most important part of unlearning is mastering “the inestimable skill of responding to a challenge”(68). By learning how to deal with challenges in life, students will gain a determined personality and a strong character that will allow them not to give up easily, or at all, in the face of …show more content…

It will lead to a classroom where technology, like the Duke “iPod”, will be an integral part of everyday learning and essential for the classroom to function regularly(48). Teachers will be able to use computers for in class assignments, tests, and interactive programs that will be automatically graded through the system. Not only would students benefit from practicing their technologically savvy attitudes in the classroom, but teachers would also save some time and effort. Furthermore, assignments will become significantly harder because teachers will acknowledge that students are going to have access to an enormous amount of answers, informations, and resources online. Teachers will adjust the difficulty of all assignments due to the students’ abilities to simplify the work. Students will also be able to find relevance, even in the information they are particularly interested in. For example, a student who is confused or uninterested in microbiology could simply search for a crash course video on Youtube that would completely simplify the topic, and also add animations and jokes to make the topic more interesting. This would certainly change the attitude of students towards new topics because they would be able to find a silver lining of relevance even in topics they are not super interested in,

Open Document