District 41 is turning students into active learners

How do you learn best? Do you learn by listening? Do you learn through hands-on activities? Do you learn by seeing models or examples? Do you learn better when you have a personal connection to the learning? Do you learn from others around you? Do you learn better when it's an authentic or real-world issue? Do you learn by presenting your thinking to others?

I have had some parents, and even a few educators, say to me recently, "Our students need to learn the fundamentals. They need to learn to read, write and do math." And I always say, "Yes, yes, they do!" And, I add, "Students also need to learn to think independently, ask questions, explore, discover and be excited about learning. Learning should be a joyful experience."

These two approaches are not, and should not, be mutually exclusive of each other. Together, they create a more engaged education.

As an educator, I believe the purpose of education is to cultivate a love of learning where the learner owns his learning, seeks to create a deeper understanding of the concept or skill, and is able to apply learning to new situations.

To demonstrate a higher level of mastery, our learners need to be able to transfer their learning from one situation to another. Education must be broad and give our learners multiple perspectives, or lenses, with which to understand their world on a local and global level.

Education must give our students the fundamentals of reading, writing, math, science, art, physical education, history, etc., in learning environments that are authentic, engaging and where students think critically and creatively, solve problems and discover new ideas.

When I hear the word fundamentals, I connect the term to our state and national standards. The standards are adopted by the state of Illinois and they are the skills and concepts our students need to know, understand and be able to use. We have been teaching the fundamentals for years, and schools continue to teach the fundamentals.

The traditional American education system is predominantly a passive learning environment where students are the receivers of information. This works for some students; I believe it can be better for all students.

I am a strong believer that education should not be a passive activity. Our goal as educators is to make learning active, hands-on, thought provoking, challenging and joyful. I strongly believe those who are doing the reading, writing and talking are the thinkers and the learners.

More and more, education is focused on students engaged in solving a problem or engaged in a hands-on project. This gives students more opportunities to be active learners.

In our school district, to achieve a deeper, more engaged learning experience, we use problem-based learning as one approach to teach the fundamentals, or the standards. Problem-based learning aligns real world and exploration in the classroom.

While working to solve a problem, students read, write, use/learn math, and study science, etc. While being cognitively engaged in learning the necessary standards, they are learning in a more meaningful manner that will encourage the retention and transfer of knowledge.

This is just one example of how education today is very different than it was when I was in school, and when many of our students' parents were in school. Education has evolved. Education today requires our students to be cognitively engaged, actively connected and deeply invested in their learning. Our students are thriving in this new world of learning.

Glen Ellyn Elementary District 41 and Glenbard High School District 87 are teaming up to present a free public screening of the Sundance Festival-recognized film about education, "Most Likely to Succeed," at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 18, in the auditorium at Glenbard West High School, 670 Crescent Blvd., Glen Ellyn.

I encourage anyone interested in learning about how education has changed over time, and how education continues to change to support student success, to join us for this viewing. Through this type of more engaged education, kids are already making a difference in the world.

Great schools matter.

• Dr. Paul Gordon is superintendent of Glen Ellyn Elementary District 41. His column appears monthly during the school year.