"REAL" learning as told by Wesch

From the very beginning of his talk, Dr. Michael Wesch makes the statement that traditional classrooms are strange due to their set-up. According to Wesch, the unspoken message the traditional college classroom layout sends to students about learning is that “learning is all about dumping information into people’s heads” (TEDx Talks, 2016, Kansas State University). Contrary to his classroom set-up, Wesch believes that learning is an active process that is driven by an individual's interests. Like Boyd (2014), Wesch points to his experience with his students (or youth) to demonstrate his beliefs about what students are capable of as well as what they require in order to be successful in his classroom. Based on Wesch’s time with students, he has come to identify three important questions that guide student’s thinking and actions: 

Who am I?

What am I going to do?

Am I going to make it?

Realizing that his students were most concerned about their identity and livelihoods, Wesch began to reconsider how he could revamp his classroom so that learning was meaningful to the students in front of him (rather than about obtaining a perfect score on an assignment or fulfilling a page requirement). Getting to this place required Wesch to get to know his students and apply what he would learn about them to his teaching practice so that he could adapt his instruction to meet the strengths and needs of his students, thus demonstrating his belief that learning can be accessible to all so long as one is willing to make it so. Although Wesch is vague in describing the actual steps he has taken as a professor to adapt his instruction, he does assert that he modified his instruction by incorporating scaffolds throughout his courses to support the academic as well as socio-emotional development of his students.

Additionally, although he does not use this language directly, I would argue that he also modifies his instruction by incorporating a growth mindset philosophy with learning. Specifically, he states that with his new grading model “the rule is there’s never an end to this [meaning learning]. You don’t just get an ‘F’ and you’re out. Instead you get a ‘Not yet’ and some feedback” (TEDx Talks, 2016, Kansas State University). I also argue that his view on learning has shifted to a community-based effort rather than an individualistic act–in his modified classroom, his students are encouraged (and expected) to help one another to learn the material in a way that makes sense and is meaningful for them.

Through this shift in mindset and actions, Wesch reveals that “real” learning is dynamic, ongoing, and collaborative. Real learning is NOT memorizing facts or getting the highest grade in the class but rather is an active pursuit that is driven by one’s interests, strengths, and needs. Like Robinson (2013), Wesch asserts that learning is more than obtaining high scores but rather is a pursuit of identifying one’s purpose. In order to support students’ ability to identify and define themselves and their life’s purpose, educators must create opportunities for students to genuinely connect with and be curious about the content being taught in a space that welcomes risk-taking and creativity.