If you had to choose one word (other than “education”) which best captures the essence of K-12 education, what would it be?
Perhaps you chose the word “teaching” which is, of course, the core focus of Brock’s concurrent teacher education program - i.e., how to be an effective teacher. But much more than ‘teaching’ happens in K-12 education. Indeed, as important as it is, one could argue that formal teaching is only one aspect of the student experience in elementary and secondary schools.
Perhaps you chose the word “learning.” The word “learning” acknowledges that a student’s physical, cognitive, emotional, and social development occurs even when a formal teacher is not present. For example, children learn social skills while playing outside with their peers during recess.
The concept of ’learning’ is central to the field of educational psychology. In the open access
Educational Psychology (
Online |
PDF) textbook we are drawing on in this section of the course, *learning* is defined as:
“relatively permanent changes in behaviour, skills, knowledge, or attitudes resulting from identifiable psychological or social experiences. A key feature is permanence: changes do not count as learning if they are temporary. You do not "learn" a phone number if you forget it the minute after you dial the number; you do not "learn" to eat vegetables if you only do it when forced. The change has to last. Notice, though, that learning can be physical, social, or emotional as well as cognitive.” (Seifert and Sutton, 2022, p. 27)
