tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5337360001060332600.post3069852614335433121..comments2023-07-25T08:26:50.096-06:00Comments on Learning at Westminster: when do you reinvent the wheel?garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05362826471852969332noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5337360001060332600.post-27857897806622513582009-12-09T08:36:05.305-07:002009-12-09T08:36:05.305-07:00Continual reinvention seems like an important part...Continual reinvention seems like an important part of good teaching, largely because the learner and their context for learning are always changing. So, I agree that reinventing the wheel isn't inefficient; instead it's necessary in order to revitalize the teaching and learning effort.<br /><br />That's not to say that borrowing a tool, approach, etc. from someone or some place else is a bad thing. But, generally if an educator has found success with a particular "wheel" it is not necessarily due to any inherent characteristic of the "wheel." Instead, the success came because that person was thoughtful and intentional in their approach to teaching and found a "wheel" that met their objectives or philosophy. <br /><br />So, the danger in wheel-borrowing w/out reinvention is that we don't go through the process of considering what we want to have happen in the learning environment and how to get there. A wheel is not a magic bullet.<br /><br />This is the problem I see w/ the orientation and first-year conferences I attend. Everyone is anxious to present on or find the "magic bullet" for their campus and little thought is given to the reflective process inherent in good learning. So, people leave the conferences excited about their new "program" or "tool," but six months later they are disappointed when it hasn't magically produced results.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14991593461200755444noreply@blogger.com