Lot of research has been going in the field of education, particularly on Training and pedagogy. The thrust of research, in this area has been on how to make learning an exciting activity. Learning, even if accelerated by new methods and research, is a time taking process. Children are comparatively quick to find new learning fun-as their practicing and faltering-find favourable appreciation by their parents and other peers.
The book-The 3 Rs of Teaching and Learning, presents new concepts to further the efforts in understanding the process of learning. Surprisingly, in a very precise manner, Jamie Bricker, has made it a powerful capsule of only 66 pages to explain his new model. And, this has been done by including colorful sketches. The author has started with the problem, without including a customary Foreword, or recommendations. In my opinion, this itself should be good exercise for the reader, keeping in the new concepts of training and learning.
The original concept of 3 Rs in education, for teaching and learning rested on; R(Reading); R(Writing ); and R(Arithmetic) have long been stressed for education, from the scratch. Although, these concept give a very wide scope to educate a child as he/she grows up in life, but the emphasis on learning by rote, had placed all the stress on Memory-to retain and test his/her learning. This has resulted in seriously undermining a student's Learning. With the explosion of information, in the age of internet, this methodology is hardly of much use. The author very tacitly, introduces a new, 4th R, to define as Reinvestment. To address the issue of 'Learn to Unlearn and Relearn'-to continue the life long learning process.
The traditional training process has been compared to the model of Bird Feeder for any subject. A student's brain is suppose to collect the teachings in such Bird Feeders, only to release them, through holes when completing assignments or answering in examination or tests. This required memory to do the job. Each subject required separate feeder, and their was hardly any linkages within the different subjects taught, to gain understanding. Even such linkages were wanting in the same subjects-as a student graduated from lower to higher class. Overall, the success of teaching, to demonstrate learning rested most on the capacity to reproduce from Memory.
To address these limitations, the author has come up with the 3 New Rs to identify: first R for Richness; second R for Relevance; and third R for Return on Investment, for better training and learning.
The book then elaborates on the new Rs so defined, using a model of an Hour Glass, with a filter in the middle of the two halves of the Hour Glass.
The issues addressed in the new Rs can be expected to answer questions as under.
1. Richness (Upper half of hour glass)
Are the tasks given to students enriching, by providing Depth and Breadth, enough to go over those required by 'Curriculum' prescribed?
Are the tasks focus on 'Why's and 'How's, while the students reach solutions, and also during class discussion, to improve their thinking process?
Are the tasks have complexity, to work out by most students-rather than made unnecessarily difficult for only few students to attempt?
2. Relevance (Middle half of hour glass)
As the students learn, they develop a schema of their own. This helps to regulate their learning. The new task received by the students then go through, 'Learner's Lens' to determine if the tasks can motivate them. Do the teachers realise this fact?
The teachers design the tasks, using their 'Teacher's Lens', in a bid to usefully engage students. Through the process of 'Feedback', from the students, the relevance of tasks can be improved. Do the teachers employ this process of feedback?
As a result, do the tasks then engage students more effectively?
3. Return On Investment (Lower Half of Hour Glass)
As financial investments require, Return on Investment, so are the concepts relevant for the educational platforms.
To what extent the students will be able to utilise the learning in Problem Solving with the work tasks they face in real life?
Do the students get required freedom for Creativity in the learning environment?
Are opportunities created for students to share their results with other students for creating further enthusiasm to lean?
The idea is to evolve a process of 'How to Learn', not be rote, but, by trying and reflecting on mistakes made along the way, and to arrive at improved results. Experience of Google employees have also been discussed.
4. Reinvestment (Inverted Hour Glass)
A new R, not in the book title, has been lastly defined as Reinvestment in the Education process, for life long learning. The idea is to further refine the learning by utilising the Return of Investment made on earlier training and education. Students may have to unlearn and relearn new skills to continue their relevance in the new age of ever expanding knowledge. This process of nutrition can be modelled by reversing the Hour Glass Model, proposed in the book.
Lastly, the book compares the ten aspects of 'Traditional Methods' against the improvements in the new model.
The book is specially recommended to All teachers-at any level. All are teachers, at some point in their life, so every one has lot to learn from the book.