As resources provided by the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UoIT) were examined it became evident that teaching is different from how it was in prior years. The teacher can no longer be focused on just providing information to the students, and not expanding on it. This former style of teaching, known as the “black box”, was too strict on how teachers were expecting students to succeed in school. It’s main focus was based around having the teachers only distributing facts and information to the students, with the expectation that only the “knowledgeable and competent” would pass (Black and Wiliam, 1998). The “black box” method of teaching had been abandoned because it was no longer a valid means of educating the students. A new system was required to provide students with the knowledge and skills needed to pass school and become contributing members of society.

 

With this change in teaching the concept of understanding the mind has become a more important component for education. Scientific work had undergone the process of researching the brain and mind in order to learn more about people’s ability to think and learn, while looking at their “development of competence” (National Research Council, 2000). This led to the realization that teaching students had to be done in a way that explored their ability to learn and think. This, in turn, meant opportunities in which students could be motivated and engaged in their learning experience.

 

Through reading these sources it became noticeable how there was also the need to address levels of mental stress that students may experience. In the past students were only taught “facts” and felt that only grades and the “right answer” would guarantee success. The problem behind this thinking was that students dedicated time and energy towards finding the “right answer” (Black and Wiliam, 1998). This discouraged students and gave them a fear of providing only the “wrong results”, which resulted in them seeing their inability to learn as a “defect in themselves” (Black and Wiliam, 1998). In fact, Sir Ken Robinson argues that this obsession with the “right answer” is the same as anaesthetising students to make them learn (Robinson). This resulted in students suffering from mental stress, which did not help them prepare for a post-educational environment. Students cannot learn in an environment that reinforces mental stress, but rather need to be taught in a way that allows them participate in school without personal fears.

 

The goal of this section is to provide ideas of challenging the students to what they have learned through critical thinking, while providing them the chance to exercise what they have learned through activities provided in this guide.