Learning Opportunities

For this week's reading, I really was drawn in by chapter 3 of Kuma which was maximizing learning opportunities.  I found myself completely agreeing with a lot of what Kuma had wrote.  I do believe that it is both the teacher and the learner's responsibility to create learning opportunities.  Teachers need to be able to create an open atmosphere in their classroom and promote communication.  One of the things I found most important was the difference between display and referential questioning.  I personally have come across teachers who have used both, and I always got more out of the classes where teachers used referential questioning.  It is important that there be open ended questions and that they can lead to other discussions.  It also is important for teachers to allow their class to discuss other topics that they may have not planned for because, like Kuma mentioned, it could be an opportunity for the students to learn something they don't know.  One shouldn't just shut down a topic or discussion when it is an opportunity to learn something new.

Another aspect that one needs to keep in mind is that learning is also on the student.  A teacher can do a lot to create opportunities, but if a student does not have any learner investment or put forth any effort the opportunities may not be taken advantage of.  A teacher can only do so much, and it is also up to the student to participate and be an active member of the class in order to get something out of it.  I have observed classes where some students just simple do not care and do not want to learn, and it is very difficult to get them to.  If a student simply shuts down and doesn't want to have learning opportunities, a teacher can not force it upon them.  Teachers can only go so far in helping create learning opportunities and it is good to remember that it is a two way street with the teacher and learner.

Lastly, I also agree it is always good to connect with the classroom community, campus community, local community, and global community in order to create more learning opportunities.  I feel that all this information really applies to not only language learners, but to all learners.  Many opportunities can be made from using multiple perspectives.  Kuma does a great job of providing microstrategies for the learning opportunities that exist in all different types of communities.  Overall, I felt that Kuma did a great job in this chapter emphasizing the importance of learning opportunities and how they can be created and utilized.  This chapter especially spoke to me because it not only applied to language learners, but to all learners.  It also helped me reinforce some of the beliefs I had on learning opportunities.