Jenny Mackness

Hi Phillip - many thanks for all these ideas. I am interested that you mention studies in neuroplasticity. Do you have any more information about this you could share?

Thanks Deidre for explaining where you think emergent learning fits into relation to medical situations. I like the idea of emergent experiences and I'm now wondering how they differ from emergent learning. Stil thinking..... :-)

Wow - this is quite a forum thread - such a lot to think about and digest. Thank you Peter and Tony for your thoughful responses to the questions I posted, which seem to not only align with each other but also to the posts of others.

I think the key points that have come out of all these responses for me are:

- we should honour all learning, not only what can be assessed,

- capture - is probably the wrong word to use in relation to emergent learning.

- assessment that is aligned with emergent learning will probably need to focus on self-assessment and reflection

- and finally - a thought that has come through this for me - and which has cropped up before from time to time - is - does the act of 'measuring/assessing' destroy what it is trying to 'measure/assess'?

So, by considering whether to assess emergent learning, are we in danger of destroying possibilities for emergent learning? Is this what you were getting at Peter when you asked why we should assess emergent learning?

And if we don't try to assess it - how can we ensure, in our current educational climate - that it is valued and encouraged? I think some of the answers are in the posts already made, but I am just marking this question.

Goodness Deidre - homeschooling and working full time - that's quite something! I can see why the school system didn't work for your daughter. She must have been far too much of her own person for them to cope with - but paradoxically this is what we want from education, isn't it?

Hi Sylvia - I have to say that my immediate reponse is that I'm not sure what you are trying to get at. If I wanted to be pedantic, I could question what 'it' means in this context. So - what do I think about when I read this phrase? I am confused. But this is not necessarily a bad thing and maybe what you want?