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Making Learning Whole

David Perkins, a noted authority on teaching and learning and co-director of Harvard's Project Zero, introduces a practical and research-based framework for teaching. He describes how teaching any subject at any level can be made more effective if students are introduced to the "whole game," rather than isolated pieces of a discipline. Perkins explains how learning academic subjects should be approached like learning baseball or any game, and he demonstrates this with seven principles for making learning whole: from making the game worth playing (emphasizing the importance of motivation to sustained learning), to working on the hard parts (the importance of thoughtful practice), to learning how to learn (developing self-managed learners).

He also discusses the idea of elementitis, which in other work he extends to the idea of 'niche' learning instead of focusing on 'life-worthy' learning.

He also referenced the idea of intrinsic benefits and the links to learning.


"striving for EXCELLENCE by ENGAGING minds, EXCITING learners, acting ETHICALLY and showing EMPATHY"

© 2014 by Ian Piper and Adam Sawyer.  All rights reserved.

Proudly created with the staff of Danube International School Vienna and with feedback from the international school community

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Our goal in publishing our GL model is to influence the discussion regarding what is a good school to the core idea of learning.  We give permission for individuals and educational institutions to use the information found on this website for non-commerical research and educational use only, provided that the source is and authors are clearly cited.  We do not give permission for the ideas and content created on this website to be used for commercial purposes.

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