Reflections on the COVA eBook

I found Harapnuik’s retelling of his personal experiences in school as a student with learning differences both interesting and valuable. His statement about not being suited for school but suited for learning is a valuable statement. (Harapnuik & Thibodeaux, 2023) Not everyone learns in the same way and not all students are suited for the traditional classroom. His own experiences in school support the need for CSLE+COVA -where teachers create significant learning experiences for students by giving them choice, ownership, and voice in an authentic learning experience.

As a mother of two ADD children, I can also attest to the fact that sitting in a traditional classroom was difficult for both my children unless they were medicated. Both my children fought to stay off medication but ultimately, their school success depended on it. It’s sad to think that intelligent children have to be molded to fit the traditional classroom rather than the education being molded to the individual. Both my children are grown now and successfully navigated the traditional classroom settings but I have to wonder how much better of an experience they would have had in school if they had been immersed in a CSLE+COVA environment. Both my children are self-directed learners. Both graduated from university. One is a nurse and the other is an aspiring writer. At any given time, my children are researching and learning about topics that interest them. They share information with anyone who will listen, usually me.

Harapuik points out that the notion of the “average man” which at one time was necessary to solve the challenges of the Industrial age, is no longer valid in the digital information age. (Harapnuik & Thibodeaux, 2023) An “average man” is the same as everyone else and does not lend itself to the outlier who is an independent thinker. In the digital age we now live in, independent thinking, self-directed learning, an individualistic approach is what is needed now in education simply to keep up with the quickly evolving technological world we live in.

References:

Harapnuik, D., & Thibodeaux, T. (2023). COVA: Inspire learning through choice, ownership, voice, and authentic experiences (2nd ed.). Learner’s Mindset Publishing.