My learning occurs on two scales: moment by moment and spanning a whole lifetime. It is both an active pursuit which merits nurturing a personal learning network and an area of interest which I delight in studying. But I am neither typical, nor at school (as a student), nor a teenager. Other adults have their own perspective, learning professionals another and academics a different one again. But how do young people of school age see things? This study sought to explore what their perceptions are, using a camera to capture moments of learning to stimulate reflection and discussion.
Young people at school see learning as inextricably linked with that institution; it is where they go to experience learning. Yes it might take place elsewhere, but is still invariably linked with school, or if not, is of less significance. They perhaps understandably find it difficult to describe learning in abstract terms so define it by association; by linking it with other more concrete, tangible activities. Learning may indeed have pervaded our everyday lives from the moment of birth, but less so for school students, for them it is tied to places and spaces, neatly arranged into the silos of curriculum subjects. They are discerning individuals, valuing some aspects of their studies over others, some factors which affect their learning more than others. Exam success is important and the teacher is central in steering their learning to help them achieve that, family and friends being relegated to supporting players, at least in this realm.
Did the cameras really capture all that? Well yes and no. The bank of images perhaps lacked the depth or breadth to provide rich detail, but what it did do was serve as a catalyst and seed respondents' reflections. The outcomes may not have met initial aspirations, but that was largely due to perhaps unrealistic expectations from a study of this scale. And perhaps we and the students are still developing our media literacy to help us get more from captured moments.
The door of exploring student perceptions of learning has only been pulled ajar.