Applied academics is an approach to learning and teaching that focuses on how academic subjects (

communications Communication (from la, communicare, meaning "to share" or "to be in relation with") is usually defined as the transmission of information. The term may also refer to the message communicated through such transmissions or the field of inquir ...

mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...

science Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...

, and basic

literacy Literacy in its broadest sense describes "particular ways of thinking about and doing reading and writing" with the purpose of understanding or expressing thoughts or ideas in written form in some specific context of use. In other words, huma ...

) can apply to the real world. Further, applied academics can be viewed as theoretical knowledge supporting practical applications.

Definition

Applied Academics is an approach to learning which focuses on motivating and challenging students to connect what they learn with the world they experience and with what interests them. The basic premise is that if academic content is made more relevant, participatory and concrete, students learn better, retain more and apply learning in their lives. Teaching in this model uses hands-on innovative

teaching methods A teaching method comprises the principles and methods used by teachers to enable student learning. These strategies are determined partly on subject matter to be taught and partly by the nature of the learner. For a particular teaching method ...

sometimes called

contextual learning Contextual learning is based on a constructivist theory of teaching and learning. Learning takes place when teachers are able to present information in such a way that students are able to construct meaning based on their own experiences. Contextu ...

. Teachers help students understand the reasons for studying their subject matter and capitalize on students' natural learning inclinations and problem-solving approaches they can use well beyond the classroom throughout their lives. Applied Academics is an attempt to break from disconnected learning (where students go to different classes for different subjects for specified periods of time and don't gain a sense of the interconnectedness of

learning Learning is the process of acquiring new understanding, knowledge, behaviors, skills, value (personal and cultural), values, attitudes, and preferences. The ability to learn is possessed by humans, animals, and some machine learning, machines ...

) that has become a part of traditional approaches to education. This approach attempts to reintegrate learning by doing such things (for example) as teaching

math Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...

writing Writing is a medium of human communication which involves the representation of a language through a system of physically Epigraphy, inscribed, Printing press, mechanically transferred, or Word processor, digitally represented Symbols (semiot ...

, or speech within other contexts such as a learning experience dealing with some form of technology training.

Research in cognitive science

Research Research is "creativity, creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge". It involves the collection, organization and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular att ...

in cognitive science has shown that learners are not passive receptacles into which knowledge may be "poured". Learning occurs when the learner constructs, invents, and solves problems. Studies have shown that students taught theoretical principles, processes and skills in isolation without practice do not transfer these skills and knowledge as well to real life situations. Although "learning to know," "learning to do," and their "application" are often separated, there is no effective learning or understanding of one kind without the other two.

Relating to the SCANS Competencies

In the United States the Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) states that "good jobs require people who can put knowledge to work", and listed the

knowledge Knowledge can be defined as awareness of facts or as practical skills, and may also refer to familiarity with objects or situations. Knowledge of facts, also called propositional knowledge, is often defined as true belief that is distinc ...

(

academics An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, ...

) that it considered critical for all students to possess. These competencies include: * Knowing how to effectively allocate time, money, materials, space, and staff * The ability to work on a team, teach, serve customers, lead, negotiate and work with people from culturally diverse backgrounds * Understanding how to effectively acquire, evaluate, and use data * Understanding and ability to design and improve social, organizational, and technological systems * The ability to effectively use technology

Relating to action research

The concept of

action research Action research is a philosophy and methodology of research generally applied in the social sciences. It seeks transformative change through the simultaneous process of taking action and doing research, which are linked together by critical refle ...

is related to Applied Academics, as one tenet of action research is to discover theory through practice, and then implement using the foundation of theory.

References

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External links

* Teaching with Applied Academics
Applied Academics Homepage from the British Columbia Ministry of Education

* Wikiversity: Action research Vocational education Academia