Maria Mentkowski (2000)
Today’s colleges and universities face increasing pressure to develop programs and curricula that will teach students how to handle life’s unexpected challenges and events. For educators and policymakers, this urgency will only grow as new global trends emerge and social expectations change. This timely book explores what it means for learners to transform themselves and for educators to foster essential skills for learning, leading, teamwork, and adapting with integrity in college and beyond.
The authors begin by defining “learning that lasts” as the successful integration of learning, development, and performance. Drawing on two decades of longitudinal studies of student learning in the highly acclaimed curriculum at Alverno College and on leading educational theories, Marcia Mentkowski and her associates set forth a theory of deep and durable learning that includes practical strategies for enabling a wide range of students to cultivate integrative and expansive capabilities across a lifetime. They present concrete suggestions on the ways that faculty and academic staff can work together to forge effective curricula, design innovative programs, implement key institutional goals, and renegotiate the college culture. They analyze compelling research results, collaborative inquiry by consortia of institutions, and twenty-five years of experience to illuminate what educators and administrators must achieve so that increasingly varied learners can realize their goals and potential.
Learning That Lasts intertwines educational theory, practice, and research by demonstrating how learning frameworks can shape curricula, teaching strategy, and assessment. It presents core curriculum principles for practice and it also systematically tests assumptions about student learning, development, and performance. This landmark volume provides a detailed blueprint for understanding and promoting purposeful, responsible contribution to work, personal, and civic life.