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The following quotes from Frankenstein, attributed to Dr. Frankenstein himself as he contemplates his future endeavors, expresses the continuum of learning cited by Ekoko, and underscores Frankenstein’s own relentless drive for learning and “outside the box” thinking:
“So much has been done, exclaimed the soul of Frankenstein–more, far more, will I achieve; treading in the steps already marked, I will pioneer a new way, explore unknown powers, and unfold to the world the deepest mysteries of creation.” (Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, 3.14)
“In other studies, you go as far as others have gone before you, and there is nothing more to know; but in a scientific pursuit there is continual food for discovery and wonder.” (Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, 4.2)
Victor Frankenstein is setting his own agenda for his own learning. He has gone as far as others have led him, not he strikes out on his own. In the next section, I will discuss what our classrooms may become when humans are allowed to progress on the continuum of learning that may bring about the next phase of human evolution.
Ekoko’s continuum of learning is further illustrated and underscore the following quotes made by Victor Frankenstein regarding his relentless drive for discovery using “outside the box” thinking:
“So much has been done, exclaimed the soul of Frankenstein–more, far more, will I achieve; treading in the steps already marked, I will pioneer a new way, explore unknown powers, and unfold to the world the deepest mysteries of creation.”
“In other studies, you go as far as others have gone before you, and there is nothing more to know; but in a scientific pursuit there is continual food for discovery and wonder.”
The Continuum of Learning can represented by the following chart, created by Marc Rosenberg. Basically, a student will progress through various stages of development, or learning, before acquiring mastery of a particular task, or in a specific content area. The end result is the learner having a greater, or even exclusive, determination of what and how they will learn in the future. The ultimate objective therefore is to learn beyond what is known already and create new knowledge.
Like Victor Frankenstein, students should have a hand in setting their own agenda for learning. Students will go as far as instructors can lead them, thus prompting new discoveries on their own. Though the ultimate result of Frankenstein’s quest was complete failure, it can be argued that the failure was the result of human frailty; the technological advances Frankenstein achieved however were, in fact, successful. Based upon this premise, students should be allowed to direct their own learning to a greater extent, and not fear the end result may be different than what had been initially planned.
Students also need to be taught how to use data they collect to make intelligent predictions on outcomes of learning. Makri et al (2014), in their studies, found that serendipity, or