Owls are symbols of intelligence but the purported reasons are based on the appearance of awareness and the deft hunting skills. It is claimed that the appearance and skill sets are confused with actual wisdom.
I find a parallel between the perceived wisdom of the owls and the perceived learning of students. Through my years in education I have seen teachers praised for their student centered activities. The students may be energetic and on task by an activity which is often considered a touchstone for learning. What is often missing is independent assessment to determine actual learning.
Once I was covering a class for a teacher widely praised for his activities and multimedia activities. In the class I covered the students were taking a test. It was clear that the majority of the students were hesitant about their performance. Several were looking around, one pulled out a phone and a couple looked at other people’s paper. Very few were locked in on completing their test.
I am not suggesting that multimedia or student centered activities are ineffective. My point is that there is a perception that such activities are inherently effective and reflective of actual learning. There is a difference between being intellectually engaged and being busy. The owl deftly executes action and skill but that does not indicate higher level functioning. Conceptual understanding requires more than simply being engaged by activity. Hopefully this is food for thought.