“Entered Apprentice: A Luddite “factory” for undergraduate learning in Computer Animation.” by Hill

Apprentice learning is based on the belief that people learn by doing and by making mistakes. They learn in close, intimate contact with teachers who guide them and show them rather than tell them. Humans may learn in a variety of ways, but inherently they learn by doing, or more specifically, by failing, by trial and error, by making mistakes and correcting them. This is most apparent by watching a young child play a video game. Without fear, without direction, they jump in, not concerned with how often they fail, but focused only on reaching the goal of victory. They never complain of the need to repeat over and over the tasks necessary to gain their skills. They never allow bystanders and onlookers to deter their commitment. They focus on the game. They learn.

Truly engaged learning extends beyond the classroom and must encompass interaction in alternative environments; it is nonlinear and is most widely absorbed when connected to a narrative. Regardless of subject, embracing and integrating seemingly “unrelated” disciplines can build a sense of community to foster horizontal interaction. This deconstruction of traditional top down learning imbues a necessary self-direction. Chiefly, Students acquire deep learning when they are put in the position of the apprentice and they learn by doing under the guidance of a master.

The organization of Free Masonry, with structured roots that span over 350 years and who are believed to have evolved from Megalithic tribes, 5000 BCE, use the teachings from the construction of King Solomon’s temple as far back as 945 BCE and not as a mystical cult, but as a body of like-minded, responsible men, who in their own way, wish to progress as individuals and share a journey of personal development towards enlightenment. It is the continual quest for knowledge and the infrastructure of this group, which is of significance. This research seeks to use the underpinnings of Free Masonry, specifically its method of symbolically applying the principles of architecture and operative masonry to the science and art of character building, to construct a series of levels that will compel learning through failure. Although the initial application has been in, three-dimensional computer animation, the need to synthesize raw data and construct compelling narratives will transcend disciplines. In many ways, information technology and the automation, which accompanies it has diminished the amount of failure in our traditional learning model. Specifically, three-dimensional animation, specifically, has grown increasingly reliant on tutorial models, which achieves isolated outcomes without implanting abstract knowledge. The decoding of Masonic language can become a model cipher for constructing effective learning in the forthcoming conceptual age.