How can authentic learning tools improve student engagement and deepen learning? What does the apprenticeship model tell us about learning?

Authentic learning tools put learners in situations that challenge. When authentic learning occurs, learners strive to gain knowledge out of interest rather than the desire to pass a test or please a parent. This is the type of learning that makes permanent cognitive connections.

The apprenticeship model is a form of social constructivism where groups work on projects under the guidance of an instructor. The premise of this model is based on Vygotsky's "zone of proximal development," where learners work on tasks that are slightly more difficult than the learners are capable of performing on their own. This is the zone where learners are constantly challenged and never bored. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's theory of "flow" also looks at this state of mind, calling it optimal experience.