Group items tagged

Behavioral learning theorists view learning as an extrinsic event which can be observed and measured by others. This is the traditional learning theory in education, the one most researched, peer-reviewed, and most funded in the USA. It stems from the epistemological tradition of objectivism which assumes reality is an outwardly observable event. Melding the behaviorist theory with Driscoll's definition of a learning theory as persistent change as a result of experience, one would get a theory of learning which involves an observable and persistent change. Siemens considered metaphors that involved making connections from four educators. John Seely Brown saw educators as master artists or ateliers who worked with students in a learning studio. Clarence Fisher considered educators to be network administrators who enabled students to form their own learning networks. Curtis Bonk viewed the educator as a concierge who could invite students to partake of possible offerings. George himself thought of educators more like curators or expert learners who set up learning spaces for students. Another possible metaphor is the conductor of a symphony orchestra, where each student is playing a different instrumental part (differentiation), learning the same basic concepts but using different paths. When one plays music, one constructs not only the physical sound, but the phrasing, the mood, and the emphasis of the notes. This is important in constructing the overall sound, or in this case, learning. All these metaphors have to do with learners constructing knowledge. Behaviorism, however, has more to do with teachers writing on "tabulae rasae", sequences of substeps, and rewarding acceptable behavior while punishing unacceptable behavior. Some educational applications of behaviorism in classrooms include contracts, rewards, punishments, reinforcements, and extinction plans. Those are the obvious ones, but shouldn't any student act that has been learned through the student'

invite the village !

Piaget's Constructivism and Papert's Constructionism

Interesting stuff. Use for 8845 paper on Papert? Haha, paper ~ paper(t). Okay, so only funny to me. ~Laurie

Here come those LOL cats!

Love the Clay Shirky stuff. Have you read the suggested reading in 8845, The World is Flat by Thomas L. Friedman? Another book by him titled Hot, Flat, and Crowded I think should be a part of the Evolution of Education class, 8840 (I think).

I have but I can't find my copy. I will have to pick up a copy tomorrow at the college near me. I do have the Darling-Hammond one that applies his ideas to education. My 7th graders peer review at least two flatclassroom projects every year - the fall one incorporates Friedman and the spring does the Horizon Report. I have also been a judge, advisor, and what not for Julie and Vicki.