Return-Path: <nifl-fobasics@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id i0AD2LI25222; Sat, 10 Jan 2004 08:02:21 -0500 (EST) Date: Sat, 10 Jan 2004 08:02:21 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: <DF9D47FC-436C-11D8-9B95-00039381D39E@comcast.net> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-fobasics@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-fobasics@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-fobasics@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: David Rosen <djrosen@comcast.net> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-fobasics@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-FOBASICS:921] Some Background Resources for Constructivist/Project-based teaching X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas X-Mailer: Apple Mail (2.552) Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed Status: O Content-Length: 4013 Lines: 105 Nick, Tom and others, You will find a small online professional development library at the YouthBuild USA Learning Network Online Web site http://www.youthbuild.org/learningnetwork/professionaldev.html which has links to Web sites and full-text documents, and which includes a section on "Authentic Materials/Engaged Learning/Constructivism/Contextual Learning/Project-based Learning." David J. Rosen On Friday, January 9, 2004, at 11:37 PM, Woods wrote: > Nick Griffis wrote: >> Could you post some resources and/or sources for the teaching >> philosophy >> and teaching techniques that you have put forward in you e-mail? > > There is the whole educational philosophy of constructivism that > basically > states that we construct our own knowledge out of personally meaningful > experience. Constructivism has gotten twisted and perverted into other > things in recent years, but you can get a good understanding of its > earlier > meaning by reading Seymour Paperts book, Mindstorms, if you can find > it. > > You might also wish to consider the merits of the systems of schooling > developed by A.S. Neill in England (Summerhill School) and the Sudbury > Valley School in the US, both of which stressed complete student > control and > direction of the student's learning. In other words, they would not > force, > or even encourage a student to engage in a certain class. They would be > perfectly content to wait until the student is ready and takes the > iniative. > When this happens, the student learns incredibly quickly, compressing > years > into a matter of weeks or days, the authors claim. > > Another aspect is based on traditional Native American beliefs, > especially > the notions of respect, acceptance and of being a helper. There is a > traditional belief that each person learns what he or she is ready to > learn > when he or she is ready to learn it. We may share the same experience, > but > learn very different things. I may have the same experience many times > and > each time I learn something different. A Native approach would accept > and > honor whatever learning has occurred. This is in stark contrast to the > idea > in education that we must have high expectations for our students. An > expectation is that we want the student to learn or do some particular > thing. A student either succeeds to some degree or fails. Indians > would try > to steer clear of expectations and instead respect the learning of the > student, whatever it was that was learned. The statement, "we need to > change > EXpect to REspect," is taken from the book, Medicine of the Cherokee, > The > Way of Right Relationship by J.T. Garrett. > > Finally there are the miriad ideas taken from modern educational > thought. > Ideas like the need for students to be actively engaged in their own > learning, like the value of self-directed learning, like like much of > the > progressive education movement of Dewey. The problem is these great > ideas > all seem to get twisted beyond recognition when they are put into > practice > in public schools. > > Thanks for asking. Hope readers didn't get too bored by all the > philosophy. > Tom Woods > >> Along the same lines as George Demetrion's principles, I'd like to >> offer > my >> philosophical perspectives on learning and teaching. >> * Learning is growth. >> * Learning should be easy. Learning should be fun. If it is not, >> something >> is wrong. >> * We learn from everything we DO. >> * WHAT we learn from any experience depends on who we are, >> where we have been, and where we want to go >> * Two people sharing the same experience may learn very different >> things. >> * Teachers teach best when they are helpers. >> * Teachers teach best when they can accept and value the learning of a >> student, >> no matter what it may be. >> * Teacher expectations for student learning poison the benefits of the >> previous statement. >> We need to change EXpect into REspect. >> >> Tom Woods
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Thu Dec 23 2004 - 09:47:11 EST