10.15.08

King's Cup-Make a Rule! (depending on how you play) Smokin' Aces, Aces trump all, nobody holds tens jacks queens or kings up their sleves - but Talon still stinks...(to put it kindly) The Cheating Tens The Better-Than-Everyone-Else Jacks The Queens - enough said

If we acknowledge that "playing school" is not the same as being a successful citizen in the real-world, then why don't we change the structure of our schools to accommodate more functional learning? - Allison

Studies showed that if learners were exposed to and learned one type of software and then were given similar but different software, they learned the additional software faster than those who encountered it for the first time. He says this demonstrates transfer of knowledge from one context to another. Greeno would say that no transfer actually occured, but that the learning was independent of the prior. - Jennifer

I believe that most teachers already have basic assumptions in their minds of what students are capable of doing. It is interesting to think about if these assumptions need to be challenged or do they just need to be recognized. - Liz

The example Anderson gives about "Anyone who has explored the structure of a beautiful flower or of a coral reef knows that learning about something can have a joy quite independent of any social structures" gives some validity to this. However, I believe that this understanding of a flower or coral reef is situated. How, without knowing anything about either a flower or coral reef, can you learn about either of them aside from simple observation? - Talon

If knowledge is only taught a certain way or in a certain context without further elaboration, the ability to transfer that information to another context will be limited. If the knowledge is presented in several different ways or in different contexts, the ability to transfer is greater. Therefore, it appears that teaching more generally rather than specifically would be more beneficial. The ability to transfer knowledge would be greater. - Denise

The two frameworks are very close analogues of macroscopic and phenomenological (state) models of thermodynamics. The macroscopic model is concerned with the state of the individual particles while the phenomenological approach is concerned with the overall state of the system. The two models describe the phenomena equally well; however the information pertaining to each model is not equivalent. - Randy

As someone that comes from a physical science, not a social science, it can be difficult to accept at an argument that lacks empirical evidence. In these settings it seems so much of whether your theory is accepted or not relies on how you word it. - Zoe

Greeno uses linguistics as a way to criticize the publication of Anderson et al. The strength of his article is in his awareness that language and word usage can lead to specific and unique interpretation by some people. However, I think the people reading such articles are well educated would surely understand what was said or asked, therefore I deem his argument a weak one. - Alex

All of the authors seem to believe that theories of learning should influence teaching theory. I would argue the same. While learning theory is not necessary to developing a teaching pedagogy, I believe it can be helpful. - Andy

I agree that if too much is presented at one time, the brain becomes overloaded and no learning happens. Not all of the best learning happens in social environments. Some of the best learning is self taught. I do though have to think about what Greeno says about self teaching being truly social in nature. - Shane

I do believe in mild skepticism and debate - it's all a part of what science is about - but I also don't think that trying to force one theory or another should get in the way of progress. That progress is had through experiment. Experiment leads us when we are looking for theories but it can also tells us about where we've gone wrong. The debate between cognitivism and situativism should go on, but we need more data before we can make any more progress. Perhaps experiments in places where both philosophies fail may reveal some interesting insights. - Doug

 Although from his actual teaching style, I would put him squarely in the cognitive camp, his admonishes of why to study at a table, without music, a phone or television, smacked of situated learning and the problem with the scientifically-inauthentic culture of school. He told the class that when, after having studied with distractions, or lying down in bed, you get to the actual test day, you'll blank out when sitting in a desk looking at the exam. His rational was that your brain, sub-consciously, will realize that something is missing (the bed, music, etc) and not be able to apply the studied information to the novel silent situation. - Cecilia

A question that I have comes up when Anderson et al., discuss transfer between tasks and how we are now able to test experimentally because of the acquisition of “our modern capability for identifying task components” (p. 7). How is that done? - Nancy

 As we've discussed previously in class, we're going to encounter students at different levels and with varying degrees of interest in the topics we'll be teaching. To account for these differences, we'll need to employ multiple strategies to provide opportunities for all of our students to understand the concepts to the best of their current ability and to increase their ability (using the idea of ZPD). - Carrie

Greeno seems to me to be that guy that wants everyone to think he knows everything about everything. He throws in all these words (PRESUPPOSITIONS PRESUPPOSITIONS PRESUPPOSITIONS!!!!) that really just make the reader feel like they're watching a guy who, having just lost everything, is desperately spewing out whatever he can in an attempt to regain himself. - Pat

[There is not, or at least not overwhelming, evidence that either of these theories (explanations) is right (or mostly right)] [Many people found Greeno's language a barrier. Anderson was more clear and direct. Is there a relationship between their prose style and their lens on learning theory?] [Can you differentiate between things that are the phenomenon, explanations of the phenomenon, and implications based on the explanations of those phenomenon? An extension of this - what is the evidence chain that reaches to suggestions for classroom practice?]