Re: Cin C

Dewey Dykstra, Jr. (dykstrad who-is-at varney.idbsu.edu)
Thu, 28 Dec 1995 11:43:15 -0700

>Two seminal concepts from Dewey have a lot to do with the intersection that
>Mike is seeking. One is the concept of starting where the learners are. A
>corrolary is that we adjust school to the learner rather than forcingt
>the learner to adjust to the school. The second concept is that school is not
>preparation for life- it is life. That leads to an understanding that
>the world of school must provide experiences that fit the present needs of
>learners rather than some future needs they will have as adults. That makes
>it important to understand the culture of childhood and youth. Goodlad's
>study of schooling found, for example that in middle school the single
>most important concern of the kids was friends- forming and keeping social
>relationships but schools showed little concern for the social concerns of
>learners.
>Ken Goodman

Although I am a different "Dewey" than the one Ken refers to, I have been
working in classrooms for quite a few years at different levels of school
and I agree with the points of the other Dewey that Ken is pointing out.
It has taken a long time for me to find an instrumental meaning for
"starting where the learners are" and I'd like to expand on Ken's comments
about present needs of students. I've found it essential to understand the
_students'_ understanding of the world. This is different than knowing
what of the "adult world" the students do not "know." If our goal is to
assist the students to _understand_ then it is _their_ understanding which
must be the center of both their and our attention and which must be the
'manipulated' entity. I have quit trying to focus on _our_ understanding
which we must give them or which they must get somehow because this is the
prevailing approach which has had such disappointing results.

Dewey

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Dewey I. Dykstra, Jr. Phone: (208)385-3105
Professor of Physics Dept: (208)385-3775
Department of Physics/SN318 Fax: (208)385-4330
Boise State University dykstrad who-is-at varney.idbsu.edu
1910 University Drive Boise Highlanders
Boise, ID 83725-1570 novice piper
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