>>instruction, children are usually not allowed to talk to other
>>children, making participation in instruction a socially isolated
>>activity. Stone would do well to read Goodman's report on basal
>
> I have a question harkening back to our discussion on lectures.
>People seemed generally to agree that college students can participate
>silently in a lecture, and thus can potentially learn as effectively
>in that context as in a discussion context.
Robin, in my experience and from my reading of the research in learning
science and math, this is not generally true for almost everything which is
said in lecture in most science and math classes. I expect this condition
is also detectable in most other disciplines. I can say that it is
specifically not true in introductory physics.
So, while you may have the impression that "People seemed generally to
agree," please note that there is at least one voice representing many who
are not on this list which is speaking up to disagree and disagree quite
strongly. The data is in strong contradiction that college students
understand the physics spoken in typical physics lectures. Instead it
strongly supports the clear superiority of interactive experiences in
physics classes.
>What about children?
>Do children have a greater need for activities other than silent
>listening than do adults if they are to learn effectively? If so,
>can we base this in a Piagetian framework of "concrete operational"
>thought versus "formal operational" thought? If not, how do we
>understand this? If people think no, children don't have a greater
>need than adults for other types of activities, then do we need
>to revise our stance towards "socially isolated" learning?
First, I do not believe that anyone at any age learns better any other way
than interactively with other people and with the phenomena. Second, I
recommend caution using what is claimed to be the 'Piagetian framework of
"concrete operational" thought versus "formal operational" thought.' This
version of Piaget was popularized by people who apparently neither
understood his beliefs concerning the nature of knowledge nor that he lived
an worked and evolved his notions several decades _after_ trying to
characterize what he was seeing using terms like these. Such things are
prone not to hold together under any serious scrutiny.
I don't know for sure what "our stance towards "socially isolated"
learning" is but I have to say that given that something of this
description is standard practice in most math and science classed from K -
20. I can't say as it results in anything I would be proud of. Hence, I'm
'agin it.'
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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