You wrote:
" One scale is how long it takes a completable script or activity-type to
play out, another is the time-scale over which, say, authority relations,
or responses to them, change, for individuals. I think this scale may be
the more critical one if what you are looking at is how people learn to
operate in activities where there is a dominant authority relations, esp.
if they are new to its specific forms."
If I rephrase the last sentence to " what you are looking at is how people
learn to
operate in activities where there are _new_and _different_ authority relations"
Then that is exactly what I am interested in. Whether it is scientific
modeling or technological design, which 'puts the students on center stage'
the authority relations take time to adjust to a new equilibrium. My
informal observation from my own teaching is that in a 3 hr/week college
course, it takes about 3 (+/- .5) weeks for students to adjust to a new
form of cooperative learning. This has carried across math, physics and
education courses. I am aware that the time constant may not be universal,
but instructor dependent. It would be a curious thing to put on my resume
"has a 3 week authority time constant" Heh.
But if this idea tests to be viable, the 3 week time constant must also be
dependent on my students, who have years of experience in more traditional
forms of school activity. With students of different preparation and
experience, the number should change. I have in my head a fuzzy ecological
system diagram of a classroom, embedded within much bigger system diagrams
of school, community, etc. , such as you would see in STELLA.
This is wild stuff -- David Dirlam is responsible for me beginning to think
this way!
A three week time constant is too long! As I look at the results of action
research, and adoption of innovations research, many teachers will only
have (or give) only about a week for trying something new. And even then,
'levels of use' research indicate that years are required for significant
changes in teachers practices. Harumph.
Bill Barowy, Associate Professor
Technology in Education
Lesley College, 29 Everett Street, Cambridge, MA 02138-2790
_______________________
"One of life's quiet excitements is to stand somewhat apart from yourself
and watch yourself softly become the author of something beautiful."
[Norman Maclean in "A river runs through it."]