Bill,
You wrote:
My
interpretation is that the most desirable evidence of learning occurs when
the individual applies the new knowledge and skill in socially meaningful
way, affecting the activity of the collective. In turn, the activity of
the collective has an effect on the individual, co-constructing each other
and resulting in expansive learning for the collective and its members.
My question is who is this most desirable for, the student, or the teacher?
I can understand this atmoshpere you write of as being very desirable for the
adult who is in 'charge' of the learning. But is this really the most
beneficial way for individual students to learn. Many times I have witnessed
constructivist minded teachers try and mediate the process of having an
intelligent student share their discoveries with the class and the result has
been alienation on the part of the unenlightened students and frustration on
the part of the enlightened students. I will go back to my point that
academia is good at devising thoeries, but not so good at providing solid
methodology for implementing them. Now granted there are times when a
classroom just clicks and there is shared discoveries and collective
understanding, for the teacher in these classrooms this is a fabulous and
self-sustaining learning environment. Does this mean that ALL classrooms
need to operate this way? Granted , Bill you did use the term desirable
which I am assuming (yeah I know) means there is also an alternative method
which could be used in a pinch.
Positively thinking aloud,
Eric
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