Push and Pull Pedagogies

Timothy Koschmann (tdk who-is-at cs.colorado.edu)
Tue, 30 Sep 1997 18:46:41 -0600

The recent discussions, started by Jay and Russ, concerning Push and Pull
technologies and their relation to textbooks has stimulated me to think
about how different approaches to instruction also have this character.
Traditional lecture-based instruction is inherently a Push
procedure---assumptions are made by the lecturer about what the lecturee
knows and needs to know.

What characterizes the various forms of learner-directed forms of
instruction, such as Problem-Based Learning, is that in identifying for
themselves what they need to learn, students get to "Pull" the knowledge
rather than have it pushed upon them. The benefit to the "Pull" approach
is that greater respect is afforded to the knowledge that the learners
bring to the table.
---Tim

_________________________________________________________________
Timothy Koschmann
Temporary Address (9/1/97-5/31/98)
Dept. of Computer Science
Campus Box 430, ECOT 734
University of Colorado at Boulder
Boulder, CO 80309 |
+1-303-492-2233 (voice)
+1-303-492-2844 (fax)
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