Kevin,
I think you went right to the jugular of the issue. School-to-work has
been viewed by many as a way to put learning in context, to revive
apprenticeship learning.
To answer your question as best I can, which only opened up so many more
questions!
Lave and Wenger 'Situated Learning' and Saxe 'culture and cognitive
development...' describe apprenticeship across vocational practices, not
really 'cognitive' apprenticeship, however. The difference is that folks
like Allan Collins think of this as learning thinking and problem solving:
"The basic method of apprenticeship involves modeling, coaching, and
fading; that is, first showing apprentices what to do, next observing and
helping them as they try to do it themselves, and then fading the help as
they take on more responsibility. Cognitive apprenticeship attempts to
apply this approach to teach thinking and problem solving. But unlike the
kinds of skills taught with traditional apprenticeship, thinking is not
visible. So cognitive apprenticeship stresses the importance of techniques
to make thinking visible, such as articulating and reflecting on cognitive
processes." (Collins, in press, "Design issues for learning environments,"
p. 3)
I don't think there is much_evidence_ for CA, as Allan describes it, as a
common practice in schools at present, at least within certain subject
matters. It is an untested conjecture of mine that in fact there may be
apprenticeship in such matters as making personal moves within bureaucratic
systems, which is an important but often overlooked category of schooling.
Rogoff 's 'Apprenticeship in thinking..' causes me to step back a bit on
your question and reevaluate. That is, we cannot forget (no pun intended)
that, for example, memory serves cognitive functions and that students
learning to take notes, being required to keep day-planners, remembering
what their homework is, can all be considered cognitive apprenticeship. I
think CA has focussed on 'higher-level' functions.
So then also when the machinist shows an apprentice how to complete a
mechanical drawing and make the widget on the milling machine, using the
drawing: that too is cognitive apprenticeship. My realization here is that
the central tenet of 'making thinking visible' is, within a CHAT
perpsective, the externalization through the creation and use of artifacts:
material, language, semiotic, etc. CA seems to come from the cognitive
science folk people who have been more concerned, I think, with
disciplinary learning, and have placed less attention to mediation.
Bill Barowy, Associate Professor
Technology in Education
Lesley College, 29 Everett Street, Cambridge, MA 02138-2790
Phone: 617-349-8168 / Fax: 617-349-8169
_______________________
"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."]