Education Readings
By Allan Alach
I welcome suggested articles, so if you come
across a gem, email it to me at allanalach@inspire.net.nz
This week we lost the extremely influential
Jerome Bruner. Here are some tributes to him.
Jerome Bruner (1915 - 2016)
University of Harvard:
‘In the course of his three decades at Harvard, Bruner published
works on perceptual organization, cognition, and learning theory, all of which
departed dramatically from the deliberate mind-blindness of behaviorism, by
emphasizing the importance of strategies and mental representations in the
processing of real-world phenomena.’
Scaffolds and spirals
Steve Wheeler:
‘Bruner was one of the founding fathers of the theory of social
constructivism, an approach that pervades many of the daily activities in
schools across the world. Bruner will perhaps be best remembered for two
important contributions to our understanding of learning.’
An Unfinished Quest in Education
‘Bruner resolved to study what he called “cognitive
psychology”—how people think and reason, not just how they react and respond.
For education, especially, the implications were enormous. Bruner found that
even very young children constructed their own knowledge—that is, they made
sense of new information based on prior experience and understanding. The job
of the teacher was to help students build upon what they already knew.’
Inspiring Educators 3: Jerome Bruner
‘His contribution to understanding learning has been wide, deep,
rich and powerful. He was a giant of educational giants. His voice was and
remains strong, and his thinking as relevant as ever. Chances are you referred
to his work in an essay or project while learning your classroom craft, and
with a little excavation you'll find his ideas underpinning your day-to-day
practice.’
On Knowing -Essays for the left hand by Jerome Bruner ( from Bruce's oldies)
The themes Jerome Bruner covers in his book concern the process of knowing, how knowing is shaped and how it in turn gives form to language science, literature and art. The symbolism of the left hand is that of the dreamer - the right that of the practical doer.The areas of hunches and intuition, Bruner writes, has been all too often overwhelmed by an 'imposed fetish of objectivity'...'The lock step of learning theory in this country has been broken, though it is still the standard village dance'.
Contributed by Bruce
Hammonds:
Bruce’s comment: I
really value the importance of art in education and in particular the
importance of observation in the learning process. Too many children look but
do not see and thus do not remember. I believe, in this age of fast and often
superficial digital learning, the ‘slow’ learning involved in drawing is an
important antidote. Visual education ought to be an important element of a
modern education.
 |
| Schematic stage 7-9 |
Why is teaching kids to draw not a more important part of the
curriculum?
‘Drawing plays a big role in our cognitive development. It can help
us learn to write and think creatively, develop hand-eye co-ordination, hone
analytic skills, and conceptualise ideas.But drawing is rarely used as a tool
for learning in schools. Generally teachers aren’t trained in visual education.Drawing
is not something that should be confined to art lessons – it’s a skill that can
play a role in many different subject areas in school education, and later on
in the workplace.’
Artists Share "Before and After" Evolution of Their
Drawing Skills with Years of Practice
‘Drawing, like all things, requires dedicated practice to master the
craft and create amazing works that wow a wide audience. Although many people
dabble in art when they’re younger, few people choose to hone their skills into
their teens and adulthood. Those that do work on improving themselves have had
impressive results—especially when comparing their refined techniques to their
early work.Several artists have been sharing the evolution of their work online
and the difference in the quality of their drawings is staggering—you’d never
realize two particular pieces were made by the same person. An artist’s simple
line drawing, created during their early teens, has since become much more
detailed with just a few years of practice’
More Before And After Drawings That Show Remarkable Progress In
Artists’ Skills
Showing students visual improvement is one way
of developing confidence in learning – old fashioned perhaps but important in
this digital era of fast but often superficial learning. Observation may well
be the most important basic skill of all.
‘In a previous posting we featured impressive drawings that unveiled
the striking evolution of artists’ drawing skills following years of practice.
This posting shows more artists have
taken to showcasing their improvement inspiring growth as artists with
these before and after sketches.’
Drawing May Be Your Brain's Best Way to Secure a Memory
A new study shows that drawing a picture helps
you remember something better than writing it down. Something for teachers to
consider. Drawing gives the brain time
to gather information – important in
current digital fast learning environments?
‘A new study out of the Department of Psychology at the University
of Waterloo (UW) shows that drawing a picture helps you remember something better
than writing it down. The idea that pictures spark memory better than words is
not new -- researchers have been trying to get to the bottom of what activities
or mnemonics are most helpful in boosting memory since the 1960s.’
11-Year-Old Artist Creates Amazingly Detailed Drawings of Wildlife
The wildlife drawings of an extremely talented
11 year old.
‘Meet Dušan Krtolica, one of the most talented 11-year-olds ever. The
Serbian child prodigy is a master artist who creates stunningly detailed,
nature-inspired drawings with a skill level that is far beyond his years. Using
just pen or pencil, Krtolica draws anatomically correct flora and fauna, piling
together aquatic life, dinosaurs, insects, birds, and other creatures in dense
illustrations that burst with life.’
How drawing focuses the mind
‘Sketching something close up and looking at it from afar are
approached in quite different ways by the brain. When you see something familiar,
the higher-order parts of the visual system quickly piece together information
from the eyes to help you to understand what you’re looking at.’
Art and Math and Science, Oh My!
‘“I think that the unifying thing about all of your interests is that
you really like creating and making things, whether that’s a painting or a
program.” It was at that moment that I stopped feeling weird about loving both
engineering and art, & embraced it, and explored how art and technology
were connected. And that’s what I’d like to talk about in this post.’
From Bruce’s ‘goldie oldies’ file:
Observation - a basic learning skill
‘Schools need to tap into student's curiosity and need to express
ideas. It is this sensory resource of impressions that is called upon by
learners when they come to read. Better still such experiences inspire students
to talk, draw, write and then to read their own ideas. Before the word the
experience is a simple enough idea - the more you notice the more words and
ideas you will develop.’
Importance of observation.
‘Drawing is an ideal way to break through habitual ways of thinking.
All too often our students see but they do not look. Observational drawing has
long been an important means for some teachers to develop deeper consciousness
in students - to assist students see through their habitual ways of seeing and
to develop new awareness.’
Beginning the school year - the importance of observation in
learning
‘Observation is an important skill in all areas of learning - all
too often students look but don't see. Close observation encourages a slower
pace of work which assists student memory. Once the skill of observation is in
place it can be used throughout the year in all learning areas.’
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