tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25541994.post116109692269347247..comments2024-03-26T14:44:37.985-04:00Comments on D-Ed Reckoning: This Is Your BrainKDeRosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06853211164976890091noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25541994.post-1161178294407307902006-10-18T09:31:00.000-04:002006-10-18T09:31:00.000-04:00"Maybe it just feels too much like that icky behav..."Maybe it just feels too much like that icky behaviorism stuff, I don't know."<BR/><BR/>Actually, there's a lot of truth in that statement. Connectionism isn't behaviorism, for a number of different reasons, but it certainly seems like it to those who don't understand it.<BR/><BR/>That was probably the strongest block to connectionism in my field, anyway.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25541994.post-1161124263416708232006-10-17T18:31:00.000-04:002006-10-17T18:31:00.000-04:00"I always suspected that memory has something to d..."I always suspected that memory has something to do with learning."<BR/><BR/>That was meant to be ironic and a dig at all those educationists who think it's horrible to commit knowledge to memory. Just think of all those pejorative terms educationists employ like "regurgitate".Instructivisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01652458042291988959noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25541994.post-1161116162164115072006-10-17T16:16:00.000-04:002006-10-17T16:16:00.000-04:00This is why issues like ADHD can be so devastating...This is why issues like ADHD can be so devastating to a kid. Short term memory is often shoddy with them. <BR/><BR/>My son has a horrible time with memory and recall. It affects every aspect of his life. Learning is so much slower and in some cases, life threatening (like not being able to remember dangerous situations.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25541994.post-1161108411909621342006-10-17T14:06:00.000-04:002006-10-17T14:06:00.000-04:00"There is also the concpet of students learning mo..."There is also the concpet of students learning more when they attend to the meaning of information, but I'll get to this in the next post."<BR/><BR/>This, of course, is the idea behind thematic or real-world learning. One could argue that creating a knowledge framework is best done in context (thematically), rather than by rote, as in memorizing all of the presidents first and then filling in the blanks.<BR/><BR/>There are problems with both approaches. With a thematic approach, one may not have the basic knowledge or framework to make the learning stick. It also may not be systematic enough to provide a proper knowledge and skill framework. And rote learning may be lost without enough connective tissue, so to speak.<BR/><BR/>Also, the thematic approach does not work (as in math) if you have a lot of basic skills to learn.<BR/><BR/>My big complaint with grades K-8 is that they just don't want to dive in and get to work. They don't like hard work. They want learning to be fun and natural and to have kids become "lifelong learners" (ugh!). The result is play learning.<BR/><BR/>Unfortunately, I don't think a carefully developed presentation on how the brain works will get schools and teachers to set higher expectations.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25541994.post-1161107622258021322006-10-17T13:53:00.000-04:002006-10-17T13:53:00.000-04:00There is credence to the notion that people rememb...There is credence to the notion that people remember things when they learn it with meaning or deep processing. This is the kernel of truth inherent in discovery learning. But, the flip side of the coin is what presents the problems -- discovering the wrong things will also be meaningful and more difficult to fix in memory, the deep processing burdens the mind by placing a cogntive load on it making information so discovered more difficult to remember, and there are opportunity time costs associated with discovery learning which generally results in less practice which and less transfer to LTM.<BR/><BR/>But I'm getting ahead of myself.KDeRosahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06853211164976890091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25541994.post-1161106729054307022006-10-17T13:38:00.000-04:002006-10-17T13:38:00.000-04:00It is interesting to see how memory research seems...It is interesting to see how memory research seems to have been almost completely ignored by education over the decades.<BR/><BR/>Maybe it just feels too much like that icky behaviorism stuff, I don't know.<BR/><BR/>When it does refer to memory, it draws on ideas that ignore WM (or STM)--the "salience" of an event correlates positively with it entering LTM; deep processing results in better learning, etc.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25541994.post-1161106180423391042006-10-17T13:29:00.000-04:002006-10-17T13:29:00.000-04:00"always suspected that memory has something to do ..."always suspected that memory has something to do with learning."<BR/><BR/>It does. From a connectionist standpoint, LTM is the ability to retrieve and reapply patterns. Learning is the recognition of a new pattern. For example:<BR/><BR/>"cat hat the the in"<BR/><BR/>requires that you recognize a new pattern, because it is a meaningless, ungrammatical string of words, while<BR/><BR/>"the cat in the hat"<BR/><BR/>causes previously learned patterns in the brain to fire, processing the sentence (those being patterns for the words, as well as the syntax and the semantics). Hence, nobody has to memorize "the cat in the hat."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25541994.post-1161103067547555872006-10-17T12:37:00.000-04:002006-10-17T12:37:00.000-04:00Re discovery, it definitely has its purposes. In ...Re discovery, it definitely has its purposes. In fact, once students havve developed sufficient domain knowledge, discovery learning becomes increasingly more valuable. There is also the concpet of students learning more when they attend to the meaning of information, but I'll get to this in the next post.KDeRosahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06853211164976890091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25541994.post-1161101279642736772006-10-17T12:07:00.000-04:002006-10-17T12:07:00.000-04:00"If you listen to the army of ed charlatans that d..."If you listen to the army of ed charlatans that dominate education you come away believing that using one's memory is some of the worst things one can do."<BR/><BR/>Yes, superficial knowledge. Learning requires hard work that is not often fun. As I have mentioned elsewhere, hard work is a filter and they don't like filters. They want to have kids learn basic (mere?) facts and skills in context; thematically or top-down. They think this makes the task easier. This sounds nice, but they don't get the job done. Those hard facts and skills are still hard in context. Then they convince themselves that it really isn't necessary.<BR/><BR/>You can easily see this in math. Lots of fun knowledge and learning different ways to add, subtract, multiply, and divide. But they don't bite the bullet and make sure that the kids master the basics. That takes hard work. Often, the argument revolves around doing lots of long division - the poster child for drill and kill versus understanding. However, their drill and kill philosophy extends to more important skills like manipulating fractions. As I have said before, they see little linkage between basic knowledge and skills and understanding.<BR/><BR/>My son has an amazing memory. I see daily the advantages he has on putting two (facts) and two (facts) together to create a higher level of understanding. This would never happen if he had to look up the information. He wouldn't even know what to look up.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25541994.post-1161100754133394232006-10-17T11:59:00.000-04:002006-10-17T11:59:00.000-04:00I agree with Steve H. Discovery learning can be e...I agree with Steve H. Discovery learning can be effected by the methods eschewed by those who hold disdain for exercises, drills, homework or the like. Also as Steve points out, discovery can occur while information is being imparted directly.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25541994.post-1161099953391398732006-10-17T11:45:00.000-04:002006-10-17T11:45:00.000-04:00I like to make a distinction between top-down cons...I like to make a distinction between top-down constructivism versus bottom up. Top-down (real world, thematic, etc. used by most schools) requires students to construct basic understanding and knowledge with little or no prior information. It seems that modern educators believe that knowledge directly taught to students is rote and not learned as well as if the student discovers it him or herlelf. Of course, they fail to define exactly what this discovery mechanism is, and most implementations are done in child-centered groups, thereby making it unlikely that more than a few ever obtain the unknown benefits of discovery. This is extremely wasteful of time and is neither necessary or sufficient.<BR/><BR/>Constructivism sounds good, however, and there are examples where students construct new understandings by individually applying prior knowledge and skills to new problems. This is what I call bottom-up constructivism - or, rather, homework for individual students; experience, for adults.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25541994.post-1161099626978529252006-10-17T11:40:00.000-04:002006-10-17T11:40:00.000-04:00I always suspected that memory has something to do...I always suspected that memory has something to do with learning. If you listen to the army of ed charlatans that dominate education you come away believing that using one's memory is some of the worst things one can do.Instructivisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01652458042291988959noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25541994.post-1161098506181244782006-10-17T11:21:00.000-04:002006-10-17T11:21:00.000-04:00Wow!As someone who is mostly ignorant on this topi...Wow!<BR/><BR/>As someone who is mostly ignorant on this topic, your explanation has been illuminating. The picture is very helpful.<BR/>Also, my DD has APD and this helps me in understanding her condition.<BR/><BR/>Looking forward to more.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com