Psychology of Learning: Socio-Constructivist Analysis - Assignment Example

Question Describe and explain the above situation using a socio-constructivist approach. I am looking for you to use constructs such as internalization, mediation, dialogue, zone of proximal development, scaffolding, and cultural knowledge. A good socio-constructivist analysis would not necessarily have to develop all of these constructs (and might use additional ones from our readings), but it should use some of that technical language we have been reading about. (8 points) In analyzing the given case, when Robbie overheard the conversation between the two adults about how ear infections come about from letting babies sleep with bottles of milk in their mouths, he exhibits Salomon & Perkins’ active social mediation of individual learning, with him as the learner and the two adults as the facilitating agent. Robbie absorbs the new information he hears and he forms his own mental picture to help him understand it. When he shares this information with his mother, he enters another form of social learning as he actively engages in a dialogue on their theories of the origins of ear infections. He shares his own opinion that the milk dribbles down from outside the mouth and runs into the ear, causing the infection. He now learns with social mediation by being a participant in knowledge construction. In their dialogue, when it is his turn to listen to his mother’s explanation that the milk goes through a tube that connects the back of the mouth to the middle ear, called a Eustachian tube, he keeps that new information in mind. However, he sticks to his original theory while discussing with his mother. After his dialogue with his mother, he gets to internalize his newly-learned knowledge. He gets into the zone of proximal development when he internalizes the external process (his mother’s explanation), integrating it with his current cognitive base, thereby raising his level of cognitive functioning a notch higher than if he was left alone with his own theories, and his mother did not provide the necessary scaffolding (her alternative theory, complete with a rational explanation and patient dialoguing). When Robbie eventually shares his advice to his father about not letting his baby brother, Kellan sleep with a milk bottle in his mouth, it can be said that mediation was effective because he was able to transform his understanding of his new knowledge in explaining the origin of a probable ear infection. When his father concurred with him that the milk would get inside the Eustachian tube, Robbie affirms that his mother’s theory was from cultural knowledge that his father apparently shares. When he agreed with his father, it was evident that he was able to successfully construct his own learning from the social learning experience he has just undergone. Question 2: In this last set of articles (the socio-constructivist ones), our authors often say some things that are directly about TEACHERS and TEACHING, and yet our course has been devoted to a study of learners and learning. Construct two generalizations or thesis points you want to make about the relationship between teaching and learning supporting them from our readings. (6points) 1. Teachers are facilitators of learning. They are not “dispensers” that pours “knowledge” in empty vessels. Nor are learners “empty vessels”. Teachers and learners come together with their own set of skills, knowledge base and values from the socio-cultural environments they belong. Teachers may provide “scaffolds” in teaching new knowledge to the learners, but consider that their learners have their own way of constructing their own learning that teachers need to respect. They should know their learners well, and be able to predict their possible problems or impediments to learning and help them remove these obstacles. Learners have the capacity to construct their own learning through the experiences and social interactions they have. All humans have natural learning abilities ingrained in us. Babies learn to crawl and to walk as nature has designed. Social learning greatly enhances that natural and individual learning. Whatever knowledge a learner gains from his social interactions, he firms up by his own individual learning. He integrates his new knowledge with his past experiences and skills. 2. Learning ensues in social interactions. Sometimes, the direction of learning is from the teacher to the learner, other times, the learner provides new learning to the teacher. This flow of learning vacillates as teacher and learner interact. Sometimes, learning happens in group interactions, where each member contributes his or her own learning. Such learning gets internalized when the learner is on his own, and does his own individual learning. The theories on the relationship between individual and social learning by Salomon and Perkins’ (1998, pp. 17-19) are very sensible. The first relation, “Individual learning can be less or more socially mediated learning” confirm the thesis point that learning social interactions have a great effect on an individual’s learning. However, the value of individual reflection and “time-out” from social interactions should not be undermined, as it is at this time when the learner comes to depend on his own insights, and skills to be able to make his own decisions in the direction of his learning and development. The second relation, “Individuals can participate in the learning of a collective, sometimes with what is learned distributed throughout the collective more than in the mind of any one individual” explains that a whole social entity can benefit from the knowledge of an individual sharing his own learning. Thus, the significance of a good mentor that a social group can consult and learn from. The third relation, “Individual and social aspects of learning in both senses (Relations 1 and 2) can interact over time to strengthen one another in what might be called a “reciprocal spiral relationship” strengthen the belief that learning evolves through a variety of modes, and all modes benefit the learner. Question 3: Pick two of the principles described in Table 2.4 of Bonk and Cunningham, describe what it means by referring to one of our readings (but not Bonk and Cunningham themselves), and come up with an example of your own that illustrates the principle. (6Points) I have chosen the principles of Internalization and Scaffolding. Bonk and Cunningham (1998) defines internalization as a “process of taking new information that was experienced or learned within a social context and developing the necessary skills or intellectual functions to independently apply the new knowledge and strategies” ( p. 36). When a learner is exposed to social learning, he gets to grasp certain concepts and new knowledge that he privately “digests”. In the process of internalization, there is ongoing inner language processes as he decodes the information in his mind. This is the independent learning that happens after. The learner now attempts to apply this new knowledge by calling on his existing skills and abilities to integrate the internalized knowledge. The former may be illustrated by the following example. I love to bake. To hone my baking skills, I attend a baking class. I observe the teacher go through the process of making cookies – from the preparation of the ingredients to the pulling of the baked cookies from the oven while carefully taking note of the teacher’s guidelines and “tips”. I may even volunteer once or twice in participating in one of the processes. Back home, I review all the things I have learned from step one. I internalize what I have just learned from the class and try to apply it on my own while going through the whole process of baking cookies. I get motivated to learn more that I actively search for more information to strengthen my internalization. I may also pick something up while watching my favorite culinary show on television and while browsing through my collection of cookbooks, perhaps even validating the “tips” my teacher has provided. This whole scenario may be likened to Salomon and Perkins’ (1998) discussion on spiral reciprocities, as I get to internalize all my learnings from a variety of sources, springing from my social experience in the baking class. Scaffolding “relates to the various forms of support or assistance provided to a learner by an expert or more capable peer that enables the learner to complete a task or solve a problem that would not have been possible without such support (Bonk & Cunningham, 1998, p.36). Examples of learning support are models, prompts, guidelines, acronyms, color coded instruction, etc. These scaffolds are meant to help the learner, and are gradually decreased until the learner can manage without them. The article of Ko, Schallert, & Walters, (2003) discusses how scaffolding can aid a learner in learning new skills. An example is teaching young children to read their names. At first, they are provided with a nametag with their picture on it alongside their name, with the first letter written in capital letter, and of a different color from the rest of the name. Example As children gain exposure to the nametag and associate themselves with it, they also associate their picture with the printed word. Constant exposure to it makes them familiar with the letters of the word, as guided by its colored, capital letter. Later on, the picture may be removed until they can recognize their name without the picture cue. Still later, the color of the capital letter is changed to match the color of the rest of the name, the way the name should be read. The learners get to read their names on their own, plainly printed on a card, or written on the board. Question 4: You wrote down my own definition of learning first time of the semester and you wrote down a new definition second time. I am interested in the contrast between your CURRENT definition and the ones you wrote down earlier in the semester. So for this question, please share with me your reflections on your definitions of learning, especially the contrast between the first one you wrote down and your current definition, and point to the Salomon and Perkins’s article that caused any changes you see in your definitions. (5points) a. write first /second/ current definition of learning b. contrast between the first and current definition of learning c. select one article and apply it A. Past and Current Definition of Learning At the start of the semester, I wrote: “Learning is a process of life and new experience and the act, process or experience of gaining knowledge or skill.” Currently, my definition of learning is: “A process of integrating new knowledge with existing ones learned through interactions with people, materials and ideas. Learning is a progressive process that continuously elevates a person’s cognitive and social development.” B. Contrast between the first and current definitions: In the first definition, my definition of learning was too generic, pointing to the process of gaining new knowledge or skill. I did not specify how the process takes place. I still believe it is a good definition of learning, as I have included the word experience, and I consider that “experience is the best teacher”, as proven by some underprivileged but bright children who did not have access to education, but are rich in life experiences that enable them to be “street smart” survivors. My emphasis on “gaining new knowledge and skill” stems from my past motivations that acquisition of knowledge and skills in whatever manner makes one an intelligent and accomplished person. In my current definition, I have specifically included the process of interaction, as I now believe learning stems from social interactions. I have maintained that learning is a process of “gaining”, by integrating what is new with what is existing, and have gone further in saying that learning continuously brings on development in a person. C. Salomon and Perkins’ article on “Individual and Social Aspects of Learning” The article made me realize how a simple connection between two human beings can spark learning. The six aspects of individual and social learning discussed were helpful in my understanding of the processes involved in how learning ensues and how it can be transmitted from one individual to another or from one social group to another or from a group to an individual or vice versa. Learning does not merely benefit an individual’s cognitive functions, but his social skills as well. The article affirms that each individual has something to offer. We can learn from each person regardless of his social status or intellectual abilities. In doing so, we learn to respect each other, and adjust to one’s level of understanding. The concepts of ZPD, scaffolding, social mediation and socio-constructivism, in general have enlightened me in the nuances of what is involved in the learning process. It has likewise broadened my insights on how various factors such as an individual’s learning abilities, his social groups, culture and artifacts interplay in bringing about real learning. Read More