A WORK IN PROGRESS.
The ideal teaching method is a work in progress. Education has been around in a vast variety of methods and creeds throughout the ages. In its earlier forms it was very simple as basic life skills were taught to children through imitation and demonstration. As mans’ thought processes became more complex the demand for a suitably appropriate education became greater. As time progressed teaching methods in general became more abstract and intellectual and the image of man as a whole being became very dim.
It seemed that in order to bring education to the masses, students became nothing more than heads that had to be crammed full of as much information as possible. In a lot of cases the information taught had no relevance to the students’ lives and paid no heed to building on their previous knowledge or experiences. The idea that students were individual beings with individual needs was not even considered.
Along the way however there were some who thought otherwise and sought to make learning a more rewarding and happier experience.
Jean Piaget argued that education be made relevant to the four main developmental stages that we go through.
These are;
1. Sensorimotor stage (birth - 2 years old)--The child, through physical interaction with his or her environment, builds a set of concepts about reality and how it works. This is the stage where a child does not know that physical objects remain in existence even when out of sight (object permanence).
2. Preoperational stage (ages 2-7)--The child is not yet able to conceptualize abstractly and needs concrete physical situations.
3. Concrete operations (ages 7-11)--As physical experience accumulates, the child starts to conceptualize, creating logical structures that explain his or her physical experiences. Abstract problem solving is also possible at this stage. For example, arithmetic equations can be solved with numbers, not just with objects.
4. Formal operations (beginning at ages 11-15)--By this point, the child's cognitive structures are like those of an adult and include conceptual reasoning.
Piaget’s theory stated that the curriculum be designed to enhance the students’ growth and that teachers build on the children’s prior knowledge. He realised the importance of play in learning and suggested that the surrounding areas be used in the learning environment.
Vygotsky stated that the child’s immediate culture was the main contributor to its development, that children learn from the social aspects of their life. With appropriate guidance from their teacher they could accomplish more than they could on their own.
How Vygotsky Impacts Learning:Curriculum--Since children learn much through interaction, curricula should be designed to emphasize interaction between learners and learning tasks.
Instruction--With appropriate adult help, children can often perform tasks that they are incapable of completing on their own. With this in mind, scaffolding--where the adult continually adjusts the level of his or her help in response to the child's level of performance--is an effective form of teaching. Scaffolding not only produces immediate results, but also instils the skills necessary for independent problem solving in the future.
Assessment--Assessment methods must take into account the zone of proximal development. What children can do on their own is their level of actual development and what they can do with help is their level of potential development. Two children might have the same level of actual development, but given the appropriate help from an adult, one might be able to solve many more problems than the other. Assessment methods must target both the level of actual development and the level of potential development.
http://funderstanding.com/vygotsky.cfm.
"I want my children to understand the world, but not just because the world is fascinating and the human mind is curious. I want them to understand it so that they will be positioned to make it a better place. Knowledge is not the same as morality, but we need to understand if we are to avoid past mistakes and move in productive directions. An important part of that understanding is knowing who we are and what we can do... Ultimately, we must synthesize our understandings for ourselves. The performance of understanding that try matters are the ones we carry out as human beings in an imperfect world which we can affect for good or for ill." (Howard Gardner 1999: 180-181)
Howard Gardner has an individual and very relevant approach with the theory of multiple intelligences. There are seven of these; linguistic, musical, logical-mathematical, spatial, body kinaesthetic, intra-personal (insight) and interpersonal (social skills). Gardner believes that we have leanings towards one or more of these skills and that students should be encouraged to develop them. Tasks in the classroom should involve all of them in some way to encourage student participation.
How Multiple Intelligences Impact LearningCurriculum--Traditional schooling heavily favours the verbal-linguistic and logical-mathematical intelligences. Gardner suggests a more balanced curriculum that incorporates the arts, self-awareness, communication, and physical education.
Instruction--Gardner advocates instructional methods that appeal to all the intelligences, including role playing, musical performance, cooperative learning, reflection, visualization, story telling, and so on.
Assessment--This theory calls for assessment methods that take into account the diversity of intelligences, as well as self-assessment tools that help students understand their intelligences.
http://funderstanding.com/multiple_intelligence.cfm.
Everyone strives for some level of self-understanding and a form of education that does not take this into account is lacking an important component. Education should be more than learning enough to pass the Year Twelve exams. It should nourish the whole human being who is a lot more than just a head waiting to receive information. I agree most with Gardner’s theory with its leaning towards individual growth, artistic activities and self-understanding.
I work in a Steiner school where every day is divided into three distinct parts to nourish the thinking, feeling and willing forces equally. The morning lessons are given over to maths, science, English etc, the middle lessons involve music, art or languages and the afternoon lessons involve varieties of craft eg knitting, clay work, woodwork to name a few.
Each lesson planned takes into consideration the soul development of that particular age as indicated by Rudolf Steiner. Stories are told to lead the children to a greater self-understanding; the content of these stories is absolutely relevant to that particular class.
However good any philosophy or theory of education may be, the methods of education must always be appropriate to the time and therefore will always be a work in progress.
I seek within
The working of creative forces,
The life of creative powers.
Earth’s gravity is telling me
Through the word of my feet,
Air’s wafting forms are telling me
Through the singing of my hands,
And Heaven’s light is telling me
Through the thinking of my head,
How the great World in Man
Speaks, sings and thinks.
Rudolf Steiner
