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2 - Foundations and Opportunities for an Interdisciplinary Science of Learning
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- By John D. Bransford, University of Washington, Brigid Barron, Stanford University, Roy D. Pea, Stanford University, Andrew Meltzoff, University of Washington, Patricia Kuhl, University of Washington, Philip Bell, University of Washington, Reed Stevens, University of Washington, Daniel L. Schwartz, Stanford University, Nancy Vye, University of Washington, Byron Reeves, Stanford University, Jeremy Roschelle, SRI International, Nora H. Sabelli, SRI International
- Edited by R. Keith Sawyer, Washington University, St Louis
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- Book:
- The Cambridge Handbook of the Learning Sciences
- Published online:
- 05 June 2012
- Print publication:
- 24 April 2005, pp 19-34
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- Chapter
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Summary
In this chapter, we argue that the learning sciences are poised for a “decade of synergy.” We focus on several key traditions of theory and research with the potential for mutually influencing one another in ways that can transform how we think about the science of learning, as well as how future educators and scientists are trained.
The three major strands of research that we focus on are: (1) implicit learning and the brain, (2) informal learning, and (3) designs for formal learning and beyond. As Figure 2.1A illustrates, these three areas have mainly operated independently, with researchers attempting to apply their thinking and findings directly to education, and with the links between theory and well-grounded implications for practice often proving tenuous at best.
The goal of integrating insights from these strands in order to create a transformative theory of learning is illustrated in Figure 2.1B. Successful efforts to understand and advance human learning require a simultaneous emphasis on informal and formal learning environments, and on the implicit ways in which people learn in whatever situations they find themselves.
We explore examples of research from each of these three strands. We then suggest ways that the learning sciences might draw on these traditions for creating a more robust understanding of learning, which can inform the design of learning environments that allow all students to succeed in the fast changing world of the twenty-first century (e.g., Darling-Hammond & Bransford, 2005; Vaill, 1996).
17 - New approaches to instruction: because wisdom can't be told
- Edited by Stella Vosniadou, Andrew Ortony
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- Book:
- Similarity and Analogical Reasoning
- Published online:
- 22 October 2009
- Print publication:
- 28 July 1989, pp 470-497
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Summary
The subtitle of this chapter is borrowed from an article published in 1940 by Charles L. Cragg. He begins with the following quotation from Balzac:
So he had grown rich at last, and thought to transmit to his only son all the cut-and-dried experience which he himself had purchased at the price of his lost illusions; a noble last illusion of age.
Except for the part about growing rich, we find that Balzac's ideas fit our experiences quite well. In our roles as parents, friends, supervisors, and professional educators we frequently attempt to prepare people for the future by imparting the wisdom gleaned from our own experiences. Sometimes our efforts are rewarded, but we are often less successful than we would like to be and we need to understand why.
Our goal in this chapter is to examine the task of preparing people for the future by exploring the notion that wisdom can't be told. Our arguments are divided into four parts.
First, we consider in more detail the notion that wisdom cannot be told. The argument is not that people are unable to learn from being shown or told. Clearly, we can remind people of important sets of information and tell them new information, and they can often tell it back to us. However, this provides no guarantee that people will develop the kinds of sensitivities necessary to use relevant information in new situations.