Portents of Revolution [electronic resource] : the Cognitive Sciences and Workplace Literacy. NCEE Occasional Paper No. 8 / Sue E. Berryman.
Cognitive science research indicates that learning through apprenticeship may be more effective than traditional schooling. The following critical mistakes in traditional schooling are outlined: (1) skills are taught in progressively more difficult steps, neglecting to engage higher-order thinking a...
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| Format: | Electronic eBook |
| Language: | English |
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[S.l.] :
Distributed by ERIC Clearinghouse,
1989.
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| Summary: | Cognitive science research indicates that learning through apprenticeship may be more effective than traditional schooling. The following critical mistakes in traditional schooling are outlined: (1) skills are taught in progressively more difficult steps, neglecting to engage higher-order thinking abilities; (2) a skill is broken down into separately practiced subskills, which seldom produces competence in the skill itself; (3) skills are taught in isolation, providing little experience in how they are used in combination; (4) knowledge, skills, and their application are separated, preventing true understanding; and (5) knowledge and skills are taught in a classroom setting unlike settings at work or in real life, impeding the transfer of learning. The following contrasts between in-school and out-of-school mental activity are outlined: (1) school emphasizes individual work while out-of-school situations require group problem-solving; (2) school emphasizes pure mentation while out-of-school situations emphasize the use of tools; (3) school emphasizes symbol manipulation while out-of-school situations emphasize things and events; and (4) school emphasizes generalized learning while out-of-school situations emphasize situation-specific competencies. Successful apprenticeship programs share the following characteristics: (1) focus on the conditions of application of the knowledge and skills being learned; (2) weave together specific declarative and procedural knowledge with the development of general basic skills and problem-solving strategies; (3) take into account the learner's original ideas, stage discrepant or confirming experiences to stimulate questions, and encourage the generation of a range of responses with the opportunity to apply these in various situations; and (4) emphasize learning in context. (FMW) |
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| Item Description: | ERIC Document Number: ED347214. Availability: National Center on Education and Employment, Box 174, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027. Sponsoring Agency: Rand Corp., Santa Monica, CA. Sponsoring Agency: Office of Educational Research and Improvement (ED), Washington, DC. Contract Number: G008690008. ERIC Note: Paper presented at the National Workplace Literacy Conference (Rochester, NY, November 6-8, 1989). |
| Physical Description: | 12 p. |
| Audience: | Researchers. |