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Progressivism
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Progressivism is an
educational theory that emphasizes a learner centred approached
based on the notion that learning is most meaningful when it is
done through hands-on experience and in an environment that is
non-authoritarian. Dewey and William Kilpatrick (1871-1965) believed
in that environments which parallel the real world create conditions
for learners to be more flexible in constructing their own place
in the world.
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Constructivism
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Constructivism is a
philosophy of learning founded on the premise that, by reflecting
on our experiences, we construct our own understanding of the
world we live in. Thus it is assumed learners are move critical
and creative in their ability to construct their own view of reality.
Constructivists, therefore provide an environment that encourages
learners to make connections and develop their own understanding
of reality.
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Humanism
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Humanism is generally
associated with beliefs about freedom and autonomy and ideas that
learners ' are capable of making significant personal choices
within the constraints imposed by heredity, personal history and
environment' (Elias and Merriam 1980 - 118)
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Postmodern
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Postmodern education
is about enabling learners to create their own reality; use critical
thinking skills, inquiry, question-asking and developing their
own critical pedagogy.
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Theorist
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Philosophy
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Learning Theories - In practice - 'by
doing'
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Dewey
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Progressivism
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Dewey (1916) stated that
education should be tested by experiments and that learning is rooted in
questions developed by the learners in familiar settings: 'by understanding
their own environment a learner is laying the foundations for their own
control of the environment'. (1916:102). He believed the best way to render
human experience was to facilitate experiences. In other words, as we alter
our relationship with our environment, we ourselves are made different by
practice and experience and every belief should be evaluated to establish
reality.
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Vygotsky
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Constructivism
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Vygotsky (1978) emphasized that
learners make meaning by relating new knowledge to their previous knowledge.
Vygotsky brings in the notion of collaborative learning, therefore the role
of the teacher is create situations for learners to construct their own
knowledge of understanding. Thus the reality for learners is the process of
constructing meaningful representations, of making sense of their
experiential world.
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Piaget
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Constructivism
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Piaget (1929) states that, it
is assumed that learner have to construct their own knowledge, individually
and collectively: 'what the child learns by himself, what none can teach
him and what he must discover alone" (1964:129-130)
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Bruner
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Constructivism/ Behaviourism
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Bruner (1986) stated that the
environment is the key to learning. In his view 'there should be new ways
for learners to analyse their environments and challenge perceptions, myths
and illusions that take away from discovery learning'. (1986:138). Guided
discovery invites the learner to think, go beyond the given information and
to discover truths that are to be understood.
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Socrates
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Constructivism
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Socrates, who is not generally associated with
constructivist philosophy, yet his approach consisted of leading his
learners through a series of questions in order to promote critical
thinking. For example, in the application of the 'dialectical' method two
processes are distinguishable: the destructive process, by which the worse
opinion is eradicated and the constructive process, by which the better
opinion was induced.
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Rousseau
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Humanism
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Rousseau stated that the need
to create opportunities for new experiences and reflection are key elements
in learning: ' the power of the environment in determining the success of
educational encounters is crucial'. Furthermore, he believed that that
there was little for the teacher to do other than observe and guide: the
facilitator 'must accomplish their mission of educating, albeit in such a
way that your pupil always believes himself to be the master' (Rousseau
vol.4 1969:363)
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Freire
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Postmodern/ Critical Pedagogy
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Freire (1984) says learning, is
an act of knowing and requires the presence of two interrelated contexts; 'one
is the context of authentic dialogue between learners and educators as
equally knowing subjects...the second the the real, concrete contexts of
facts, the social reality in which people exist' (Freire 1989-49).
Therefore, value and validate the experience learners bring to the learning
environment and situate this experience at the centre of learning.
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Luke
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Postmodern
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Luke (2002) points out that
'the most at risk kids don't have to "learn the basics" before
they get online. Thus, their sense of the world is constructed as they
'navigate through the sea of text' that crops up when doing an on-line
search' (2002:26
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