Topic 2A: Great Educational Minds

……The Roots of Integrated and Interactive

Curriculum

Inquiry Questions:

What historical connections are there between progressive education and active/interactive curriculum?

Who have been the influential leaders of education, both past and present?

What have we learned from these educational leaders, and how can we apply this to our own teaching?

Learning Outcomes:Students will examine the roles and influence that historical educators have had on current curriculum paradigmsStudents will create a visual representation of one educator using various web 2.0 toolsStudents will evaluate a integrated unit presentation using UBD principles

You and your team will be assigned to a great educational mind. Your team will complete one of the two tasks for next week’s class:

1. Create “a digital literacy product” based on an interview with your “great mind”

2. Create a Movie Trailer or Comic Book (using various movie production programs/Web 2.0 Tool) based on the “autobiography of your “great mind”

3. Send me the link for your 2 minute video

John Dewey:Dewey’s designs embedded learning

in experience (1938)

He demonstrated the importance of

giving children the responsibility for

their own learning (e.g. projects); he

believed that the teacher’s role was to

direct children rather than control them

Dewey believed that learning was

lifelong and that it should take place in

a social environment. He advocated

field studies and immersion in

experiences to stimulate learning.

We see Dewey’s influence in

community service and civic projects

(e.g. service learning)

United States

”Learn by Doing ”

Jean Piaget

Piaget’s work influenced teachers

through designs of discovery learning

(1970)

Piaget believed that students learn

best by manipulating subject matter

and objects and interpreting their

findings

We see Piaget’s influence in science

inquiry experiments, problem-based

learning models, and case studies

Piaget believed that discovery

learning should be “hands on”

Switzerland

“To understand is to invent…discover”

Paulo Freire

Freire’s work influenced teachers through

designs of problem-posing education (1972)

Freire’s central premise is that education is

not neutral; whether it occurs in a classroom

or community setting, the interaction of

teacher and student does not occur in a

vacuum.

Freire believed that education starts from the

experiences of people.

Freire proposed a dialogic approach in

which everyone involved (students and

teachers) participated as colearners; the goal

being critical thinking through a problem-

posing model. This model involved three

steps: 1) listening, 2) dialogue, and 3) action

Brazil

“Education involves ‘banking’ –making deposits in your intellectual

bank”

Lev VygotskyWe see the influence of Vygotsky’s

designs through the many studies of

classroom interaction patterns (1978)

Vygotsky’s theory suggests that we

learn first through person-to-person

interactions and then individually

through an internalization process that

leads to deeper understanding

(reflection).

We see Vygotsky’s influence in

cooperative learning and in interactive

strategies such as debates, discussions,

and effective questioning practices

Vygotsky believed that students are

guided by others including the teacher,

mediator or advanced students

Russia

“Two Heads are Better Than One”

Reuven FeuersteinFeuerstein performed ground-

breaking work in cognitive

modifications with traumatized

children of the Holocaust (1980).

Feuerstein’s learning theory refutes

the concept of an unchanging IQ, and

leads to an examination of how the

classroom affects students’

metacognition (ability to think about

“thinking”).

Feuerstein believed that the discovery

process requires intervention from the

teacher to guide learning to provide

students with a deeper understanding

and reflective transfer. Teachers

should lead students to think about

their thinking.

Romania (Jewish)

”Learning is more than thinking…it is thinking about thinking”

Jerome Bruner

“Learning is a Process of Discovery”

Bruner is an American psychologist who has

made significant contributions to

human cognitive psychology and cognitive

learning theory in educational psychology.

We feel Bruner’s influence in differentiated

instruction in today’s classrooms. Bruner

studied the way children learned and coined the

term "scaffolding", to describe the way children

often build on the information they have

already mastered. He also believed that

learning should be spurred by interest in the

material rather than tests or punishment, since

we learn best when we find the knowledge

we're obtaining appealing.

Bruner is a true instructional designer who

suggests that a learner (even of a very young

age) is capable of learning any material so long

as the instruction is organized appropriately

(e.g. the spiral curriculum)

United States

Elliot Eisner

Eisner’s work has influenced teachers as

well as middle school philosophy (1984)

Eisner believed that teachers should

focus more on “how” to teach students

rather than on “what” they are teaching

Eisner believed in hands-on experience

and integration which would make

learning more personally satisfying for

students. This should be accomplished

through a variety of frameworks (e.g.

inquiry projects, problem-solving) which

allows students to see different

perspectives.

Eisner believed that there are infinite

ways to evaluate, and that children should

learn how to learn (metacognition”)

American

”Learn how to Learn”

Howard GardnerGardner’s work has influenced teachers

through his conceptualization of intelligence

as multidimensional; he has identified eight

realms of intelligence: verbal, logical,

spatial, musical, kinesthetic, interpersonal,

intrapersonal, and naturalist (1983)

Gardner defined human potential in terms

of the ability to solve problems by using a

variety of intelligences when executing

complex tasks

We feel Gardner’s influence not only in

understanding that there are many ways of

knowing about the world and making

personal meaning, but also in recognizing

that there are many ways of expressing what

students know and are able to do; this

includes valuing performance assessments as

an authentic evaluation of student learning.

United States

“It is not how smart you are, but how you are smart”

Thinkers of the 21st Century• Marcia Tate

• Robert Marzano

• Will Richardson

• Daniel Pink

• Marian Diamond

• Harvey Silver

• Sir Ken Robinson

• Alfie Kohn

• Carol Ann Tomlinson

• Eric Jensen

…….and many others

Wise Words of the Week