Cooperative Chaos

Campus Report ^ | February 12, 2009 | Deborah Lambert

[bs9021]

Cooperative Chaos

by: Deborah Lambert, February 12, 2009

If students’ heads are being filled with mush these days, there’s a reason.

In fact, there are many. One of them could be that students are being subjected to trendy educational theories that make no sense and have little value as teaching tools.

Take "cooperative learning," for example.

In case you’re out of the loop, this is one of the latest educational ideas, also known as “collaborative,” “interactive” or “student-centered” learning. Charlotte Allen reported on www.mindingthecampus.com that it’s all part of the edu-mindspeak known as “constructivism” that “holds that teachers don’t teach things but rather, that students ‘construct’ their own knowledge out of what they already know.”

The goal is to dismiss the traditional role of teachers imparting knowledge to students as a quaint relic. The language of edu-mindspeak claims that “a teacher who lectures or otherwise imparts material from the front of the classroom creates an atmosphere in which the students are passive robots whose job is to ‘regurgitate’ . . . their lecture notes on the final exam. Far better for a teacher to be just a coach, gently nudging students along the path of learning on their own.”

This concept has inspired new agers like information systems management professor Bruce Saulnier (Quinnipiac U.) to conclude that content should simply be regarded as a vehicle “for students to develop their skills and strategies.” He explains that “there is simply too much knowledge in the world today for students to learn everything they need to know.”...

[RebelTXRose]

That’s why my son is picky on the homework he does!

[MathDoc]

Take "cooperative learning," for example ... “holds that teachers don’t teach things but rather, that students ‘construct’ their own knowledge out of what they already know.”

There is an element of truth here, just as there is with whole language. A good reading teacher will have kids reading real books with a decent story line so they will want to read and have the interest to figure out words from context - but that good teacher will also teach kids to sound out words so they are not just guessing from context or from what makes sense. Similarly, we all learn better from doiing things than we do from passive listening. A good teacher uses that and puts students in a position to make those logical connections between the material and the real world - but a good teacher also provides plenty of direct instruction (lectures!) so the kids have some facts with which to make those connections.

... “there is simply too much knowledge in the world today for students to learn everything they need to know.”...

That sounds like a recipe for raising democrats: "There is too much to know, and you just don't have what it takes to understand. Don't worry. Aunt Nancy and Uncle Barack know what you need, and they'll take care of you."

[kitkat]

***That sounds like a recipe for raising democrats: “There is too much to know, and you just don’t have what it takes to understand. Don’t worry. Aunt Nancy and Uncle Barack know what you need, and they’ll take care of you.” ***

Very good post, MathDoc.