We return this week to the book by Schank and Cleary, and read two chapters that argue for a particular kind of learning, and a particular design paradigm in making software to support that kind of learning. This attempt to combine learning theory with design principles is at the heart of much academic work on educational computing these days, but of course a very big problem is that we don't know very much about how people learn except in very restricted contexts (e.g. training).
The emphasis on the complexities of learning rather than those of teaching is perhaps a recent phenomenon, at least in K-16 in the US. Since the 1980s, much has been made of Howard Gardner's "multiple intelligence theory" and the ideas underlying the intuition that we learn (best) in different ways, through different media, in different environments. Certainly Schank and Cleary place their emphasis on the experiences of the learner rather than the strategies of the teacher, arguing for technology that gives the learner a large degree of control over materials and tasks.
A dilemma created by this shift in emphasis, at least for some educators, is the following: If the teacher becomes "the guide on the side" rather than "the sage on the stage", and students were really to take control of their learning experiences, how can the quality of these experiences be assured or even assessed? Clearly, this dilemma has serious implications for the design of educational software, which some might say can only be successful if one believes in the possibility of engineering a certain kind (or set of) experience(s). The dilemma and the implications are captured both in some of Dave's notes on chapter 10, and Laurence's questions about chapter 11.
By way of contrast with the Schank and Cleary model, and since it is the week of Passover, we'll quickly note the transformation of a few lines of Exodus into the Story of the Four Children in the traditional Passover Sedar. The lines are these (courtesy of Richard Goerwitz' excellent Bible Browser):
[Exod 12:26] And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service?
[Exod 12:27] That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the LORD's passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped.
[Exod 13:8] And thou shalt shew thy son in that day, saying, This is done because of that which the LORD did unto me when I came forth out of Egypt.
[Exod 13:9] And it shall be for a sign unto thee upon thine hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes, that the LORD's law may be in thy mouth: for with a strong hand hath the LORD brought thee out of Egypt.
[Exod 13:10] Thou shalt therefore keep this ordinance in his season from year to year.
[Exod 13:11] And it shall be when the LORD shall bring thee into the land of the Canaanites, as he sware unto thee and to thy fathers, and shall give it thee,
[Exod 13:12] That thou shalt set apart unto the LORD all that openeth the matrix, and every firstling that cometh of a beast which thou hast; the males shall be the LORD's.
[Exod 13:13] And every firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb; and if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt break his neck: and all the firstborn of man among thy children shalt thou redeem.
[Exod 13:14] And it shall be when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What is this? that thou shalt say unto him, By strength of hand the LORD brought us out from Egypt, from the house of bondage:
[Deut 6:20] And when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What mean the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD our God hath commanded you?
[Deut 6:21] Then thou shalt say unto thy son, We were Pharaoh's bondmen in Egypt; and the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand:
Here is an example of the story of The Four Children from the Haggadah at chabad.org; inasmuch as there is such a thing as a "typical" version, this is one:
Blessed is the Omnipresent One, blessed be He! Blessed is He who gave the Torah to His people Israel, blessed be He! The Torah speaks of four children: One is wise, one is wicked, one is simple and one does not know how to ask. The wise one, what does he say? "What are the testimonies, the statutes and the laws which the L-rd, our G-d, has commanded you?" You, in turn, shall instruct him in the laws of Pesach, [up to] `one is not to eat any dessert after the Pesach-lamb.' The wicked one, what does he say? "What is this service to you?!" He says `to you,' but not to him! By thus excluding himself from the community he has denied that which is fundamental. You, therefore, blunt his teeth and say to him: "It is because of this that the L-rd did for me when I left Egypt"; `for me' - but not for him! If he had been there, he would not have been redeemed!" The simpleton, what does he say? "What is this?" Thus you shall say to him: "With a strong hand the L-rd took us out of Egypt, from the house of slaves." As for the one who does not know how to ask, you must initiate him, as it is said: "You shall tell your child on that day, `It is because of this that the L-rd did for me when I left Egypt.'"
While it is certainly possible to interpret this approach to fulfilling the prescriptions in Exodus as a recognition of individual learning styles, the creation of the story itself is an example of a pedagogical strategy that emphasizes the actions and obligations of the teacher more than those of the student. Whatever your view about the optimal balance between teacher and learner, it is worthwhile to note how control and obligation are distributed in any learning environment (whether a classroom or the dinner table).