Some Common Practices
And Their Underlying Assumptions, Paradigms, Orientations, & Patterns
For an explanation and exploration of "Paradigm" and related ideas, go to the following pages:
- Paradigm - definition and description.
- Definitions of Some Common (Super) Paradigms
- Paradigms, Assumptions, and Methodologies - examples
Classroom “Management”
- Assumptions
- Children are to be controlled and manipulated.
- Teachers are in control.
- Learning requires that children are “in control” by teachers.
- There is a linear cause and effect to controlling children's behavior.
- Most approaches are based on Pavlovian behaviorism, where emotions and cognition are considered irrelevant.
- Paradigms, Orientations, & Patterns
- Behaviorist
- Mechanistic
- Hierarchical
- Relationships tend to be dominant—submissive or combative (competitive).
- Tendency to induce double binds (no win, damned if you do & damned if you don’t)
Teacher-Proof Curricula
- Assumptions
- Teachers are not professionals and have no expertise.
- Teachers are technicians.
- Teaching and curriculum are context independent.
- The same teaching approaches and curricula can be used in all contexts and with all students despite differences across individuals, social contexts, and cultures.
- Learning is under the control of others not connected to the classroom, school, or community context.
- Learning is static.
- Teaching and learning are standardized and linear.
- Paradigms, Orientations, & Patterns
- Behaviorist
- Mechanistic
- Positivistic
- Deterministic
- Hierarchical
Curriculum Mapping
- Assumptions
- Predetermined focus and sequence.
- Confuses the “map” for the “territory” (the "curriculum" for "learning" or the "curriculum" content for "reality).
- Assumes the knowledge in the curriculum is reality, rather than knowledge as an idiosyncratic (different for each child) representation.
- Doesn’t necessarily address meaning and relevance.
- Curriculum is equivalent for all.
- Learning is linear and sequential.
- Paradigms, Orientations, & Patterns
- Behaviorist
- Mechanistic
- Positivistic
- Deterministic
- Hierarchical
- Linear
Lesson Plans (Lessons)
- Assumptions
- What is to be learned is predetermined.
- Learning can occur in discrete periods of time.
- Fragmentation: “Bits” of information can be taught in isolated segments.
- Confuses the “map” (lesson plan) for the “territory” (learning).
- Dismisses the spontaneity, recursiveness, and multidimensional nature of learning.
- Does not allow for child-directed play, exploration, and inquiry.
- Paradigms, Orientations, & Patterns
- Behaviorist
- Mechanistic
- Positvisitic
- Reductionist
- Linear
Learning Objectives
- Assumptions
- Learning can be delineated and determined beforehand.
- Learning can be measured.
- A common problem involving a belief that certain phenomena or "things" that have no dimensions, quantities, or substance can be measured or quantified. Learning is a prime example
- Learning is predictable.
- Learning varies within each child as he or she makes idiosyncratic and culturally-influenced connections.
- Learning is a complex phenomenon that undergoes continuous change.
- As a complex phenomenon, we cannot predict how learning will occur in any individual and certainly not across multiple individuals.
- Learning is observable.
- Most learning is not "visible" or accessible through traditional assessment approaches.
- We only can see indications or markers of learning, much like the tip of an iceberg, which is undergoing continuous changes.
- Learning is static.
- Learning is dynamic and ever-changing.
- Paradigms, Orientations, & Patterns
- Behaviorist (origins as “behavioral objectives”)
- Mechanistic
- Positivistic
- Reductionist
- Deterministic
- Linear
- Simplistic
Content Standards (e.g., Common Core)
- Assumptions
- What may be good for one student is good for all students.
- Some content is more important that other content.
- In the case of the Common Core, most of the individuals involved in creating these standards had no subject matter training or training and experience in teaching.
- Content is determined by a small group of others not connected to the context of the learners.
- What should be learned is age-dependent.
- Learning capabilities are standardized, linear, and restrictive progressions.
- As Jerome Bruner has suggested, children are capable of learning almost anything given the appropriate experiences.
- Learning capabilities of students are standardized, linear, and restricted.
- Paradigms, Orientations, & Patterns
- Positivistic
- Mechanistic
- Reductionist
- Simplistic
Learning Occurs from Simple, Concrete to Complicated, Abstract
- Assumptions
- Learning is linear.
- This assumption makes some kind of naive sense, but is not at all representative of learning in children.
- Children often move from abstraction to simplicity in their learning and sense-making.
- Learning must start simply.
- Children do not use abstractions until after simple and concrete knowledge is learned.
- Abstractions are more “difficult” to learn.
- More complicated and abstract ideas often provided the meaning and relevance that stimulate children's learning.
- Learning is linear.
- Paradigms, Orientations, & Patterns
- Positivistic
- Reductionist
- Mechanistic
Testing and Many Assessment and Evaluation Practices
- Assumptions
- Learning is measureable.
- Discrete and disconnected bits of information about what has or has not been learned show a student’s understanding.
- Learning can be assigned a discrete value.
- Self and peer evaluation is not useful.
- Assessment of learning has to be done by someone other than the learner.
- Students are incapable of self- and peer-evaluation.
- Assumes students are not (and are probably incapable of being) aware of their own learning.
- Learning is purely the function of the individual and does not involve others.
- Learning is contained purely within an individual (much, if not most, learning is social and distributed among individuals.)
- Learning and understanding is independent of contexts.
- Confuses the “map” (score) for the “territory” (learning).
- Paradigms, Orientations, & Patterns
- Positivistic.
- Reductionist
- Mechanistic
Grading
- Assumptions
- Learning is discretely measureable.
- The teacher is in ultimate control.
- Learning can be evaluated on a simplistic, but abstract scale.
- Confuses the “map” (grade) for the “territory” (learning).
- Paradigms, Orientations, & Patterns
- Positivistic
- Reductionist
- Mechanistic
Homework (as typically practiced)
- Assumptions
- Assumes learning is a process of simple repetition and practice.
- Assumes learning is devoid of context.
- Paradigms, Orientations, & Patterns
- Positivistic
- Reductionist
- Mechanistic
- Behavioristic
Drill & Practice
- Assumptions
- Assumes learning can be achieved by simple repetitive cycles.
- Assumes learning is simple rote memory.
- Paradigms, Orientations, & Patterns
- Positivistic
- Reductionist
- Mechanistic
- Behavioristic
Student Achievement
- Assumptions
- Learning is a level of performance that can be measured.
- “Achievement” is confusing a piece of the “map” with the whole “map” and with the “territory.”
- Confuses “achievement” with learning (one can achieve or score highly on a test without significant learning).
- Paradigms, Orientations, & Patterns
- Positivistic
- Reductionist
- Mechanistic
Student Achievement as Measure of Teacher Effectiveness
- Assumptions
- Achievement is not necessarily learning.
- Assumes student learning is entirely due to “effectiveness” of teacher.
- Assumes that student learning is only affected by teacher and what takes place in classroom.
- Assumes students have no responsibility for their own learning.
- Assumes that other factors do not affect learning, such as family life, everyday life contexts that are outside of family and school, etc.
- Paradigms, Orientations, & Patterns
- Positivistic
- Reductionist
- Mechanistic
Time On Task
- Assumptions
- Assumes that learning only occurs while focused on a task.
- Assumes that children can be totally focused on a task, while no adult is ever totally “on task” while at work.
- Assumes that “time off task” is a waste of time, even though creativity, insight, and solutions to problems often occur while “off task.”
- Paradigms, Orientations, & Patterns
- Positivistic
- Reductionist
- Mechanistic
- Behavioristic
Time Limited Tasks (including tests)
- Assumptions
- Assumes learning can be accomplished during discrete periods of time.
- Assumes that all students can learn at the same rate.
- Assumes that learning has discrete limits in depth, extent, and abstraction.
- Paradigms, Orientations, & Patterns
- Positivistic
- Reductionist
- Mechanistic
- Behavioristic
Adherence to State Standards
- Assumptions
- Most literature have statements about adhering to state standards for all teaching activity & have statements about promoting connections to student prior knowledge, curiosity, and their everyday lives. However, these two statements are contradictory - if you truly promote connections to student prior knowledge, their lives, and their curiosity, you will have to deviate from state standards.
- Paradigms, Orientations, & Patterns
- Positivistic
- Reductionist
- Mechanistic
Teachers "Teach"
- Assumptions
- Teachers are in control of student learning.
- Assumes that someone “can teach” or transmit knowledge to someone else and ignores learning as an integrative process that occurs within an individual and among individuals.
- Paradigms, Orientations, & Patterns
- Positivistic
- Reductionist
- Mechanistic
Learning Progressions
- Assumptions
- Assumes learning is linear.
- Assumes that learning progresses through the same sequence.
- Assumes that learning processes are standardized across all individuals.
- Assumes learning follows a linear pathway from simple to complex (abstract).
- Paradigms, Orientations, & Patterns
- Positivistic
- Reductionist
- Mechanistic
“Teachable Moments”
- Assumptions
- Assumes that learning occurs around specific and discrete “meaningful” events, as opposed to learning that occurs as helices in time and space.
- Assumes that someone other than the learner(s) must be responsible for recognizing opportunities to learn.
- Does not recognize such moments as possible points of departure or emergence from existing learning helices (but are seen as discrete, fragmented, and disconnected moments).
- Paradigms, Orientations, & Patterns
- Positivistic
- Reductionist
- Mechanistic
Scaffolding
- Assumptions
- Although seen as helical, scaffolding assumes a certain sequential linearity to conceptual learning.
- Paradigms, Orientations, & Patterns
- Positivistic
- Reductionist
- Mechanistic
© 2010 Jeffrey W. Bloom
COMMENTS:
page revision: 8, last edited: 20 May 2014 20:00
The accountability piece in education has that unfortunate time stipulation to it. Much like when a child learns to crawl, walk or talk. One can do things to attempt to speed up the maturation process, but inevitably it is the individual child’s make up that will determine the rate at which they progress. I have heard of children speaking within months of birth and in other cases, much like my niece, some wait for several years before speaking. In the case of the later, she is not intellectually challenged or low, it just took her longer to verbalize. This waiting or extended time is not always received well by policy makers.
I am thinking about the section “learning occurs from simple, concrete to complicated, abstract. I believe that if a child has been exposed to multiple environments and things, then they are capable of creating understanding from any of the levels, depending on the topic and content. Example; if a child is raised on a farm and also has the opportunity to to go water skiing, snow boarding, snorkeling, fishing, and camping they will have more opportunities to bring new meanings from multiple directions.