Learning, Teaching and Education Research in the 21st Century An Evolutionary Analysis of the Role of Teachers

by Swann, Joanna

• ISBN13: 9781441163172
• ISBN10: 1441163174
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-02-16
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic

Summary

Learning, Teaching and Education Research in the 21st Century: An Evolutionary Analysis of the Role of Teachers draws on Karl Popper's evolutionary epistemology and challenges widespread assumptions about learning, teaching and research that are embedded in the practices of many teachers and in the design of most education institutions worldwide. Joanna Swann argues that to promote the growth of learning we need to encourage children and adolescents to exercise and develop their facility for creativity and criticality, and that we need to provide and maintain environments in which they can safely engage in self-initiated and self-directed exploratory activity. In accessible and engaging language, the author presents philosophical arguments that support the defence and development of non- authoritarian approaches to learning and teaching that can be used by individuals and groups working in or outside state-funded schools. In particular, she provides tried-and-tested guidelines for student-initiated curricula and a problem-based methodology for professional development and action research.

Author Biography

Joanna Swann is a Popperian philosopher of learning and method, known internationally for her innovative theoretical and practical explorations of the implications of evolutionary epistemology for teaching and education research. Formerly a Principal Lecturer at the University of Brighton, UK, she is now a freelance author.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements	p. xi
The Purpose of This Book	p. 1
Introduction	p. 1
Whom this book is for	p. 3
The nature of the argument	p. 3
Facts and values	p. 5
The nature of teaching	p. 6
Research on teaching	p. 8
Authoritarian approaches to teaching	p. 9
Teaching and learning in a democracy	p. 12
The provenance of the argument	p. 14
A challenge to Popperians	p. 15
What this book does not do	p. 16
Learning
The Challenge of an Evolutionary Analysis of Learning	p. 19
Introduction	p. 19
Karl Popper's legacy	p. 21
Understanding an evolutionary analysis of learning	p. 23
The nature of learning	p. 25
All life is problem solving	p. 27
Trial and error-elimination	p. 29
Two competing ideas about learning	p. 32
Moving beyond sticking points	p. 34
The myth of learning by instruction from without	p. 38
What Happens When We Learn	p. 41
Introduction	p. 42
What happens when learning takes place	p. 42
Problems	p. 43
Creativity in learning	p. 46
The importance of self-directed exploratory activity	p. 48
What is special about human learning	p. 51
Popperian selectionism in the context of constructivism	p. 56
Radical but not 'radical constructivism'	p. 59
Addressing Some Problematic Ideas about Learning	p. 62
Introduction	p. 63
The theory of induction	p. 64
Belief in regularities	p. 65
The role of so-called confirming evidence	p. 68
Error, inadequacy and specific limitation	p. 70
Observation	p. 72
The role of repetition in learning	p. 73
Associationist theories of learning	p. 75
In opposition to behaviourism	p. 78
Encouraging Learning
What Promotes and What Inhibits Learning	p. 83
Introduction	p. 83
Key facts about learning	p. 84
Method in promoting one's own learning	p. 85
Learning how to learn	p. 89
An environment conducive to human learning	p. 92
Promoting the learning of others	p. 95
Educational settings unconducive to learning	p. 99
Significant impediments to learning in school	p. 101
Against the Intensive Use of Prescribed Curricula with Children and Adolescents	p. 106
Introduction	p. 106
The ubiquity of prescribed curricula	p. 107
Tyrrell Burgess's legacy for the curriculum	p. 110
A stumbling block in the way of Popperian curriculum development	p. 113
Some undesirable consequences of prescribed curricula	p. 116
In support of student-initiated curricula	p. 121
Contrasting Popperian views	p. 123
Three challenges	p. 125
Developing Student-Initiated Curricula	p. 126
Introduction	p. 126
Formulating learning problems	p. 128
Selecting learning problems, planning learning and fulfilling plans	p. 131
Challenge and criticism in learning	p. 134
The teacher's role in challenge and criticism	p. 136
Evaluating and recording learning achievement	p. 140
Illustrating the role of criticism in learning	p. 143
The 3Rs	p. 146
What should also be taught	p. 148
Teacher attributes	p. 150
Developing Teaching
Research and the Development of Teaching	p. 157
Introduction	p. 157
Popperian epistemology and the growth of objectified knowledge	p. 158
Knowledge of reality	p. 160
Limitations of evidence	p. 161
Appropriate use of evidence	p. 164
Choosing between competing theories	p. 166
To go boldly, or not	p. 168
Practical and theoretical problems	p. 171
Two types of research	p. 174
Developing a Popperian Science of School Teaching	p. 176
Introduction	p. 177
Positivism, postpositivism and empiricism	p. 178
Rejecting justificationism	p. 180
Science, fact and value	p. 183
Theoretical explanations	p. 186
Testing universal theories	p. 189
Proscriptive hypotheses and technological prohibitions	p. 191
Testing this book's theory of teaching	p. 193
Some general implications	p. 196
Improving Our Practices as Teachers	p. 198
Introduction	p. 198
Who plans, and why	p. 201
The ubiquitous approach to planning	p. 202
Against objectives	p. 204
Problem-based planning and evaluation	p. 209
Distinguishing between problem-based and objectives-based planning	p. 212
Professional development through action research	p. 213
A problem-based methodology for professional development	p. 217
Facilitating problem-based professional development	p. 221
Problem-based accountability	p. 224
Teaching for a Better World	p. 229
Introduction	p. 230
Keeping faith with mass schooling	p. 231
The importance of optimism	p. 232
Some impediments to human transcendence	p. 233
Addressing impediments to transcendent learning	p. 237
Teaching for transcendence	p. 238
Anticipating consequences	p. 239
Testing practices and testing the theory	p. 241
What teachers are for - their role and purpose in promoting learning	p. 242
References	p. 244
Index	p. 256
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