Authentic activity and learning
01 Jun 1994-British Journal of Educational Studies (Taylor & Francis Group)-Vol. 42, Iss: 2, pp 163-173
TL;DR: The authors describes the tension that exists between the views of learning as a means of knowledge transfer and the alternative idea that it is socially situated and not separable from the activities in which it is developed.
Abstract: This article describes the tension that exists between the views of learning as a means of knowledge transfer and the alternative idea that it is socially situated and not separable from the activities in which it is developed. It concludes that the ‘authentic practices’ of particular academic domains should be employed in schools to encourage learning rather the culture of schooling itself.
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Book•
01 Dec 2009TL;DR: This guide provides effective, working examples to engage learners with authentic tasks in online settings that go beyond process to become complex, sustained activities that draw on realistic situations to produce realistic outcomes.
Abstract: Part of the groundbreaking Connecting with e-Learning series, A Guide to Authentic e-Learning provides effective, working examples to engage learners with authentic tasks in online settings. As technology continues to open up possibilities for innovative and effective teaching and learning opportunities, students and teachers are no longer content to accept familiar classroom or lecture-based pedagogies that rely on information delivery and little else. Situated and constructivist theories advocate that learning is best achieved in circumstances resembling the real-life application of knowledge. While there are multiple learning design models that share similar foundations, authentic e-learning tasks go beyond process to become complex, sustained activities that draw on realistic situations to produce realistic outcomes.
468 citations
TL;DR: It is argued that the value of authentic activity is not constrained to learning in real-life locations and practice, but that there are critical characteristics of authentic activities that can be incorporated into the design of Web-based courses to enhance learning online.
Abstract: INFLUENCED by constructivist educational theory and advances in technology, there is increasing interest in authentic activities as a basis for learning in both face-to-face and Web-based courses. Whereas traditionally, real-world activities have primarily served as vehicles for practice of skills or processes that are taught using traditional instructional methods, a more radical approach is to build a whole course of study around authentic activities and tasks. The authors of this paper argue that the value of authentic activity is not constrained to learning in real-life locations and practice, but that there are critical characteristics of authentic activities that can be incorporated into the design of Web-based courses to enhance learning online. We include a description of the theory, research, and development initiatives that provide the foundations for this approach. Finally, we present guidelines and examples for the design of complex authentic activities for online learning, together with the implications of this approach for teachers, students, and designers.
216 citations
Cites background from "Authentic activity and learning"
...Clayden, Desforges, Mills, and Rawson (1994) noted that student efforts to make sense of classroom activities generally lead them to focus on working practices rather than abstract ideas....
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01 Jan 2006
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors propose guidelines for designing authentic learning environments for higher education that can be applied across a range of disciplines and in a variety of modes, and provide a practical framework for teachers wishing to break away from traditional, teacher-centered approaches in higher education, and who are willing to create learning environments where students are motivated to learn in rich, relevant and real-world contexts.
Abstract: Recent research and learning theory provides a wealth of thought, ideas and strategies to inform the design and implementation of learner-centered, realistic and effective learning environments. This chapter proposes guidelines for designing authentic learning environments for higher education that can be applied across a range of disciplines and in a variety of modes. Characteristics of the approach are explored in depth, and the chapters of the book are introduced as examples of authentic learning environments in diverse subject areas and contexts. The chapter provides a practical framework for teachers wishing to break away from traditional, teacher-centered approaches in higher education, and who are willing to create learning environments where students are motivated to learn in rich, relevant and real-world contexts.
144 citations
TL;DR: In this article, children from seven classes representing the year groups in a primary school were interviewed in groups of three or four to find out their understanding and views on issues related to the environment and science.
Abstract: Children from seven classes representing the year groups in a primary school were interviewed in groups of three or four to find out their understanding and views on issues related to the environment and science The large majority showed considerable interest and concern about environmental issues related to their experience and understanding, drawn from school and influences outside of the school, though most showed limitations and contradictions in their understanding of the issues The children's understanding of science was mainly limited to their experience of the subject at school and few showed any understanding of the impact of science on society or the environment Examples of children's cognitive and moral development of environmental issues are presented, including features of phases in the development, as identified from the interviews The implications for teaching science and environmental education are discussed
98 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated the effects of music-mathematics interdisciplinary lessons on elementary school students' mathematical abilities of modeling, strategy and application, and found that music-math interdisciplinary learning had positive effects on multiple mathematical ability areas.
Abstract: This article presents exploratory research investigating the way teachers integrate music into their regular mathematics lessons as well as the effects of music-mathematics interdisciplinary lessons on elementary school students’ mathematical abilities of modeling, strategy and application. Two teachers and two classes of first grade and third grade students (n=46) participated in the present study. The two teachers designed and implemented music activities as an integrated part of their regular mathematics lessons across five weeks. Results demonstrated that both teachers integrated a variety of music activities with different mathematical content. The music-math interdisciplinary lessons had positive effects on multiple mathematical ability areas.
68 citations
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TL;DR: Collins, Brown, and Newman as mentioned in this paper argue that knowledge is situated, being in part a product of the activity, context, and culture in which it is developed and used, and propose cognitive apprenticeship as an alternative to conventional practices.
Abstract: Many teaching practices implicitly assume that conceptual knowledge can be abstracted from the situations in which it is learned and used. This article argues that this assumption inevitably limits the effectiveness of such practices. Drawing on recent research into cognition as it is manifest in everyday activity, the authors argue that knowledge is situated, being in part a product of the activity, context, and culture in which it is developed and used. They discuss how this view of knowledge affects our understanding of learning, and they note that conventional schooling too often ignores the influence of school culture on what is learned in school. As an alternative to conventional practices, they propose cognitive apprenticeship (Collins, Brown, & Newman, in press), which honors the situated nature of knowledge. They examine two examples of mathematics instruction that exhibit certain key features of this approach to teaching.
14,006 citations
Book•
01 Jan 1934
TL;DR: The Open Society and Its Enemies as discussed by the authors is regarded as one of Popper's most enduring books and contains insights and arguments that demand to be read to this day, as well as many of the ideas in the book.
Abstract: Described by the philosopher A.J. Ayer as a work of 'great originality and power', this book revolutionized contemporary thinking on science and knowledge. Ideas such as the now legendary doctrine of 'falsificationism' electrified the scientific community, influencing even working scientists, as well as post-war philosophy. This astonishing work ranks alongside The Open Society and Its Enemies as one of Popper's most enduring books and contains insights and arguments that demand to be read to this day.
7,904 citations
TL;DR: A research and development project in teaching is described designed to examine whether and how it might be possible to bring the practice of knowing mathematics in school closer too what it means to know mathematics within the discipline by deliberately altering the roles and responsibilities of teacher and students in classroom discourse.
Abstract: This paper describes a research and development project in teaching designed to examine whether and how it might be possible to bring the practice of knowing mathematics in school closer too what it means to know mathematics within the discipline by deliberately altering the roles and responsibilities of teacher and students in classroom discourse. The project was carried out as a regular feature of lessons in fifth-grade mathematics in a public school. A case of teaching and learning about exponents derived from lessons taught in the project is described and interpreted from mathematical, pedagogical, and sociolinguistic perspectives. To change the meaning of knowing and learning in school, the teacher initiated and supported social interactions appropriate to making mathematical arguments in response to students’ conjectures. The activities students engaged in as they asserted and examined hypotheses about the mathematical structures that underlie their solutions to problems are contrasted with the conv...
1,194 citations