Twitter Book Club - Seymour Papert's "The Children's Machine" Chapter 7

@mrunkle

"a prevailing tendency to overvalue abstract reasoning is a major obstacle to progress in education." Papertless than a minute ago via Twitterrificanderscj
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"Even the statement (endorsed if not originated by Piaget) that every act of teaching deprives the child of (cont) http://tl.gd/2npq5hless than a minute ago via Twittelatoranderscj
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I have to constantly keep this in check when working with adults too. The problem is, most teachers have been so thoroughly schooled that they reject or resist PD that leads them to make their own discoveries or be too active in their own learning. Usually I find teachers request "training" when what they need is a PD environment that fosters personal growth and change. We must seek ways to change this. On this front I think we could take some lessons from John Taylor Gatto and what he did with his students to "trick" them into spending time alone, engaging in real problems, doing community service, and take charge of their own intellectual development. Off the top of my head, these are some methods that I believe might work:

1. Encourage the development of PLNs. So long as we don't package them as "the PLN" and depersonalize the learning experience this can work. (PLNs)
   
2. Another way might be to send teachers to spend time in alternative learning environments or to shadow other teachers in those environments. (Job Shadow)
   
3. It might also work to ask teachers to spend time thinking about their own non-school learning experiences and draw conclusions about how they can foster the powerful effects of those experiences in the classroom with their students. (Metacognitive Reflection)
   
4. We might also try what I call the "wax-on, wax-off" approach (named after the approach used in the popular 1980s film, The Karate Kid) of modeling the use of technology in the collective pursuit of another goal or to use it collectively to solve a particular problem. (Wax-on, Wax-off)

What other methods might work? I would love to hear what other strategies other instructional leaders can think of. Please comment if you have anything to add!

"the goal (of constructionism) is to produce the most learning for the least teaching." Piagetless than a minute ago via Twittelatoranderscj
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"Since one reason for poor instruction is that nobody wants to teach reluctant children, the (cont) http://tl.gd/2nptvtless than a minute ago via Twittelatoranderscj
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In Ivan Illich's 'Deschooling Society' he "eloquently states his case that the principle lesson School teaches is the need 2b taught."Papertless than a minute ago via Twittelatoranderscj
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"School's teaching creates a dependence on School and a superstitious addiction to belief in its methods." Papertless than a minute ago via Twittelatoranderscj
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"Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!"

"School['s] ..perverse commitment to moving as quickly as possible from the concrete to the abstract (cont) http://tl.gd/2nq8jrless than a minute ago via Twittelatoranderscj
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"In the practice of education the emphasis on abstract-formal knowledge is a direct impediment to (cont) http://tl.gd/2nqhlaless than a minute ago via Twittelatoranderscj
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"Computers serve best when they allow everything to change." Papertless than a minute ago via Twittelatoranderscj
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"Rather than push children to think like adults, we might do better to remember that they are great (cont) http://tl.gd/2nqrfcless than a minute ago via Twittelatoranderscj
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@anderscj Which papert book(s) are you quoting from?less than a minute ago via webAshley Casey
DrAshCasey

@DrAshCasey Sounds like Children's Machine to me. @anderscjless than a minute ago via TweetDeckBeckyFisher73
BeckyFisher73

@DrAshCasey Children's Machineless than a minute ago via Twitterrificanderscj
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Just ordered Ivan Illich's 'Deschooling Society' for future Twitter Book Club reading.less than a minute ago via Twitterrificanderscj
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@anderscj My copy just arrived. Iless than a minute ago via TweetDeckMarge Runkle
mrunkle

@anderscj I'll be playing catch up for the middle of the night read alongs! Hope to be part of a conversastion!less than a minute ago via TweetDeckMarge Runkle
mrunkle

It has been fun seeing the effect the "live tweeting" of my reading of these books has had and the replies I have been getting. I can't help but think that some of the other conversations I have observed in the past week on Twitter have been influenced by one or more of these quotes floating around. When I started this Twitter Book Club thing a week ago I set out with the premise that Twitter Book Club, like a PLN, can only have 1 member. The following reply to Marge here was not meant as dismissive but rather that she should try the same thing, start a book club of 1. Use Twitter to discuss the elements of the book as she encounters them. There is no need to "catch up" because the network provides a steady stream of people willing, eager, and open to discussing these topics at anytime.

@mrunkle start your own conversations anytime of dayless than a minute ago via mobile webanderscj
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I must stop this reading! I must go to bed! I must go to school tomorrow! Do some extended contract days! OK!less than a minute ago via webMarge Runkle
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@mrunkle read what you just wrote; "I must stop this reading, I must go to school..."less than a minute ago via Twitterrificanderscj
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@anderscj LOL! OMG! I am in love with this sharing so very much that tomorrow I will have to shut down so that I can catalog! Sad state!less than a minute ago via TweetDeckMarge Runkle
mrunkle