Constructivist vs Positivist
Epistemology is the theory of knowledge. it is understanding how people gain knowledge, how they use knowledge, and how they can prove they know something. the article i read describes two types of epistemology, constructivist and positivist. Constructivist is more focused on understanding a concept for yourself, rather than being told what something means and memorizing the definition. positivist seems more like it is focused on knowing a specific answer, memorizing and regurgitating it when asked, whether you understand the concept at its core or not. I think I tend to learn better as a constructivist. If I understand something completely then i can answer questions about it in better detail and if i forget it then i only need a refresher rather than to completely re-memorize it. there are somethings that i prefer to learn as a positivist, these are things like air speeds, where they are different for each aircraft because of the way it is designed.
Visual Auditory and Kinesthetic Learners
I prefer to learn in the kinesthetic modality. I feel like I remember more and get a better understanding if I can do something myself. doing math problems, i was never able to watch the teacher and learn. I had to do problems myself and figure them out like a puzzle.the two biggest things that I learned form this article were that it is more important to teach in the modality that best fits the subject not the student. I know that I usually learn better by doing things, but sometimes I prefer to watch or listen or read. The second is that "different representations are more or less effective for storing different types of information." the book uses the example of a picture of a car on the hill. you do not know if the car is going up or down the hill, but if you were told the car is driving up the hill you would have a better understanding of what is going on. i would kike to keep these tow points in mind when teaching so that I know I am teaching as effectivly as possible.
Is it possible to teach and learn in both styles? Experts in either would say no. I tend to agree with you that some things are concrete, but many are not.
ReplyDeleteContent is what drives the modalities best. However using multiple modalties does allow for better learning.