Re: was REFLECTION AND REFRACTION

[phrp@bigcat.fhsu.edu (Roger Pruitt)]

Donald E. Simanek wrote:
> On Sun, 25 Jan 1998, Herbert H. Gottlieb wrote:
>
> > On Sat, 24 Jan 1998 22:32:15 -0400 (EDT) LUDWIK KOWALSKI
> > <KOWALSKIL@alpha.montclair.edu> writes:
> >
> > > "The child comes to an understanding of the world through his own
> > > efforts. While he may accomodate his thought to the ideas of others, it
> > is only
> > > as he tries those ideas out within the context of the ideas he has
> > > previously acquired that he makes them his own."
> > >                                                   Jean Piaget
> > This "theory of learning" has just been rediscovered.
> > It is called CONCEPTUALISM.
> >
> > Herb Gottlieb from New York City
> > (Where we now have more theories of learning than actual learning in our
> > schools)
>
> In the ed-biz, where any simple idea can be made into a fad by giving it a
> catchy name.
>
>         -- Donald
Donald beat me to the punch. I often think of educational fads in the
same way that I think of clothing fads. A double breasted suit today may
have slightly different lapels, have a slightly different cut and be
made out of different materials, but it still is a double breasted suit.
In a similar vein are "theories" of learning. We are missing out in
physics by not dressing up some of the old theories in new names, cite a
lot of references to give our papers on these "new" theories some
semblance of authority, and each get several new publications this
spring.


Roger Pruitt, PhD (physics), BS (education)