Comments on: Tinkering as a mode of knowledge production in a Digital Age http://blog.genyes.com/index.php/2009/02/25/tinkering-as-a-mode-of-knowledge-production-in-a-digital-age/ Thoughts About Empowering Students with Technology Sat, 31 Jul 2010 04:04:51 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Sylvia Martinez http://blog.genyes.com/index.php/2009/02/25/tinkering-as-a-mode-of-knowledge-production-in-a-digital-age/comment-page-1/#comment-94389 Sylvia Martinez Mon, 02 Mar 2009 16:55:52 +0000 http://blog.genyes.com/?p=1133#comment-94389 That's a pretty powerful phrase -- "...when done thoughtfully and not as if it were a formula...". That could apply to SO many things. That’s a pretty powerful phrase — “…when done thoughtfully and not as if it were a formula…”. That could apply to SO many things.

]]> By: Steve Shann http://blog.genyes.com/index.php/2009/02/25/tinkering-as-a-mode-of-knowledge-production-in-a-digital-age/comment-page-1/#comment-94354 Steve Shann Mon, 02 Mar 2009 11:07:59 +0000 http://blog.genyes.com/?p=1133#comment-94354 I think that Harvard's (Project Zero's? David Perkin's?) <i>Teaching for Understanding (TfU) </i>, when done thoughtfully and not as if it were a formula to follow, also acknowledges the need for 'tinkering'. In fact it builds it into its approach. Learning is viewed as having three stages - (1) Introductory (when students engage, speculate, connect, brainstorm, play around with ideas, reveal assumptions and prejudices, etc etc ... in other words, tinker), (2) the Guided Inquiry (when students explore in a more systematic and guided way the concepts and hypothesis which emerged during the tinkering), and then (3) Culminating (when students find ways of expressing/demonstrating/presenting what they have learned from the process. Great educators like John Holt spoke about this kind of exploratory, seemingly aimless, play. Without it learning can be rather dull, routine and passive. I think that Harvard’s (Project Zero’s? David Perkin’s?) Teaching for Understanding (TfU) , when done thoughtfully and not as if it were a formula to follow, also acknowledges the need for ‘tinkering’. In fact it builds it into its approach. Learning is viewed as having three stages -
(1) Introductory (when students engage, speculate, connect, brainstorm, play around with ideas, reveal assumptions and prejudices, etc etc … in other words, tinker),
(2) the Guided Inquiry (when students explore in a more systematic and guided way the concepts and hypothesis which emerged during the tinkering), and then
(3) Culminating (when students find ways of expressing/demonstrating/presenting what they have learned from the process. Great educators like John Holt spoke about this kind of exploratory, seemingly aimless, play. Without it learning can be rather dull, routine and passive.

]]> By: Keith Hamon http://blog.genyes.com/index.php/2009/02/25/tinkering-as-a-mode-of-knowledge-production-in-a-digital-age/comment-page-1/#comment-93640 Keith Hamon Sat, 28 Feb 2009 03:02:57 +0000 http://blog.genyes.com/?p=1133#comment-93640 Isn't schooliness all of things we do to maintain the command-and-control hierarchy of industrial age schools? Perhaps maintaining that structure made sense at one time, but in a hyper-connected, internetworked world, it just strikes one as senseless, counterproductive dissipation of energy that could flow more easily through a network, an ecosystem. Isn’t schooliness all of things we do to maintain the command-and-control hierarchy of industrial age schools? Perhaps maintaining that structure made sense at one time, but in a hyper-connected, internetworked world, it just strikes one as senseless, counterproductive dissipation of energy that could flow more easily through a network, an ecosystem.

]]> By: Brian C. Smith http://blog.genyes.com/index.php/2009/02/25/tinkering-as-a-mode-of-knowledge-production-in-a-digital-age/comment-page-1/#comment-93254 Brian C. Smith Thu, 26 Feb 2009 04:30:04 +0000 http://blog.genyes.com/?p=1133#comment-93254 Good answer, really. We know that PBL is not the easiest thing to get going, but when done right (with time for tinkering and for authentic means) it can work really, really well. I'm glad you mentioned the after school piece. I've been thinking of taking advantage of a program to "tinker" with students around a combination of Lego Robotics and LogoPaths from their Investigative Math curriculum. Yes, it is a shame we know too well what each other mean by School or "schooliness". Good answer, really.

We know that PBL is not the easiest thing to get going, but when done right (with time for tinkering and for authentic means) it can work really, really well.

I’m glad you mentioned the after school piece. I’ve been thinking of taking advantage of a program to “tinker” with students around a combination of Lego Robotics and LogoPaths from their Investigative Math curriculum.

Yes, it is a shame we know too well what each other mean by School or “schooliness”.

]]> By: Sylvia Martinez http://blog.genyes.com/index.php/2009/02/25/tinkering-as-a-mode-of-knowledge-production-in-a-digital-age/comment-page-1/#comment-93222 Sylvia Martinez Thu, 26 Feb 2009 01:15:44 +0000 http://blog.genyes.com/?p=1133#comment-93222 Brian, In class, I think teachers who believe in project-based learning try to design projects with tinkering time built in. There can be opportunity for students to have some discoveries within the bigger goal of the project, and enough time to make mistakes, take some unexpected turns, etc. It takes experience to shepherd lots of kids through this, staying on track but not lock step. There are certainly after-school programs that fill this need as well. That's why I always cringe when even after-school activities hinge on homework and test prep. It's a wasted opportunity to explore Learning without School. Papert often used the convention of spelling School with a capital S to imply that same kind of institutional, inauthentic mindset that Clay calls "schooliness". It is a shame that it's so pervasive that we barely have to explain what that means. Wish I had a better answer. Brian,
In class, I think teachers who believe in project-based learning try to design projects with tinkering time built in. There can be opportunity for students to have some discoveries within the bigger goal of the project, and enough time to make mistakes, take some unexpected turns, etc. It takes experience to shepherd lots of kids through this, staying on track but not lock step.

There are certainly after-school programs that fill this need as well. That’s why I always cringe when even after-school activities hinge on homework and test prep. It’s a wasted opportunity to explore Learning without School.

Papert often used the convention of spelling School with a capital S to imply that same kind of institutional, inauthentic mindset that Clay calls “schooliness”. It is a shame that it’s so pervasive that we barely have to explain what that means.

Wish I had a better answer.

]]> By: Brian C. Smith http://blog.genyes.com/index.php/2009/02/25/tinkering-as-a-mode-of-knowledge-production-in-a-digital-age/comment-page-1/#comment-93215 Brian C. Smith Thu, 26 Feb 2009 00:42:18 +0000 http://blog.genyes.com/?p=1133#comment-93215 My head already hurts from discussions earlier today and I intended to get offline, but your post caught my eye, and kept it. I'm increasingly frustrated in what, I think Clay Burell, calls the "schooliness". That "we don't have time to play, we've got work to do, standards to meet, tests, blah, blah, blah..." What have you seen by way of tinkering, etc. that is "working" in schools that are filled with "schooliness"? My head already hurts from discussions earlier today and I intended to get offline, but your post caught my eye, and kept it.

I’m increasingly frustrated in what, I think Clay Burell, calls the “schooliness”. That “we don’t have time to play, we’ve got work to do, standards to meet, tests, blah, blah, blah…”

What have you seen by way of tinkering, etc. that is “working” in schools that are filled with “schooliness”?

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