Goals, Objectives & Three Levels of Knowing LO29236

From: Mcconnell, George R (george.mcconnell@baesystems.com)
Date: 09/26/02


Replying to LO29231 --

At,

thanks for yet another piece of wisdom.

I often use this sort of technique (although I was in ignorance of the
reasons why it might be a good technique) when assisting my two daughters
with their school homework. I fnd that often they will "just do it"
without really understanding what they are doing. This often results in
mistakes, so I question why they are doing what they are doing and draw
out of them an understanding of the meaning behind their actions.

This often frustrates my wife who will say - "why don't you just tell them
how to do it". I have always taken the view that it is better that they
tell me how to do it - obviously if they don't know or cannot articulate
the method I will be more direct. My elder daughter (she is 12) often
says - "why are you asking me that, it has nothing to do with the
homework" - and then I find that I need to explain to her the associations
that are going through my mind that led me to ask the particular question.

Sometimes it seems very difficult to make her understand what I am getting
at - even when the questions seem to me very simple. For instance last
night I she was having difficulty with the concept of square and cubic
metres. I asked her to show me a meter and it took some time and several
"what do you mean"s before she stretched her arms about a metre apart.
However, from there it became easier to explain the other concepts and
stop her from doing the "wrong thinking" which was resulting in several
incorrect answers to her maths homework!

thank you for making me feel that I am not so wrong or so different!

regards
        George
________________________________________________________________
george.mcconnell@baesystems.com 01202 404824

>From: AM de Lange [SMTP:amdelange@postino.up.ac.za]

...snip...

> I myself will never, never tell a student that he/she knows more than
>he/she can tell. This is rote learning par excellence. What I do is to
>question the student's knowing, carefully using only information which
>the student supplies and not any coming from myself. After answering
>several questions, that student answers a question which clearly
>demonstrates that he/she knew something, but which he/she could not tell
>before. This crucial answer often surprises the student. I specifically
>ask the student whether I have supplied in any way extra information to
>the answer. After the student admitted that all answers came from
>him/herself, I articulate the student's emerging awareness with the name
>"tacit knowing".

...snip...

-- 

"Mcconnell, George R" <george.mcconnell@baesystems.com>

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