First off, I will say that this was all very confusing for me. As I was reading I felt like I was reading in circles, so please be patient with me as I try to work through all of these terms and theories.
Epistemology is defined as, " the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature of knowledge and understanding - their foundations assumptions, and validity (Pg. 54). With that said the theories and models discussed are the Positivist/ Objectivist and the Relativist/Constructivist. The Positivist theory states that there is an absolute truth. So basically no matter how the learner looks at it and thinks or believes, there is one truth and the learner is to accept that. This design is set up so that the teacher is the main focus of the classroom and the learner is to accept what information is given. On the other hand you have the Relativist approach. In this design the learner is the center and the teacher is the facilitator. The teacher will give information and the learner is to take that information and guide their learning to find their own truths.
The Contextualism approach falls somewhere in the middle of the other designs. It tells the learner that they are in control of their own knowledge and understanding. It does relate to the relativist model in that sense, where the teacher is simply a guide to the student. They are there to help provide information and the learner is to take all of that information and make their own truth. It is also similar to the positivist model because there is one truth, but it is based on the evidence that surrounds that learner. So what might be the truth at what point in time might change based on the contexts that surround that same learner at a later time. As for the behaviorist and constructivist approaches, they apply the same type of thinking as the positivist and relativist approaches. The behaviorist approach relies on controlling the outcome of the learner. There is one truth and the learner must believe, the teacher is their to control the classroom and give the information and the student is to take in what information is given and believe fully in what is said. The constructivist approach in the classroom is where the teacher is giving tools and information to the students, but those students are to take that information and find their own beliefs and truths.
When looking at ways of problems solving the behaviorist approach of problem solving and facilitating that process would simply be to tell them the way to do the problem, show them the steps, and have them answer it. The other way to solve problems would be the constructivist approach. They would explain the problem and then the students would be allowed to creatively approach the problem that best works for them. They would be allowed to use a variety of approaches, tools and resources that helps them address the problem at hand.
I would have to say in looking at these different models I would say that when I was in the classroom I would take more of the constructivist and collectivist approach. I loved having kids experiment with many different tools and resources to solve problems. There are so many different ways to come up with one idea and no one way is the best. It is best to give students a chance to explore their creativity and ideas using team collaboration and a variety of out of the box ideas.
Epistemology is defined as, " the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature of knowledge and understanding - their foundations assumptions, and validity (Pg. 54). With that said the theories and models discussed are the Positivist/ Objectivist and the Relativist/Constructivist. The Positivist theory states that there is an absolute truth. So basically no matter how the learner looks at it and thinks or believes, there is one truth and the learner is to accept that. This design is set up so that the teacher is the main focus of the classroom and the learner is to accept what information is given. On the other hand you have the Relativist approach. In this design the learner is the center and the teacher is the facilitator. The teacher will give information and the learner is to take that information and guide their learning to find their own truths.
The Contextualism approach falls somewhere in the middle of the other designs. It tells the learner that they are in control of their own knowledge and understanding. It does relate to the relativist model in that sense, where the teacher is simply a guide to the student. They are there to help provide information and the learner is to take all of that information and make their own truth. It is also similar to the positivist model because there is one truth, but it is based on the evidence that surrounds that learner. So what might be the truth at what point in time might change based on the contexts that surround that same learner at a later time. As for the behaviorist and constructivist approaches, they apply the same type of thinking as the positivist and relativist approaches. The behaviorist approach relies on controlling the outcome of the learner. There is one truth and the learner must believe, the teacher is their to control the classroom and give the information and the student is to take in what information is given and believe fully in what is said. The constructivist approach in the classroom is where the teacher is giving tools and information to the students, but those students are to take that information and find their own beliefs and truths.
When looking at ways of problems solving the behaviorist approach of problem solving and facilitating that process would simply be to tell them the way to do the problem, show them the steps, and have them answer it. The other way to solve problems would be the constructivist approach. They would explain the problem and then the students would be allowed to creatively approach the problem that best works for them. They would be allowed to use a variety of approaches, tools and resources that helps them address the problem at hand.
I would have to say in looking at these different models I would say that when I was in the classroom I would take more of the constructivist and collectivist approach. I loved having kids experiment with many different tools and resources to solve problems. There are so many different ways to come up with one idea and no one way is the best. It is best to give students a chance to explore their creativity and ideas using team collaboration and a variety of out of the box ideas.
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