1.+Composition+Binoculars+-+Theories

=Composition Map: Theories=

The Evolution of Pedagogical Theories for Teaching Composition
http://www.cbpf.br/~veit/evolution.jpg

Adapted from Calvert T., and Stacey P. (2003). Learning for an e-connected world. In S. Coleman (Ed.), //The e-connected world: Risks and opportunities// (pp. 51-68). Kingston: McGill-Queen’s University Press.


 * Pre-theoretical/ A-theoretical:**
 * Model most often used by educational institutions
 * Learning transpires when information is transferred from the instructor or instructional materials to the learner
 * Examples in composition instruction: copying notes during a lecture on essay writing, or the assignment of grammatical exercises from a textbook
 * Weakness: one-way presentation of information does not sustain learner interest; practice “tends to postpone learning to a time and place where there may be no instructional support” (p. 55)


 * Classical Behavioural Theory:**
 * Based on stimulus-response theory, assumes that “learning takes place when associations are strengthened between a stimulus and a correct response” (p. 56)
 * Advocates: Ivan Pavlov, B.F. Skinner; Critics: Noam Chomsky, Anthony Burgess in //A Clockwork Orange//
 * Any pedagogical practice that uses assessment and evaluation incorporates stimulus-response theory, at least to a certain extent
 * Example: tests/quizzes on vocabulary, a novel, etc.
 * Weakness: presupposes knowledge as absolute, versus post modern inclinations; theory is dehumanizing and oppressive


 * Information Processing Theory:**
 * Complex learning goals are broken down into manageable components
 * Emphasizes the “importance of interaction and feedback, and served as the foundation for a systematic approach to instructional design ” (p. 56)
 * Example: five paragraph essay process-folio (a process-folio generates feedback from the teacher at each step of the writing process)
 * Weakness: still assumes knowledge is most effectively transferred from instructor to student; student as //tabula rasa//


 * Constructivist Theory:**
 * Knowledge is //constructed// as a learners interact with an object or event in relation to “their past experiences, their beliefs, and their current mental structures” (p. 56)
 * Developed from the works of Piaget and others in the 1950s and 1960s, gaining popularity in the 1980s and 1990s
 * “For constructivists, learning is the process by which information is transformed into personal knowledge” (p. 56)
 * Examples: all differentiated instruction and assessment as learners make sense of learning in light of their particular intelligences and experiences; Web 1.0 technologies such as Web page creation
 * Weakness: learning does not take advantage of the collective knowledge of the community


 * Socio-Cultural Theory:**
 * Expands upon constructivist theory by adding that individuals create knowledge within a community, in contrast with information solely as personal knowledge
 * Examples: jig saw activities for a novel study; Web 2.0 technologies such as wikis and social networking
 * Weakness: if taken in a literal context, learning can only happen when the community is physically present; however, many apply this notion to the virtual community present within Web 2.0 technologies


 * Synchronous Collaborative Learning :**
 * Live collaborative knowledge making using online technologies
 * Incorporates the theoretical underpinnings of constructivism and socio-cultural constructivism
 * “Characterized by the learners’ active participation in generating, accessing, and organizing the information. Learners construct knowledge by formulating their ideas into words. They then build upon and develop these ideas/concepts as they react to other students’ responses to their formulations.” (p. 57)
 * Example: chat session about a play concerning a given theme
 * Weakness: difficult to schedule as all participants must be available at a pre-arranged time; does not give much time for reflection


 * Asynchronous Collaborative Learning:**
 * Uses the same principles as synchronous chat, but is not constrained by time, meaning that students can learn when it is most convenient for them
 * Allows more time for reflection than synchronous learning
 * Students who normally might not answer a question in class often find asynchronous communication less intimidating
 * Example: online discussion group about reactions to a recently viewed film
 * Weakness: strong time management skills are required

=Traditional Approaches to Composition:=
 * 1) Process Centred Approaches
 * 2) Product Centred Approaches

[[image:http://www.thesupervisorssafari.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/binoculars.jpg align="right"]]
"Rather than envisioning technology as a means to translate our cognition into a new form, Reid's treatment encourages the reader to understand the interface between human and machine in a new way. In this new way, we see technology as a continued space through which information can be accessed and manipulated, rather than a place to transmit and store information." (Speigel, 169)

Reid proposes a composition theory for the use of new media that involves three stages:
 * 1) Ripping - gathering information from sources
 * 2) Mixing - sources are examined for potential inclusion/exclusion or use in new ways
 * 3) Burning - the information is translated and prepared for communication

"The book has now ceased to be the root-metaphor of the age; the screen has taken its place. The alphabetic text has become but one of many modes of encoding something, now called 'the message'". (Illich, //In the Vineyard of the Text// p. 3)

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**The S****impsons: Bart Gets a Z** (Season 21, Episode 2)
====** In sheer Simpsons brillance, the notion of what counts as knowledge in a wired world is challenged when Bart meets his new teacher, a recent M. Ed. graduate from Tufts University. (Pardon the mirrored image) **==== media type="custom" key="5256475"