09.13.06
Greeno and Collins: Cognition and Learning
Greeno, J.G. and Collins, A.M.: Cognition and Learning.
This was an overview of theoretical perspectives in Educational Research. The article focuses on the Behaviorist/Empiricist, Cognitive/Rationalist, and Situative/Pragmatist-Sociohistoric views and begins by defining what exactly each perspective entails. The authors then go on to describe how each perspective sees the nature of knowledge, the nature of learning and transfer, and the nature of motivation and engagement. They then go on to relating the perspectives to the classroom (what they call “Issues of Practical Conceptualization”) and finish up talking about the standing of each perspective and positing what their relation might be in the future.
The article was well organized. I thought a good starter reading to get a hold of the different theoretical perspectives in the field and how they affect how someone views education. I had previously been exposed to the cognitive vs. behaviorist divide but I don’t believe that I was exposed to the Situative/Pragmatist-Sociohistoric view until this year (except for brief and unremarkable exposure to Vygotsky). I currently have a very shallow appreciation of educational research since previously I’ve focused on more of a general psychology perspective and a more cognitive approach at that. However, this and my other classes should fix that. I liked how they finished up with a kind of theoretical applications section because it grounded my thoughts a bit on these theoretical perspectives and their effects.
