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Activity 5.13 What do I think about knowledge and curriculum?

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My personal view of knowledge is just that, it is personal. I believe all definitions of knowledge can be viewed and valued differently by individual learners due to the social interaction of the teaching and learning process as well as their individual interactions with the world around them. Furthermore, I believe knowledge defined as propositional/formal and procedural knowledge (Burnard, 1996; Leach and Moon, 2008) should be conceptualized by learners that builds upon their knowledge in a social contextCobb (1994) provides an example of how this can be applied in mathematics, using a social pedagogical approach to promote knowledge building in leaners. This acknowledges the need for collaboration to answer some of the issues raised by two of the of drivers for change in education, sustainability and changes in demographic. Social constructivism and Sociocultural approach to conceptualizing knowledge can be defined as knowledge building approaches according to Leach and Moon. They suggest twelve principles of knowledge building that adopt such a social participatory approach. 

Moreover, this social approach to conceptualizing knowledge relates to three out of the four aims of schooling (Sterling, 2001; Bunting2004) and a capabilities approach to education (Robeyns, 2006). This approach aims to support learners to realize their individual potential so they may be able to function and flourish as part of a wider community. Similarly, Bruner (2002) proposes a set of nine beliefs on the purpose of education that overall suggest education should aim to support learners in making sense of the cultural world around them and for teachers to facilitate learners in their own understanding and interpretation of this cultural context. Both these ideas strongly correlate to Grant (2012) and their view that education should promote social justice, something I now strongly believe in from studying section 1 and completing TMA1 (Open University, 2020). Therefore, greater emphasis should be placed on personal and tacit knowledge to support learners in developing critical-thinking and problem-solving skills required for the 21st century. 

In summary, I believe it is not the definition or type of knowledge that is important but how it is transferred and conceptualized. As Hogan (2014) writes, knowledge building pedagogies value established formal knowledge, but also allow students to understand and use the knowledge to work for them and their cultural/social setting.  

References 

Bruner, J. (2002) ‘Tenets to understand cultural perspective on learning’, in Moon, B., Shelton-Mayes, A., Hutchinson, S. (eds), Teaching, Learning and Curriculum in Secondary Schools, London, RoutledgeFalmer, pp. 10–24. 

Bunting, A. (2004) ‘Secondary school design for purpose – but which one?’ OECD Conference: Creating 21 Century Learning Environments, London, 28 May [Online], Available at http://www.oecd.org/education/innovation-education/21stcenturylearningenvironments.htm (Accessed 03 January 2021). 

Burnard, P. (1996) Acquiring Interpersonal Skills: A Handbook of Experiential Learning for Health Professionals, 2nd edn, London, Chapman & Hall. 

Cobb, C. (1994) ‘Where Is the Mind? Constructivist and Sociocultural Perspectives on Mathematical Development’, Educational Researcher, vol. 23, no. 7. pp. 13–20. 

Hogan, D (2014) ‘Why is Singapore’s school system so successful, and is it a model for the West?’, The Conversation, 11 February [Online]. Available at http://theconversation.com/ why-is-singapores-school-system-so-successful-and-is-it-a-model-for-the-west-22917 (Accessed 03 January 2021). 

Moon, B. and Leach, J. (2008) The Power of Pedagogy, London: Sage. 

Moon, B., Shelton-Mayes, A., Hutchinson, S. (2002) Teaching, Learning and Curriculum in Secondary Schools. London, RoutledgeFalmer. 

Robeyns, I. (2006) ‘Three models of education: Rights, capabilities and human capital’, Theory and Research in Education, vol 4, issue 1, pp. 69–8.4. 

Sterling, S. (2001) Sustainable Education: Re-Visioning Learning and Change. Foxhole, Dartington, Green Books. 

The Open University (2020) ‘Unit 3, Global Drivers for Change’, EE830-20J Learning and Teaching :Educating the Next Generation [Online]. Available at: https://learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=1627854 (Accessed 28 November 2020). 

 


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