Yearners and Schoolers Chapter

Michelle Graham
1. Papert asks the following question following his parable of the time traveler from 100
years ago who lands in an operating room, as well as a classroom, and sees two very
different levels of advancement: Why, through a period when so much human activity has
been revolutionized, have we not seen comparable changes in the way we help our
children learn? How woud you answer this question?
I am not sure there is an easy answer to this question. One could point to the rise in
high-stakes testing as part of the problem; teachers want to stick closely to the
curriculum provided so their students do well. Another complication could be
parents want immediate answers about their students progress and if their child has
good grades, which is easier to cite with testing and assessments. Another response
is that some teachers have become stuck in their pedagogy and believe if it works,
why fix it? (Even if it could work better). A final point I have noticed in my education
and experience is the myth that if you do well in school, you go to college, and you
get a good job. This myth perpetuates means to an ends learning system; you
learn what you need to learn to get a credit, to get a degree, to get a good paying job.
While this myth originated from somewhere (Im looking at you 1930s-1960s), it is not
necessarily true today. This myth still influences pedagogy for many teachers, and
while it is beginning to change, many teachers still adapt the you need to know this
to get elsewhere understanding, rather than knowing something because it is
helpful in your knowledge right now.
2. Papert seems to believe that video games are particularly educational. What have been
your personal experiences with video games? In what ways are your feelings about the
value of video games the same or different from Paperts?
I played my gameboy when I was younger, and I often struggled to learn the strategy
of my games that would allow me to win. I enjoyed the games that allowed you to
create and maintain something (SIMS). I honestly did not consider games to be
something educational; our society creates a dichotomy that is play vs. work, and
that the two should not mix. I was only allowed to play after my homework was done
and checked, or on the weekends when I had free time. Papert brings up some very
interesting points regarding games; games teach skills that are academic such as
collaboration, assessment, resource management, strategy, or even literacy. In recent
years, they have created games who have specific educational means (Leap Frog,
Laptops with specified games) which also seem to discredit strategy games such as
World of Warcraft, or even Pokemon.
3. Papert asks the following question related to instruction: In trying to teach children what
adults want them to know, does School utilize the way human beings naturally learn in
nonschool settings? How would you answer this question?
I dont think this is always true, in certain situations with certain teachers this can
actually be the opposite. Consider classes that promote careers (cosmetology, home
economics, small animal care, photography etc.) whereby the student signs up for a
class he/she is interested in or at least has some background in, and learns by
watching what the instructor does and copying it; much like what young children
would have done in pre-history, as apprentices of certain occupations in

medieval/renaissance times. Watching and then redoing or changing is the most

basic, natural way to learn something. The difference today is we do not seem to give
the children full context to what they are learning, in 12 years of education the
background of many subjects is not explored and in doing so, we seem to value the
end rather than the means; the degree matters more than the 12years of experience
in a specialized field, and the certifications/licenses associated with many
professions require passing scores on paper knowledge tests in conjunction with the
practical application of knowledge. This is also different from other times in history
as the career/experience based courses are not the standard for everyone and many
of the core standards each student takes do not use the watch and learn method. I
think many teachers attempt the watch and learn method, especially in the
sciences/mathematics but it does not always translate for every student; students
may not have the content knowledge of algebra to understand chemical equations or
maybe the student did not do well in geometry, which led to a disconnect in
trigonometry.
4. After Paperts story about sleeping giraffes, he mentions the possibility of the creation of a
Knowledge Machine. The book was published in 1993. Do you think the Internet is the
Knowledge Machine Papert envisioned in the early 1990s? If so, does it work the way
Papert envisioned?
I think in many instances, the internet is a knowledge machine. If you have a
question, you type it into Google, where you see many other similar questions and
answers. Internet does provide easy, accessible answers to most questions. I think
the internet gets a bad rap for Facebook, Urban Dictionary, Pinterest, and shopping
websites that prevent children/young adults from learning in a classroom and its
true; the internet distracts from the learning process. However, Pinterest is the holy
grail for many teachers who use it as a pedagogy, class plan, or even class
decoration/organization epicenter. I think we have to rethink how we use technology
on the learners level; how does the learner use those distracting programs, and
how can we use those same programs to learn.
5. After envisioning the introduction of a Knowledge Machine into the classroom, Papert
asks the following question: How would the introduction of Knowledge Machines into the
School environment compromise the primacy with which we view reading and writing-that
is, childrens fluency in using alphabetic language? Assuming the Internet, as it exists today,
is the Knowledge Machine Papert envisioned, how would you respond to this question?
I think the internet (as well as processing software such as Microsoft Word, Excel
etc.) get a bad rap for having spellcheck. I remember in 7th grade typing my paper
when my teacher said read your work and check for errors, spell check may not be
right. And shes right, there are times when spell check, grammar check, or any
other check gets it wrong. But there are times when it gets it right; I use the
thesaurus option frequently for my term papers in college when I cant quite get
there. I think for especially elementary school students learning to read and write,
spell check should be turned off of software so that students can see their mistakes
for themselves; if it is automatically corrected for them they wont learn basic syntax,
spelling, and grammar (all of which are fairly important for elementary school).
Students should use computers not as a crutch to lean on solely for language
fluency, but more like a shovel to use when they need to do a certain job. Another
debate that has arisen from this issue has been teaching shorthand/cursive writing in

public schools. Teachers across the country have argued against the outdated
method of communication because we have word processors, portable
laptops/tablets, cellphones and other technologies that make handwriting
unnecessary. This argument does not fully consider teaching to children who learn
by writing notes, or classrooms without a computer or even internet (Im looking at
you rural regions of the country). I dont think debates like this should occur outside
of the classroom; teachers should decide how their students learn best and
implement those strategies, be it writing in lecture blanks, typing essays in class, or
even acting out important information.
6. After describing how Leonardo Da Vincis ideas about flying machines needed to wait
until the technological infrastructure of society could provide the support needed to realize
the true potential of his inventions, Papert makes the following statement about educational
reform and some of the ideas presented by educational theorists over the past 50 (or so)
years: Educational innovators even in the very recent past were in a situation analogous to
Leonardos. They could and did formulate bold perspectives: for example, John Deweys
idea that children would learn better if learning were truly a part of living experience; or
Freires idea that they would learn better if they were truly in charge of their own learning
processes; or Jean Piagets idea that intelligence emerges from an evolutionary process in
which many factors must have time to find their equilibrium; or Lev Vygotskys idea that
conversation plays a crucial role in learning. ...Sadly, in practice they just wouldnt fly.
When educators tried to craft an actual school based on these general principles, it was as
if Leonardo had tried to make an airplane out of oak and power it with a mule.
Papert actually uses the rest of his book to describe ways in which he feels computers may,
in fact, be a technology that might cause genuine realization of some of the ideas presented
by Dewey, Freire, Piaget and Vygotsky. Based on how you use computers in your life
outside school, describe some of the ways you think computers might be used to improve
the culture of learning within the classroom, as described by Dewey, Freire, Piaget and
Vygotsky. If you would like to read more about these educational theorists, visit Wikipedia or
another one of my favorite sites: The Theory Into Practice Database.
John Dewey and the lived experience: This reminds me most of the pinterest comment
earlier; many teachers use pinterest as a resource for teacher planning, classroom
management, classroom decor/organization, field trip ideas or any number of things.
Students could use pinterest to help them find a topic for a project, find resources for their
topic, or even images/artifacts. This also reminds me of when teachers have the cell-phone
polls to answer questions; all students have their phones with them and are probably
attempting to use it, teachers might as well utilize that to get something out of the learning
process.
Freires and being in charge of ones own learning process: This reminds me of when
people post links to articles/blog posts/other forms of media on facebook and others join in.
The conversation is ongoing, typically about local news and events. Facebook friends are
not required to like statuses, or share them but they do because it holds their interest,
makes them think, or even makes them feel something. This can occur when teachers
require reading up on current events and bringing them into class to share. Even though it is
slightly constructed, the idea is that students can bring in articles relating to something they
care about such as sports, medicine, technology, books, movies, etc.
Jean Piaget and the age appropriate education: This reminds me of several internet
games/understandings that have varied appropriate age levels (im looking at you Disney

Channel, Nickelodeon, LeapFrog readers and software). This could be a great help in the
differential classroom; I remember having reading groups in 2nd/3rd grade and each group
had a different book based on the group members reading level (I didnt realize this at first,
it took me a few years). I also remember the computer-based quizzes in elementary school
that gave you a scaled reading level and when you had library day, you could choose the
books up to your reading level.
Lev Vygotsky and the importance of conversation in learning: This reminds me of blog
postings (and replies) on Tumblr, Twitter, or even Group Postings on Facebook. These
conversations are cross-cultural and globalized. You can watch a youtube video and the
comments beneath can spark conversation (that is either positive or negative). While group
conversation often occurs in class all the time, classmates often Facebook Messenger,
Snapchats, Email or even text to ask questions about projects, homework, grades or even
about the teachers themselves (for good or for bad).