theories of how children learn
► A dialogic theory of learning to think that has implications for education. ► The theory contrasts to both Piaget and Vygotsky. ► Learning to think as a shift in self-identification towards becoming dialogue. ► Theory is applied to three short episodes of classroom interaction. ► This dialogic theory of learning to think offers insights which can inform pedagogy.
This paper develops a dialogic theory of thinking and of learning to think that has implications for education. The theory is offered as a contrast to theories that are based on both Piaget and Vygotsky. The paper proceeds by unpacking and interweaving three key concepts: dialogue, thinking and learning in order to argue that learning to think can be understood as a shift in self-identification towards becoming dialogue. This theory is then applied to the context of primary classrooms through the analysis of three short episodes of interaction. These analyses offer evidence that a dialogic theory of learning to think can offer new and valuable insights into classroom interaction with the potential to inform pedagogy.
Though many scientists and researchers have approached the study of child development over the last hundred or so years, only a few of the theories that have resulted have stood the test of time and have proven to be widely influential. Among this core group of theories are five that will serve as the basis for the documents in this series. These are:
- Freud’s psychosexual stage theory
- Erikson’s psychosocial stage theory
- Kohlberg’s moral understanding stage theory
- Piaget’s cognitive development stage theory
- Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory
Guided Learning Hours: 0
Open Awards Code: UA33EDU05
References:
http://www.gulfbend.org/poc/view_doc.php?&id=7924
http://openawards.org.uk/what-we-offer/access-to-he-search/access-to-he-unit-detail/?id=1383700
http://edutechwiki.unige.ch/en/Pedagogical_theory