After reading both chapters on Intelligence and How do Students Learn, I must say, that it is still not easy to explain and measure the concept of intelligence. As for the learning styles of students and the framework which schools and learning theories provide, it really still is constantly changing, evolving and there really isn't a one-size-fits-all concept for teachers to complement learning. Oh how abstract the things we learn and attempt to comprehend!
Personally, I think one of the greatest and accidental achievements that the Malaysian government did and is still doing, is creating mean-memorising-machines. Receiving was all there is. Or mostly is. Regurgitating was what that lead to good grades and hence "producing" intelligent/smart students because s/he was able to answer the question "correctly".
What stroked me the most while reading about Jean Piaget's contribution to cognitive development is that "What kind of education do you want our children to have? How would you want your children to learn? Do you want them to learn things they are already known and [re]present them to the society to be perceived as knowledgeable?...or we want them to learn how to be creative and innovative and challenge what already exist, to question and discover?" Powerful stuff.
I think that the curriculum has be designed for meaningful purposes and clear objectives. Unfortunately, most of the time when it comes to the delivery, it seemed to be "teaching" for the sake of it. Just "learn" it, and answer it "this way" in your exam to score. And often enough, students follow and they score. And are perceived as being smart. I think that the testing system is fine, because you have to know whether the students have been listening, but to only accept one answer and no other perspective makes the curriculum very (very) rigid. How do you know that they understood? How do you know that they are really learning? They could have memorised the answer or the explanation for all you know! Learning does not take place here. Nor does teaching. That's why pedagogy knowledge is essential for teachers to represent what they know.
Perhaps I'm being too sceptical. But this is what my experience has led me to believe. I do hope that there is another side to this coin - isn't it for everything else? I'm willing to learn and embrace the other side, but don't expect me to just accept it~ I'll be questioning, trying to make sense of it and putting my trust that it will turn out different in the future for education to make an impact that we are all indeed intelligent - all in our own ways, and we all learn, till thy kingdom come by stepping out of the box for a moment, ponder on it, question and learn - be it by experience or by what other people say. Only then, I believe, is true learning.
-potatoes-
Personally, I think one of the greatest and accidental achievements that the Malaysian government did and is still doing, is creating mean-memorising-machines. Receiving was all there is. Or mostly is. Regurgitating was what that lead to good grades and hence "producing" intelligent/smart students because s/he was able to answer the question "correctly".
What stroked me the most while reading about Jean Piaget's contribution to cognitive development is that "What kind of education do you want our children to have? How would you want your children to learn? Do you want them to learn things they are already known and [re]present them to the society to be perceived as knowledgeable?...or we want them to learn how to be creative and innovative and challenge what already exist, to question and discover?" Powerful stuff.
I think that the curriculum has be designed for meaningful purposes and clear objectives. Unfortunately, most of the time when it comes to the delivery, it seemed to be "teaching" for the sake of it. Just "learn" it, and answer it "this way" in your exam to score. And often enough, students follow and they score. And are perceived as being smart. I think that the testing system is fine, because you have to know whether the students have been listening, but to only accept one answer and no other perspective makes the curriculum very (very) rigid. How do you know that they understood? How do you know that they are really learning? They could have memorised the answer or the explanation for all you know! Learning does not take place here. Nor does teaching. That's why pedagogy knowledge is essential for teachers to represent what they know.
Perhaps I'm being too sceptical. But this is what my experience has led me to believe. I do hope that there is another side to this coin - isn't it for everything else? I'm willing to learn and embrace the other side, but don't expect me to just accept it~ I'll be questioning, trying to make sense of it and putting my trust that it will turn out different in the future for education to make an impact that we are all indeed intelligent - all in our own ways, and we all learn, till thy kingdom come by stepping out of the box for a moment, ponder on it, question and learn - be it by experience or by what other people say. Only then, I believe, is true learning.
-potatoes-
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