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− | There are differing opinions as to how information should be presented to students based on the various definitions of what constitutes as ‘knowledge’. From a traditional perspective, students are viewed as passive receptors of information and “…are evaluated according to how well they master the teacher-directed outcomes…” (Mitchell et al, 2016, p. 206). In this way, student understanding is based on their ability to perform well on assessments that meet the curriculum expectations and in turn, are rewarded with grades. The problem with a traditional mindset is that it creates a scripted learning environment where concepts are taught in a static manner and therefore lack the context necessary to gain a deeper understanding. For example, if students are simply taught a formula, they may understand how to use the formula when given all the information, but struggle to apply it because they lack the understanding of what the formula means. This can also make it more difficult for students to see and form relationships between concepts without being explicitly shown. For example, a student may understand that the area of a triangle is (base x height) /2 and understand that the area of a parallelogram is base x height but never recognizes the relation between the concepts because they lack the contextual understanding necessary to do so. Students therefore become accustom to reiterating rules, formulas and ‘textbook facts’ and are less inclined to question or explore these concepts further on their own.
| + | Relating Indigenous Learning Systems with Modern Systems |
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| + | Different regions have different learning systems. These learning systems are quite often based on the culture of the natives or rather the indigenous people. Thus, in the case a new, or rather a different learning system is introduced, there is usually a conflict that arises. As such, it is imperative that the new and the traditional systems of learning are merged within elements that can bring harmony in learning. |
| + | The need to incorporate these two systems of learning is highlighted by the two articles. In the first article, Indigenous Knowledges and the Story of the Bean, the authours, Brayboy and Maughn, highlight the various issues students hold against Western systems implemented in Indigenous teacher preparation programs. For instance, the staff and faculty in this case, were using an approach that was performative rather than relational, which was the way of the indigenous pre-service teachers. The authors use the story of the bean to illustrate their arguments. |
| + | In the second article, Complexity Pedagogy and e-Learning: Emergence in Relational Networks, the authors advocate for the need to develop new pedagogies and e-learning platforms for engaging students to encourage innovation that is consistent with the new requirements for education in the 21st century. The authors outline a new teaching-learning platform inspired by complexity pedagogy, which they situate through the story of Daagu, strategically placing e-learning platform within complexity thinking and extant curricular theory. The authors describe the complexity e-learning platform that disrupts traditional e-learning approaches by focusing on patterns of relating, diversity, conversation, reflection, and emergence among groups of learners. |
| + | There is a need to improve learning systems for students, but this is only possible by considering the indigenous/traditional learning systems in implementing the necessary changes. The two articles note the importance of appreciating this diversity and try to make their arguments through indigenous stories that reflect just how significant they are. |
| + | In my opinion, innovation has been with the human race since the beginning, the only difference is the level of technology. Still, there is so much to learn from the old years’ intellectuals and innovators, such Albert Einstein, Chinua Achebe, and the likes |
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− | Brayboy and Maughan (2009) highlight that the Western teaching approach greatly differs from the Indigenous Knowledge System. Indigenous Knowledge is based on the idea that “knowledge is not a commodity that can be possessed or controlled by educational institutions, but is a living process to be absorbed and understood” (Brayboy & Maughan, 2009, p. 12). In this style of teaching, the focus is not to replicate the teachers work but understand why we learn the concept. This creates a space where students are invited to look at learning from a broader perspective and make real, purposeful connections to their learning. When the dynamic of the classroom environment changes in this way, experiments such as the bean experiment are not simply created with the intension to “mimic work in a science lab”, but to show students that their learning extends beyond simply being an experiment (Brayboy & Maughan, 2009, p. 8). Teaching students about the reason for growing the bean adds context to the lesson creating a purposeful learning environment where students are not just meeting the curriculum expectation but are engaging with the topic.
| + | REFERENCE |
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