Reflections on "A Word for Learning"

This chapter from Seymour Papert’s book “The Children’s Machine,” seems a fitting adjunct to the classroom discussion with Dr. Michael George of the Centennial School. Papert builds a strong case against the traditional [American] school, stating at one point that “School impedes learning” (Papert, 1993, p.87), at least for those who, for various reasons, find learning more difficult than the “typical” child. Dr. George shared stories of academic successes at his school, achieved primarily by recognizing a child’s individual needs and using positive reinforcement to help them develop ways to learn that matched these unique needs.

I was reminded of Thomas Edison, who was kicked out of school three months after starting at the age of eight. His schoolmaster found Edison “stupid” and “intractable” although there is evidence that he actually had Attention Deficit Disorder, a condition unknown during his time. Luckily, his mother was able to teach him at home, introducing a broad spectrum of knowledge while allowing free reign for his natural inclinations to test everything and take them apart. He went on to be famous for his intelligence and astonishing scientific discoveries even though he had been a failure at traditional school (Rutgers, n.d.).

Similarly, this chapter includes a tale about a “learning disabled” boy who needed to physically count things in order to succeed in math, but was forbidden to do so by an aide bent on having him solve the problems “the right way” so that he could belong to “the culture of School,” (Papert, 1993, p. 91). Papert finds this culture fragmented and disjointed and devoid of instruction on the process of learning itself. He feels that schools often assume that children know how to “handle” facts, ideas and values. This does work for some students, but leaves far too many others behind.

Papert goes on to describe how he overcame a “learning deficit” by making connections with other material that he already understood and that interested him. He builds a case for the inclusion of what he calls “mathetics” or how to learn, think or problem-solve in the traditional school setting. He mentions some key elements of this “new” subject including “dividing and conquering” the material and making connections with previously learned materials (often called mnemonics). I agree that we need to teach students how to successfully learn course material but, I think it would be best if integrated into all areas of the curriculum with specific learning ideas presented as the material warrants. This way, a child receives a learning tool when it is most needed. It is interesting to note that almost every college has information about mnemonics readily available – why not introduce this powerful tool to students much earlier in their academic careers?


[References]

Papert, S. (1993). A Word for Learning. The Children’s Machine: Rethinking School in the Age of the Computer, (pp. 82-105). New York, NY: Basic Books.

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Thomas A. Edison Papers (n.d.) retrieved on October 22, 2006 at http://edison.rutgers.edu/