I feel that I have just lost two hours of my life wading
through your halfanhour blog. I approached this with an open mind willing to
reflect and learn…but in the end my objectivity was overwhelmed by irritation
and frustration. You point out in the penultimate paragraph of your blog that
emotion precedes the cognitive. Well, initially, it didn’t with me…but emotion
did overwhelm my objectivity in the end!
Why?
Well, apart from a feeling that your pompous postulations
had an air of ‘emperor’s new clothes’ about them, your responses to Tony and
Bill finally finished me off.…..
I wonder if you’re aware of how transparent you became in
those replies?
A few examples:
You did not bother to respond to Tony’s suggestion that he
is not sure ‘constructivism applies only
to propositional learning’.
You responded to your own misinterpretation of this, “I think it would be ..difficult to draw out
any…theory of constructivism that is not based on a system with linguistic or
propositional characteristics” Neither do you bother to explain ‘why’
either. I guess we must just trust your unimpeachable judgement.
Tony continues, "Connectivism
should still address the hard struggle within of deep thinking, of creating
understanding. This is more than the process of making connections."
You refute this, “No.
It is not more than the process of making connections.” Then you go on to
make sweeping statements about learning, suggesting that the ‘learning’ process
experienced by animals and infants will be identical. Really? Surely not? So, presumably you believe that
the infant hedgehog learns in the same way as a human infant?
If that’s the case I’ll be first in the queue to teach at
‘hedgehog school’.
Deep level thinking
You also use the example of a chess player, to highlight how
we make connections at a deeper level by seeing ‘subtle patterns’. This is based upon the response and
interpretation of one chess player…surely a
little tautological: – he says it’s true, therefore, it is true, ummm,
because he says so!
Perhaps we can also make connections in highly individualistic
ways…mine might be through sound patterns, others might be through association…etc.
Later on, you accuse Bill Kerr’s point about the need to ensure
that theories have practical application as being ‘absurd’…..you do this with reference
to engineers and bridges…but again this is not what Kerr appears to be saying
at all. I can only wonder at what really
is the point or use of a theory that has no practical application and cannot be
tested?
“It’s not my
fault”…..I didn’t make humans” – Is this the voice of a learned academician
or a whinging 7yr old? When did anyone say it was your fault?
Modesty
I am also impressed with your modesty, ”…I have described…the principles that characterize successful
networks…These follow from the theory I describe and inform many of the
considerations people like George Siemens have rendered into practical
applications…” So George, did you know that you owe it all to Stephen?
You then attempt to come out with a half-baked theory of
practice: “To teach is to model…to learn is to practice and reflect” this is
not a theory, it is as you originally suggested Stephen – simply a “slogan”.
Tut tut, this is shoddy work for someone who appears to be quite
scathing of other people’s work and ideas (when you disagree with them).
You then say it is “hardly
a theory” – correct again! This is followed by an admittance that it is “Not very original…that too is not my fault.”
Oh dear, I strongly suggest you get over this egocentric ‘not my fault’ issue.
Move on, please!
My learning (however
that may be interpreted).
From this tortured reading, I have gleaned that connectivist
networks are “grown like a plant.” That in a ‘connected’ state new meanings can
be created for individuals, not by knowledge transference but by the individual
learner’s own interpretation, participation, interaction and experience of
being ‘connected.’
“Basic words and concepts acquire new meaning
when viewed from the connectivist perspective”
I seem to have
developed an allergy towards Mr Downs but I suppose I didn’t waste the entire
two hours from my life!
Refs:
http://halfanhour.blogspot.co.uk/2007/02/what-connectivism-is.html
