S. Krashen
Pearson (Luckin et. al., 2016) has announced
that they are developing programs that will monitor students as they
participate in group work, showing how well each student is participating (p.
27), using, for example "voice recognition (to identify who is doing and
saying what in a team activity." (p.34). This is designed to make sure
students are participating according to the programmers' ideas of what optimal
participation is.
This and other intrusions are designed to make sure students are
focused on just the task in front them right now, and are participating in
exactly the way the Pearson wants them to participate. This strengthens an error nearly all
schooling makes and makes true creative thinking and learning impossible.
Studies in creativity have revealed that "incubation" is a
crucial aspect in the development of new ideas and understandings. After a
period of intellectual struggling, of "wrestling" with a problem,
progress, deeper understanding, often comes after a short period of
intellectual rest, “an interval free from conscious thought” to allow the free
working of the subconscious mind (Wallas, 1926, p. 95).
The mathematician Poincare (1924) noted that when reaching a block in
his work, after a "preliminary period of conscious work which also
precedes all fruitful unconscious labor," he would get up from his desk
and do something relatively mindless, such as putting more wood on the
fire. Returning to his work only minutes later, the solution
would often appear.
School work rarely allows this to happen. Pearson's programs make sure incubation will
never happen.
Luckin, R., Holmes, W., Griffiths, M. and Forcier, L. 2016. Intelligence
Unleashed: An Argument for AI in Education. London: Pearson.
Poincare,
H. 1924. Mathematical creation. Excerpts reprinted in Creativity, P.E. Vernon
(Ed.). Middlesex, England: Penguin. pp. 77-88, 1970.
Wallas, G. 1926. The Art of Thought. Excerpts
reprinted in Creativity, P.E. Vernon (Ed.). Middlesex, England: Penguin. pp.
91-97, 1970.
THe latest thing being done in Las Vegas classrooms are Whole Brain Breaks, and some teachers utilize Gonoodle to interupt instruction or group activity, but NOT for incubation, but for, according to research, getting the cells firing up and active, rather than static, in the brain. Funny how we all march to some sort of drum.
ReplyDeleteBe careful--next Pear$on will come up with a way to monitor and assess "incubation"--they are masters at co-opting authentic terms for nefarious purposes.
ReplyDeleteThere are always quiet and reflective students. I can't imagine the amount of stereotype threat that will shut down certain students as they are monitored for how much they say during a group work project. I struggle with how to reward (voluntary) oral participation, as it doesn't equate with how much language is being acquired. Guided back and forth partner dialogue works for certain purposes, but expecting young students to get over their socialized, cultural, and internal linguistic participation styles for a Pearson test-task makes no pedagogical sense.
ReplyDeleteOnce the students find out what is going on the sales of chewing gum will rise.
ReplyDelete