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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Yes I think simple thumbnail definitions like
this help<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>The first half: &#8220;people learn by
actively constructing new knowledge, rather than having information
&quot;poured&quot; into their heads&#8221; is what a lot of educators would
understand by &#8216;constructivism&#8217;<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Contructionism seems to be Papert&#8217;s refinement
&#8211; and a less well known term -suggesting this happens most readily when
engaged in &#8216;constructing personally meaningful artifacts&#8217;&nbsp; (eg Logo
projects)<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Even bared down like this though, these
terms sound a bit theoretical &#8211; I&#8217;d suggest having another level of
more emotive terms /slogans <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>(in the style of &#8220;doing with images
makes symbols&#8221; )<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>eg<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>a. We all make our own knowledge <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>b. We learn best by doing<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>c. We need mentoring in supportive
environments <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>I added (c) since the first two are
powerful statements, but only one side of learning, as critics will be quick to
point out&#8230;.(most aren&#8217;t going to sit down and productively learn by
doing without some source of example and instruction)<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>I used &#8216;environments&#8217;, rather
than peers/teachers etc, as i think mentoring can come via books and tutorials,
activities and scaffolds as well as more direct human instruction <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Cheers<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>rob<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></font></p>

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face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:12.0pt'>

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<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 face=Tahoma><span lang=EN-US
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>From:</span></font></b><font
size=2 face=Tahoma><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'>
iaep-bounces@lists.sugarlabs.org [mailto:iaep-bounces@lists.sugarlabs.org] <b><span
style='font-weight:bold'>On Behalf Of </span></b>Seth Woodworth<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Sent:</span></b> Saturday, 16 August 2008
4:15 AM<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>To:</span></b> Education; Educators and OLPC;
Grassroots OLPC<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Subject:</span></b> [IAEP] Concise
explanation of Constructionism from the Learning Team</span></font><span
lang=EN-US><o:p></o:p></span></p>

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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></font></p>

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<h3><b><font size=2 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>Inspired
by Sameer's recent conversations with a pair of Montessori Kindergarden
teachers.&nbsp; I went to talk to Cynthia Sol</span></font>omon of the OLPC
Learning team.&nbsp; We got to talking about the theory of Activities and a few
other topics.&nbsp; Eventually she showed me this snippit from the Media Lab's
Future of Learning Group:<o:p></o:p></b></h3>

<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></font></p>

<h3><b><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>Constructionism<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></h3>

<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>We are
developing &quot;Constructionism&quot; as a theory of learning and education.
Constructionism is based on two different senses of &quot;construction.&quot;
It is grounded in the idea that people learn by actively constructing new
knowledge, rather than having information &quot;poured&quot; into their heads.
Moreover, constructionism asserts that people learn with particular
effectiveness when they are engaged in constructing personally meaningful
artifacts (such as computer programs, animations, or robots).<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>

<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><a
href="http://learning.media.mit.edu/projects.html">http://learning.media.mit.edu/projects.html</a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>

<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></font></p>

<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>I thought
that this explination was concise and really interesting.&nbsp; I would love to
explain this to people who want to desige activities, just to give them a
little snapshot of the concept.&nbsp; Does anyone have a problem with this
deffinition? Does anyone have an improvement?<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>

<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></font></p>

<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>-Seth<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>

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