Thoughts on Activity Theory LRND 6820
September 25, 2010
We have thankfully come to realize that the Sage on the Stage is not always the best way to actually create real learning where the information is actually internalized well enough that the guiding principles can be applied to different situations. The article “Smart People or Smart Contexts” explains this concept. It challenges the old way of teaching and suggests a different approach, one that allows interaction with the environment.
Activity Theory is really quite simple: people learn best when they do the activity. It follows the old adage of “Give someone a fish and they eat for a day. Teach them how to fish and they eat for a lifetime.” I’ve noticed this phenomenon first hand as an instructor in VCT 1030. Every time I take control of the mouse and show them how to solve their problem I invariably get called back for help in short order. What I thought was the faster and more efficient way of teaching was actually quite detrimental: I had to be more patient and explain the whole process again so the student can actually learn and internalize the steps needed to solve the issue at hand.
There is a part in Rachel Barnes’ presentation that states, “Students need to learn information in the context in which they are used” and I couldn’t agree more. I feel that more personal stories related to the issue at hand are quite beneficial in teaching the Why behind the decisions. Simply telling someone that they need to do something in a certain manner without supplying the necessary context of the Why does nothing to reinforce the lesson.
3 thoughts on “Thoughts on Activity Theory LRND 6820”
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September 26th, 2010 at 10:20 pm
Hi Aaron,
Thanks for the post. I’ve had similar experiences to yours in “in person” classes and workshops trying to help people master new software.
When a student asks what seems like a pretty straightforward “how do I _____” question, it seems “efficient” to just take his or her mouse and show them the steps. However, in my experience, it doesn’t seem like the skills “stick” unless you leave the mouse in the hand of the student so he or she actually works through the problem (with you as the instructor trying to make sure support is available if the student gets lost or overly frustrated.)
To extend the fishing analogy a step further, I think activity theorists would argue that “teaching to fish” involves students actually doing some fishing.
Connecting activity theory to educational technology (and beating the fishing analogy to death), activity theory-oriented approaches to teaching fishing with ed tech might include creating simulations (possibly using games and/or immersive environments) in which students can virtually fish and get feedback, or creating help resources students could use while actually fishing (for example, an app for a handheld device that could suggest a lure based on the lake conditions and let fishermen and fisherwomen read recent posts from others on the lake about the strategies they’re using and whether or not they’ve been successful.) The key to learning, from an activity theory point-of-view, is having authentic first-hand experiences. The student “learns by doing,” while the learning designer and teacher focus on building supports into the environment. (In other words, making sure the “context” is “smart.”)
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