Week 2 Post

1. Epistemology (the study of what and how we come to know) is discussed in multiple chapters in this section. Distinguish epistemology from instructional methods or theories. What are the differences between theories, methods, or models of learning and epistemologies or underlying beliefs about ways of knowing?

I want to start off this blog with a disclaimer that I have always been very intimidated by philosophy. I took  a philosophy class in my undergrad classes that made me feel like I had never had a decent thought in my whole life. So, with that in mind, please forgive my weak understanding of this content!!! 

Epistemology is the study of knowledge and how we come to know. Several theories and methods were discussed, but I don't think there is one size fits all for this large branch of philosophy. I tried to picture myself and my views for each of the theories and I don't know that I fit best in one category, I think this comes from the fact that a lot of elementary school teachers are trained to help learners in all different learning styles and use whatever it takes to help their students grasp content. 

2. Chapters in this section discuss three contrasting epistemic stances: positivist, relativist, and contextualist (or hermeneutical). Positivists believe that the only truth or knowledge is objective truth. Relativists don’t believe that objective truth is possible and that all knowledge is subjective to perception or relative to a particular frame of reference. Contextualists believe that truth or knowledge is relative to context rather than individual, subjective understanding. While designers and educators with a positivist stance generally apply behaviorist principles to the design and development of instruction, those with either a contextualist or relativist epistemological framework employ constructivist theories and methods. Reflect on whether your stance is primarily positivist, relativist, or contextualist. Then, identify an instance when your perspective or stance as a learner conflicted with that of your instructor. Describe the conflict that you experienced and analyze whether opposing epistemic stances may have been at the heart of the conflict.

The three contrasting epsitemic stances are positivists, relativists, and contextuatlists. Positivists believe that the only truth or knowledge is objective truth.Relativists don’t believe that objective truth is possible and that all knowledge is subjective to perception or relative to a particular frame of reference. Contextualists believe that truth or knowledge is relative to context rather than individual, subjective understanding. I believe that I fit somewhere between contextualists and relativists. I think that something I see every day in the schools is that students are not able to put meaning behind learning because they have no frame of reference to what it means. A lot of my students are not taken places or given life experiences that are pertinent to learning, especially reading.  As a reader you have to visualize and read between lines of what the author is saying. I remember a time in one of my classes when I first began to teach. We were reading a story about that had to do with baseball and the question after the passage was about an inning and a little girl I was helping was so upset because she had no idea what an inning was. She didn't have a frame of reference. I think I also relate to the contextualists because I think I like to examine why someone took something and made that analysis with it, what was the context of their learning?  I like to think I am not very closely associated with the positivist, though I did have to sit in an ARD meeting (special ed meeting) this year and be very frank with a set of parents about their child's diagnosis and what that means for them in the future. In my job I have to be very data driven and the diagnostician's tests are what I have to go by. Even though the parents didn't see their child as having severe cognitive disabilities I had to explain that the truth was that he will always be somewhat behind. I hated myself that day. :(

3. Differing epistemic stances lead to differing approaches to learning and instruction, and ultimately to problem-solving. Explain differences in problem-solving when approached from behaviorist and constructivist perspectives. How do the approaches differ in both the nature of the problem to be solved and in facilitating the problem solving process? Finally, what effect might these differences have on learner motivation?

Behaviorists believe in a measurable result. They want to see if a behavior shows learning. Constructivists believe that the learner receives information and learning through their environment. Behaviorists believe learning is made and will stick if there is something positive that comes with it. Constructivists believe that the learner has to take on the meaning of the learning to learn. Learner motivation may be impacted by how the learner is affected by the environment or the positivity of their learning.