... They proposed that in Australia this may be due in part to the lack of ... learning, whether ... more ... They proposed that in Australia this may be due in part to the lack of ... learning, whether based on conservative or progressive philosophy and informal learning is education in the ... business, social science, humanities, and science (pure and applied) in three Australian universities ...
International Journal for Lesson and Learning Studies, 2011
ABSTRACT Purpose – One important contribution of variation theory to learning study is that it br... more ABSTRACT Purpose – One important contribution of variation theory to learning study is that it brings the focus of the learning study sharply on the object of learning and provides a theoretical grounding to understand some of the necessary conditions of learning. The purpose of this paper is to argue that variation theory can serve as a guiding principle of pedagogical design. Design/methodology/approach – Data from two case studies are used to support the argument. Findings – This paper shows that variation theory is indeed a guiding principle; what the teacher is supposed to do in the classroom does not follow mechanically, as exemplified by two learning study cases. The first example shows that the principles of variation theory imply what features of the object of learning has to be invariant and what should vary in the students' experience. However, this is a necessary but not sufficient condition for learning. The second example shows also that even if one is aware of the pattern of variation and invariance needed, still it might take quite a bit of ingenuity to bring it about. Originality/value – Teachers need a sound theory to help them make wise decisions about teaching. Variation theory provides a theoretical grounding to understand some of the necessary conditions of learning, so that wise pedagogical decisions can be made. This paper contributes to a deeper understanding of variation theory and its application in practice. Furthermore, the paper also shows that while a learning theory enhances the quality of a lesson study, a lesson study can also provide a platform for the testing and application of a learning theory.
This paper is the second of a series of three which attempt to integrate categories of descriptio... more This paper is the second of a series of three which attempt to integrate categories of description aimed at characterizing the experience of learning in terms of the logical relationships that exist between them. The description of the qualitatively different ways in which various aspects of reality are experienced and conceptualized, and the search for logical relations between the categories of description arrived at have been labelled phenomenography. In this paper, the categories of description corresponding to the qualitatively different ways in which various aspects of learning tasks are seen by the learner are characterized on three increasingly general levels, with two sub-levels within each: (1) conceptions of what is to be learned--conceptions of content and conceptions of structure; (2) approaches to learning--holistic vs. atomistic approach, and deep vs. surface approach; and (3) conceptions of studying--orientations to studies and conceptions of learning. (Author/PN)
Classroom Discourse and the Space of Learning is about learning in schools and the central role o... more Classroom Discourse and the Space of Learning is about learning in schools and the central role of language in learning. The investigations of learning it reports are based on two premises: First, whatever you are trying to learn, there are certain necessary conditions for succeeding--although you cannot be sure that learning will take place when those conditions are met, you can be sure that no learning will occur if they are not. The limits of what is possible to learn is what the authors call "the space of learning." Second, language plays a central role in learning--it does not merely convey meaning, it also creates meaning. The book explicates the necessary conditions for successful learning and employs investigations of classroom discourse data to demonstrate how the space of learning is linguistically constituted in the classroom.Classroom Discourse and the Space of Learning:*makes the case that an understanding of how the space of learning is linguistically constit...
When dealing with problems of various kinds, we frequently have to take several features of the p... more When dealing with problems of various kinds, we frequently have to take several features of the problem into consideration simultaneously, such as time and distance in a physics problem, the color of the lips and breathing when making a diagnosis, and distance and wind when kicking a football. This study is about learning to do this with a specific kind of problem. The instructional approach that is adopted gives concrete cases that are then followed by the explicit teaching of general and formalized principles, and a comparison is drawn between two conditions. In one, the students deal with cases that vary in two respects at the same time, and in the other the students first deal with cases that vary in one respect, then with cases that vary in a second respect, and then with cases that vary in both respects at the same time. Both conditions are followed by the same explicit instructions about how to formally deal with this kind of problem. As the first condition represents an atte...
An interview study was carried out with 43 high-school students with the dual aim of: (a) explori... more An interview study was carried out with 43 high-school students with the dual aim of: (a) exploring the dimensionality of learning; and (b) investigating the nature of the relationship between memorisation and understanding as experienced by Chinese learners. The different ways of experiencing learning found in the group participating in the investigation are described within a two-dimensional outcome space. There
Our intention is to outline a certain view of learning and teaching in higher education. In order... more Our intention is to outline a certain view of learning and teaching in higher education. In order to make our generalisations more concrete we have used, as an example, a research project concerned with ways of facilitating a deeper understanding of selected concepts in Economics at University level. This project can be seen as a continuation of previous research, especially
... They proposed that in Australia this may be due in part to the lack of ... learning, whether ... more ... They proposed that in Australia this may be due in part to the lack of ... learning, whether based on conservative or progressive philosophy and informal learning is education in the ... business, social science, humanities, and science (pure and applied) in three Australian universities ...
International Journal for Lesson and Learning Studies, 2011
ABSTRACT Purpose – One important contribution of variation theory to learning study is that it br... more ABSTRACT Purpose – One important contribution of variation theory to learning study is that it brings the focus of the learning study sharply on the object of learning and provides a theoretical grounding to understand some of the necessary conditions of learning. The purpose of this paper is to argue that variation theory can serve as a guiding principle of pedagogical design. Design/methodology/approach – Data from two case studies are used to support the argument. Findings – This paper shows that variation theory is indeed a guiding principle; what the teacher is supposed to do in the classroom does not follow mechanically, as exemplified by two learning study cases. The first example shows that the principles of variation theory imply what features of the object of learning has to be invariant and what should vary in the students' experience. However, this is a necessary but not sufficient condition for learning. The second example shows also that even if one is aware of the pattern of variation and invariance needed, still it might take quite a bit of ingenuity to bring it about. Originality/value – Teachers need a sound theory to help them make wise decisions about teaching. Variation theory provides a theoretical grounding to understand some of the necessary conditions of learning, so that wise pedagogical decisions can be made. This paper contributes to a deeper understanding of variation theory and its application in practice. Furthermore, the paper also shows that while a learning theory enhances the quality of a lesson study, a lesson study can also provide a platform for the testing and application of a learning theory.
This paper is the second of a series of three which attempt to integrate categories of descriptio... more This paper is the second of a series of three which attempt to integrate categories of description aimed at characterizing the experience of learning in terms of the logical relationships that exist between them. The description of the qualitatively different ways in which various aspects of reality are experienced and conceptualized, and the search for logical relations between the categories of description arrived at have been labelled phenomenography. In this paper, the categories of description corresponding to the qualitatively different ways in which various aspects of learning tasks are seen by the learner are characterized on three increasingly general levels, with two sub-levels within each: (1) conceptions of what is to be learned--conceptions of content and conceptions of structure; (2) approaches to learning--holistic vs. atomistic approach, and deep vs. surface approach; and (3) conceptions of studying--orientations to studies and conceptions of learning. (Author/PN)
Classroom Discourse and the Space of Learning is about learning in schools and the central role o... more Classroom Discourse and the Space of Learning is about learning in schools and the central role of language in learning. The investigations of learning it reports are based on two premises: First, whatever you are trying to learn, there are certain necessary conditions for succeeding--although you cannot be sure that learning will take place when those conditions are met, you can be sure that no learning will occur if they are not. The limits of what is possible to learn is what the authors call "the space of learning." Second, language plays a central role in learning--it does not merely convey meaning, it also creates meaning. The book explicates the necessary conditions for successful learning and employs investigations of classroom discourse data to demonstrate how the space of learning is linguistically constituted in the classroom.Classroom Discourse and the Space of Learning:*makes the case that an understanding of how the space of learning is linguistically constit...
When dealing with problems of various kinds, we frequently have to take several features of the p... more When dealing with problems of various kinds, we frequently have to take several features of the problem into consideration simultaneously, such as time and distance in a physics problem, the color of the lips and breathing when making a diagnosis, and distance and wind when kicking a football. This study is about learning to do this with a specific kind of problem. The instructional approach that is adopted gives concrete cases that are then followed by the explicit teaching of general and formalized principles, and a comparison is drawn between two conditions. In one, the students deal with cases that vary in two respects at the same time, and in the other the students first deal with cases that vary in one respect, then with cases that vary in a second respect, and then with cases that vary in both respects at the same time. Both conditions are followed by the same explicit instructions about how to formally deal with this kind of problem. As the first condition represents an atte...
An interview study was carried out with 43 high-school students with the dual aim of: (a) explori... more An interview study was carried out with 43 high-school students with the dual aim of: (a) exploring the dimensionality of learning; and (b) investigating the nature of the relationship between memorisation and understanding as experienced by Chinese learners. The different ways of experiencing learning found in the group participating in the investigation are described within a two-dimensional outcome space. There
Our intention is to outline a certain view of learning and teaching in higher education. In order... more Our intention is to outline a certain view of learning and teaching in higher education. In order to make our generalisations more concrete we have used, as an example, a research project concerned with ways of facilitating a deeper understanding of selected concepts in Economics at University level. This project can be seen as a continuation of previous research, especially
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