Enduring understanding
Had a long IM chat w/ a fellow cadre member today - about the culmination project for EDC665.
I think trying to help him see where the enduring understanding might be in his project helped me come closer to defining it for mine. I'm not entirely sure it helped him though... it seemed several times that we were each talking about very different things... talking around each other but not really with each other...
One thing is for sure though - we are both in our own way over thinking things... and I recognized in his plan some of the same potential misdirection that was in mine. Ironic really - we talked of why the concept he wants to teach is perceived as something that is so often not well understood. One of the reasons for that is that there are some very common misconceptions associated with the topic. Yet... both of us in our own way demonstrated some serious misconceptions in the way we were approaching this project itself. I'm still not sure I really helped him see that... but it certainly became clearer for me and for that I'm quite thankful.
What I came to really understand as we talked is that this curriculum that I create must provide the learner with the guidance, resources, and support by which they will construct their own understanding of the concept (or concepts) I have in mind. I am not giving them the enduring concept itself... I'm helping them develop that concept by doing the various activities that I make part of my curriculum. The final activity will be the thing that demonstrates how they have constructed that concept for themselves. So, my curriculum (and syllabus) doesn't have to be presented with any super fancy technology and/or media solutions... I don't need to create from scratch all the content (including text, flash demos, and whatever else I might want).... in fact... I shouldn't do that... why re-invent the wheel... why give the learner everything they need presented on a nice clean silver platter? That isn't the point and that isn't the best way to help them construct their knowledge anyway.
Another beautiful realization - this project is our "artifact" that will demonstrate for Dr. K that we have constructed for ourselves the enduring understandings for this course. Nice synchronicity - a true thing of beauty.
Which brings me to my own enduring understanding... the one that I want to somehow help my students construct. I has to do with beauty... but more than that... it has to do with the creation of something that is greater than the sum of its parts. I've spent my walks to and from work over the last few days trying to articulate for myself what the enduring understanding is that I want my learners to construct by learning about and how to make origami. I kept going round and round with myself... I want them to create a box... but I also want them to put some thought and creativity into the design of the box... the pieces have to be constructed in a specific way but they can be fit together in a variety of ways AND they can be made out of an even wider variety of paper designs and colors. I also want them to have at least some exposure to where Origami comes from and why so many people enjoy practicing it. The more I thought about it... the more complicated I made it... the more things I added because I somehow thought just making a box isn't enough... there must be more to it than that.
After my conversation w/ my cadre-mate this afternoon - I again reflected on my project as I walked home (walking to/from work really is such a wonderful opportunity for reflection). This time - before I could get all caught up in the complexity of it - I asked myself a simple but very important question. Why do I love practicing origami so much? Then - I realized that although that question was close... it wasn't complete... the complete question was: Why do I love origami and why do I currently enjoy making boxes so much? I tried to empty my thoughts (beginner mind again) and open myself up to the most basic answer to this question. My initial thought was - the boxes are beautiful to me and I enjoy creating things that are beautiful. Ok... nice... but beauty is relative and I don't think my personal definition of beauty is the enduring understanding that I want to teach here... after all... each person must find their own personal sense of beauty... Ok... I think I'm getting warmer.... Then I started thinking about what goes into the construction of a box... 16 pieces of paper (if it is an octagon... 8 if it is a square) - the same exact set of folds for all 8 (or 4) pieces that make up the top, another set of identical folds for the pieces that make up the bottom of the box. Each fold in itself is rather un-remarkable... none of the folds that make up the parts of either the square or octagon box are all that complicated. Each part is not all that remarkable either... they don't look like much of anything yet. BUT... when you link the parts together to make the top and the bottom of the box... suddenly you have something that is beautiful, intricate, and appears to be quite complex. ...much warmer now... This took me back to origami in general... you start with this simple and even rather ordinary square of paper... you make a few precise yet not all that remarkable folds... you make a few more... you unfold and re-fold and manipulate... and then you have something quite remarkable (a crane, a frog, a shirt, a flower, etc). Each thing taken by itself is not much... each set out next the other is still not all that much... but put them all together and you have something much more interesting than you might have guessed. This is a true example, a tangible example of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. ...boy... I can feel the heat now... The box is an especially elegant example of this because even after you've made all the necessary folds to each set of paper squares... you still have 4 or 8 separate constructions that don't look like all that much... but as you fit each one into the next something pretty amazing happens... and when you lock the last piece in... there is a sort of metamorphosis and all these separate, unremarkable pieces become something so much greater than you would expect from the pieces.
So - enduring understanding... unremarkable bits can create great things. Ok that isn't a very elegant way of putting it... but someone else already coined the phrase "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts." That seems so simple that part of me thinks it must not be right... and then I have to laugh at myself for once again trying to over-think and over-complicate things.
The ABC's are still there... to truly construct the understanding - the learner has to do more than just make a box... there are other "parts" that must be incorporated... an understanding that there is a rich history behind the art of paperfolding, the consideration of color theory and design (for the patterns and colors of paper to combine), the meditative state that can be experienced while making all the parts (focusing on the exact and precise folding), the creativity that can be expressed even while following an exact pattern of folds and manipulations.
So - is that it... or am I being too esoteric about my enduring understanding? I don't think so... this just feels to right... but I will sleep on it before I post my responses to Dr. K's questions on Bb.
I think trying to help him see where the enduring understanding might be in his project helped me come closer to defining it for mine. I'm not entirely sure it helped him though... it seemed several times that we were each talking about very different things... talking around each other but not really with each other...
One thing is for sure though - we are both in our own way over thinking things... and I recognized in his plan some of the same potential misdirection that was in mine. Ironic really - we talked of why the concept he wants to teach is perceived as something that is so often not well understood. One of the reasons for that is that there are some very common misconceptions associated with the topic. Yet... both of us in our own way demonstrated some serious misconceptions in the way we were approaching this project itself. I'm still not sure I really helped him see that... but it certainly became clearer for me and for that I'm quite thankful.
What I came to really understand as we talked is that this curriculum that I create must provide the learner with the guidance, resources, and support by which they will construct their own understanding of the concept (or concepts) I have in mind. I am not giving them the enduring concept itself... I'm helping them develop that concept by doing the various activities that I make part of my curriculum. The final activity will be the thing that demonstrates how they have constructed that concept for themselves. So, my curriculum (and syllabus) doesn't have to be presented with any super fancy technology and/or media solutions... I don't need to create from scratch all the content (including text, flash demos, and whatever else I might want).... in fact... I shouldn't do that... why re-invent the wheel... why give the learner everything they need presented on a nice clean silver platter? That isn't the point and that isn't the best way to help them construct their knowledge anyway.
Another beautiful realization - this project is our "artifact" that will demonstrate for Dr. K that we have constructed for ourselves the enduring understandings for this course. Nice synchronicity - a true thing of beauty.
Which brings me to my own enduring understanding... the one that I want to somehow help my students construct. I has to do with beauty... but more than that... it has to do with the creation of something that is greater than the sum of its parts. I've spent my walks to and from work over the last few days trying to articulate for myself what the enduring understanding is that I want my learners to construct by learning about and how to make origami. I kept going round and round with myself... I want them to create a box... but I also want them to put some thought and creativity into the design of the box... the pieces have to be constructed in a specific way but they can be fit together in a variety of ways AND they can be made out of an even wider variety of paper designs and colors. I also want them to have at least some exposure to where Origami comes from and why so many people enjoy practicing it. The more I thought about it... the more complicated I made it... the more things I added because I somehow thought just making a box isn't enough... there must be more to it than that.
After my conversation w/ my cadre-mate this afternoon - I again reflected on my project as I walked home (walking to/from work really is such a wonderful opportunity for reflection). This time - before I could get all caught up in the complexity of it - I asked myself a simple but very important question. Why do I love practicing origami so much? Then - I realized that although that question was close... it wasn't complete... the complete question was: Why do I love origami and why do I currently enjoy making boxes so much? I tried to empty my thoughts (beginner mind again) and open myself up to the most basic answer to this question. My initial thought was - the boxes are beautiful to me and I enjoy creating things that are beautiful. Ok... nice... but beauty is relative and I don't think my personal definition of beauty is the enduring understanding that I want to teach here... after all... each person must find their own personal sense of beauty... Ok... I think I'm getting warmer.... Then I started thinking about what goes into the construction of a box... 16 pieces of paper (if it is an octagon... 8 if it is a square) - the same exact set of folds for all 8 (or 4) pieces that make up the top, another set of identical folds for the pieces that make up the bottom of the box. Each fold in itself is rather un-remarkable... none of the folds that make up the parts of either the square or octagon box are all that complicated. Each part is not all that remarkable either... they don't look like much of anything yet. BUT... when you link the parts together to make the top and the bottom of the box... suddenly you have something that is beautiful, intricate, and appears to be quite complex. ...much warmer now... This took me back to origami in general... you start with this simple and even rather ordinary square of paper... you make a few precise yet not all that remarkable folds... you make a few more... you unfold and re-fold and manipulate... and then you have something quite remarkable (a crane, a frog, a shirt, a flower, etc). Each thing taken by itself is not much... each set out next the other is still not all that much... but put them all together and you have something much more interesting than you might have guessed. This is a true example, a tangible example of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. ...boy... I can feel the heat now... The box is an especially elegant example of this because even after you've made all the necessary folds to each set of paper squares... you still have 4 or 8 separate constructions that don't look like all that much... but as you fit each one into the next something pretty amazing happens... and when you lock the last piece in... there is a sort of metamorphosis and all these separate, unremarkable pieces become something so much greater than you would expect from the pieces.
So - enduring understanding... unremarkable bits can create great things. Ok that isn't a very elegant way of putting it... but someone else already coined the phrase "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts." That seems so simple that part of me thinks it must not be right... and then I have to laugh at myself for once again trying to over-think and over-complicate things.
The ABC's are still there... to truly construct the understanding - the learner has to do more than just make a box... there are other "parts" that must be incorporated... an understanding that there is a rich history behind the art of paperfolding, the consideration of color theory and design (for the patterns and colors of paper to combine), the meditative state that can be experienced while making all the parts (focusing on the exact and precise folding), the creativity that can be expressed even while following an exact pattern of folds and manipulations.
So - is that it... or am I being too esoteric about my enduring understanding? I don't think so... this just feels to right... but I will sleep on it before I post my responses to Dr. K's questions on Bb.
posted by susan | 9:09 PM
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