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Piers Young's avatar

Thank you for this - very much agree. For me, I find both ends of the educational absolutism scale a little problematic. All PBL or all explicit both have their problems.

What do you make of the Trivium approach for combining them?

(Which I've understood as

Grammar: Explicit/Direct Instruction (Acquire and internalise the foundational knowledge and best ideas within a field—the "facts, rules, and building blocks" that form its basis.)

Logic: Analyse, debate, and challenge the relationships and coherence of the foundational knowledge to develop understanding and critical thinking.

Rhetoric: PBL: Apply, articulate, and contribute to the field by expressing ideas persuasively and creatively, integrating knowledge and understanding into practical or original outputs)

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Umes Shrestha's avatar

Yes, we need to stop thinking from this extreme ends perspective. But I think learning happens in phases, from novice to intermediate to expert. And teaching has to align with these phases. This is why I love the idea of Instructional Hierarchy.

And, I can see how the Trivium approach can also be aligned with the learning phases.

Thanks for sharing this.

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Apr 20
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Umes Shrestha's avatar

Ideally, schools are designed for learning (mastering foundational knowledge and skills) so that students can be creative. Creativity is an outcome of so many variables, which schools may or may not control directly.

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