04 Appendix Four Learners and Learning Reading 6 extracts.indd

The aim of this section is to capture the essence of learning by identifying core issues, and by considering the ideas of the different theorists in the debate. [...] But how do their schemata change in school? Teachers offer knowledge in the form of telling, demonstrating and explaining, and pupils work on different kinds of tasks or activities designed to allow the practice, development or generation of a wide range of knowledge and understanding. [...] Bruner (1986) stresses far more the importance of the social setting in learning: I have come increasingly to recognize that most learning in most settings is a communal activity, a sharing of the culture. [...] One of Vygotsky’s main contributions to our understanding of learning is his concept of the zone of proximal development, which refers to the gap between what an individual can do alone and unaided, and what can be achieved with the help of more knowledgeable others. [...] The contents are the sole responsibility of PIECCE and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.