BRUNERS MAIN CONCEPT

JEROME BRUNER

New York City

October 1, 1915

The Process of Education -1960

REPRESENTATION

1. Enactive representation- The earliest age, children learn

about the world through actions on physical

objects and the outcomes of these action.

2. Iconic representation- is when learning can be obtained through using

models and pictures.

3. Symbolic representation- the learners has developed the ability to think

in abstract terms.

SPIRAL CURRICULUM

Teachers must revisit the curriculum by teaching the same content in different ways

depending on students developments level.

Principles of instruction stated by Bruners.

1.instruction must be concerned with the experiences and context that make the

student willing and able to learn (readiness)

2. instruction must be structured so that it can be easily grasped by the students

(spiral organization)

3. instruction should be designed to facilitate extrapolation and or fill in the gaps.

(going beyond the information given)

DISCOVERING LEARNING

refers to obtaining knowledge for oneself. Teacher plans and

arranges activities in such a way that students search,

manipulate, explore, and investigate. Students learn new

knowledge relevant to the domain and such general problem-

solving skills as formulating rules, testing and gathering

information. Most discovery does not happen by chance. Students

require background preparation. Once students possess

prerequisite knowledge careful structuring of material allows

them to discover important principles.

Bruner (1996) states that a theory of instruction

should address four major aspects :

1. Predisposition to learn.

He introduced the ideas of “readiness for

learning”

2. Structure of Learning

the ways in which a body of knowledge can be

structured so that it can be most readily grasped by the

leaner.

3. Effective Sequencing

no one sequencing will fit every learner, but in

general, the lesson can be presented in increasng

difficulty.

4. Reinforcement

Rewards and punishment should be selected

and paced appropriately.

CATEGORIZATION

Categories are “rules” that specify four thing about

objects.

1. Criterial attributes – required characteristics for

inclusion of an object in a category.

2. The second rule prescribes how the criteral

attributes are combined.

3. The third rule assigns weight to various properties.

4. The fourth rule sets acceptance limits on attributes

THERE ARE SEVERAL KINDS OF CATEGORIES

1.Identity categories- include objects based on their attributes or

features.

2.Equivalent categories- can be determined by affective criteria,

which render objects equivalent by emotional reactions, functional

criteria, based on related functions or by formal criteria.

3.Coding system- categories to recognize that serve to recognize

sensory input.