Jerome BrunerED 530 Theorist Presentation

Summer 2010Brian Keating

BackgroundBorn October 1, 1915 in New York, NY.B.A. from Duke University in 1937Ph.D in Psychology from Harvard University in

1942

Image from: http://ethos.anthro.illinois.edu/Images/Bruner2_000.jpg

Bruner’s Early WorkWorked as a social psychologist exploring

propaganda, public opinion, and social attitudes for U.S. Army intelligence during World War II

Worked on ways in which needs, motivations, and expectations (or 'mental sets') influence perception with Leo Postman in 1940’s

Was highly interested in the role of strategies in the process of human categorization, and more generally, the development of human cognition, especially in children

The Process of EducationBruner’s landmark book, published in 1960Had a direct influence on education policy formation

in United StatesInfluenced the thinking and orientation of a wide

group of teachers and scholars Was an crucial factor in the generation of a range of

educational programs and experiments in the 1960’sHeavily influenced curriculum development in U.S.

schoolsPortrayed children as active problem-solvers who are

ready to explore difficult subjects

The Process of Education (cont.)Four Key Themes of The Process of Education :

1. The role of structure in learning and how it may be made central in teaching –The teaching and learning of structure is more important that the simple mastery of facts and techniques.

2. Readiness for Learning – the idea that any subject, regardless of the level of difficulty, can de taught in some form at any age of development.

3. Intuitive and Analytical Thinking – essential features of productive learning

4. Motives for Learning – the idea that genuine interest in the material to be learned is the best stimulus to learning as opposed to grades and other goals

The Process of Education (cont.)

Image from: http://ebook30.com/study/others/192271/the-process-of-education.html

MACOS ProjectMan: A Course of Study (MACOS)Social studies program (mid 1960’s) designed

largely by Bruner and others, including Howard Gardner

Sought to produce a comprehensive curriculum drawing upon the behavioral sciences

A landmark in curriculum development

Bruner’s Constructivist TheoryAccording to Bruner…

Learning is an active process in which learners construct new ideas or concepts based upon their current and past knowledge.

The learner selects and transforms information, constructs hypotheses, and makes decisions, relying on a cognitive structure to do so.

Cognitive structure (i.e., schema, mental models) provides meaning and organization to experiences and allows the individual to "go beyond the information given".

Bruner’s Constructivist Theory (cont.)Role of Instructor in Learning:

To encourage students to actively discover principles on their own

To translate information to be learned into a format appropriate to the learner's current state of understanding

To organize curriculum in a spiral manner so that the student continually builds upon what they have already learned

Bruner’s Later WorkThe Culture of Education

Published in 1996Displays changes in Bruner’s thinking since the

1960’sFocuses on how one’s culture and social

surroundings shape learning.

Image from: http://www.scottlondon.com/images/covers/bruner.jpg

ReferencesSmith, M.K. (2002) 'Jerome S. Bruner and the

process of education', the encyclopedia of informal education. Retrieved May29, 2010 from

http://infed.org/thinkers/bruner.htm#bruner.

Constructivist Theory (J. Bruner). Retrieved May 29, 2010 from http://tip.psychology.org/bruner.html .