[Its.an.education.project] Ivan's latest blog entry on OLPC

[info at olpc-peru.info]

Ivan et al,

Just giving you plain info.

In your essay you tell us... "As far as I know, there is no real study 
anywhere that demonstrates constructionism works at scale."
I agree.  But... there is a huge place to test how construccionism has 
work in the last 8 years: Peru.

Las weekend I have been talking with my sister in law and another 
friend, both are teachers and have small kids in the school.  One of 
them teach in top high school (rich schools) and the other in public 
schools (poor schools).  Both told me the next: 8 years ago 
(aproximately) the peruvian goverment decide to follow the 
construccionist method for the education (here is as easy as one person 
in charge deciding this or that... then the whole system will move in 
that sense).  They (the teachers) got order to take a special course 
about "new education methods" that was basically construccionism.  The 
course was obligatory.  Both teachers are from the coast and for the 
coast area (I don't have information about Andean teachers... but I 
suppose it must be the same because the education is managed as a whole 
system... it shouldn't be... but.. it is!).

I can continue telling about all the questions that I have ask them (to 
my sister in law and other teacher) but it was a long 4 hours 
conversation and, of course, was not a scientific or statistical study.  
I don't have very clear IF the construccionism has bring good or bad for 
the teachers in Peru, but at least a huge group of peruvian teachers 
know what it is and they have been, in some way, trained to use it in 
the classroom.

Knowing my country, and knowing my own people, I can guess that the 
theories of construccionism has not been well taught, deeply learned, or 
are in full use in my country.  But... a statiscal work (taking aleatory 
data) could be done. 

The bad news are that our authorities take an exam (about general 
knowledge) to 180,000 teachers.  Just 2,100 aproved the examination with 
the minimum qualification (11 points over a total of 20) and just 140 
aproved with a note of 14 or more (over the 20 maximum points).  So any 
study about construccionism should take note the "base" over what you 
are trying to develop construccionism.  It can sound hard but I need to 
give you all the information (good or bad) so serious studies can be 
develop taken in account all the sides and happenings.

Best regards,

Javier Rodriguez
Lima, Peru






Ivan Krstić wrote:
> On May 13, 2008, at 9:46 PM, Stephen John Smoogen wrote:
>> Just make sure you read all the way through before trying to
>> understand it. I needed to read it through twice as he is a very angry
>> person and his anger seems to go at a lot of targets..
>
> Do you feel that particular points were not properly supported or 
> explained in the essay?
>
> -- 
> Ivan Krstić <krstic at solarsail.hcs.harvard.edu> | http://radian.org
>
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