Non scolae sed vitae discimus: Toward overcoming the encapsulation of school learning

Abstract

The separation of school learning from experience and cognition outside the school is illustrated with the help of a study of students' misconceptions of the phases of the moon. Three new approaches to overcome the encapsulation of school learning are discussed: Davydov's theory of ascending from the abstract to the concrete in learning and instruction, Lave and Wenger's theory of legitimate peripheral participation, and finally Engeström's theory of learning by expanding. Davydov's theory suggests that the encapsulation may be overcome by teaching students theoretical and dialectical thinking, embodied in “kernel concepts” of the given curricular subject, seen as powerful cognitive tools that transcend the boundaries of school learning. Lave and Wenger's theory suggests that the encapsulation may be overcome by engaging students in genuine communities of practice either outside school or transplanted into the school. Finally, the theory of expansive learning suggests that the object of school learning should be radically widened, to include the context of criticism, the context of discovery, and the context of application of the given contents. The institutional boundaries of school will be transcended by creating networks of learning from below.