Questioning the Neutrality of Learning Strategies: teachers' and pupils' use of background knowledge

Cecilie Rønning Haugen

doi:10.1590/2175-623645932

Abstract

This article investigates educational practices aimed at equitable trainability by looking into an American project on learning strategies that is also being used in Norwegian schools. One special feature of the project is its focus on the pupils' background knowledge. The author examines how background knowledge is interpreted and used in specific classroom contexts. The variation in interpretations from both teachers and pupils demonstrates that it may be hard to channel knowledge and pedagogy in school in specific directions using the learning-strategy project in question. Furthermore, the social background of the student may influence whether legitimate background knowledge is activated and used strategically. The author argues that the research on learning strategies can be developed by drawing on perspectives from the sociology of education.

Highlights

Due to the rapid development of knowledge that characterizes the Knowledge Society, knowledge is considered of low endurance
Stake differentiates between intrinsic and instrumental case studies. In the former, the researcher has a special interest in the case itself, while in the latter, the researcher investigates a case to obtain an understanding of something else, as was the case in this study, where the research on a specific learning strategy project (CRISS) allowed information to be obtained on how the policies on trainability and learning strategies are recontextualised into pedagogic sequences
Through the CRISS project, the teachers and pupils are provided with different strategies, schemes and procedures that should enable them to work according to these principles

Summary

Introduction

Due to the rapid development of knowledge that characterizes the Knowledge Society (cf. Dale; Gilje; Lillejord, 2011; European Union, 2006; Djupedal, 2006), knowledge is considered of low endurance. Since knowledge is rapidly evolving/changing, schools must prepare for the pupils to acquire relevant competences for the economy In such manner the economic discourse on flexibility (cf Chouliaraki; Fairclough, 1999; European Commision, 2008) must be recontextualized into a pedagogic discourse where the pupils acquire qualifications for a flexible identity. This recent construction entering general education is typically found outside of schools and is characterised by the following: Generic modes are produced by a functional analysis of what is taken to be the underlying features necessary to the performance of a skill, task, practice or even area of work. These underlying apparently necessary features are referred to ascompetences. Examples of what was characterised as a strong classification between background knowledge and school knowledge were an emphasis on facts, grammar, reproduction of defined content, ignoring pupils’ questions when they were trying to relate to meaning/own life, rejection of pupils’ attempts to problematise the content and a highly academic focus which few of the pupils understood.

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Conclusion