Firsthand learning through intent participation

This article examines how people learn by actively observing and “listening-in” on ongoing activities as they participate in shared endeavors. Keen observationand listening-in are especially valued and used in some cultural communities in which children are part of mature community activities. This intent participation also occurs in some settings (such as early language learning in the family) in communities that routinely segregate children from the full range of adult activities. However, in the past century some industrial societies have relied on a specialized form of instruction that seems to accompany segregation of children from adult settings, in which adults “transmit” information to children. We contrast these two traditions of organizing learning in terms of their participation structure, the roles of more-and less-experienced people, distinctions in motivation and purpose, sources of learning (observation in ongoing activity versus lessons), forms of communication, and the role of assessment

Firsthand learning through intent participation

Este artigo foi originalmente publicado na Annual Review of Psychology, Fevereiro 2003, vol. 54, pp. 175-203. Foi reeditado, neste número especial de Análise Psicológica, com as devidas autorizações.This article examines how people learn by actively observing and “listening-in” on ongoing activities as they participate in shared endeavors. Keen observation and listening-in are especially valued and used in some cultural communities in which children are part of mature community activities. This intent participation also occurs in some settings (such as early language learning in the family) in communities that routinely segregate children from the full range of adult activities. However, in the past century some industrial societies have relied on a specialized form of instruction that seems to accompany segregation of children from adult settings, in which adults “transmit” information to children. We contrast these two traditions of organizing learning in terms of their participation structure, the roles of more- and less-experienced people, distinctions in motivation and purpose, sources of learning (observation in ongoing activity versus lessons), forms of communication, and the role of assessment.Este artigo analisa como as pessoas aprendem pela observação e escuta activas (“listening in”) enquanto participantes no esforço partilhado exigido pelas actividades quotidianas. A observação interessada e a escuta são particularmente valorizadas e usadas enquanto formas de aprendizagem, em algumas comunidades culturais, nas quais as crianças fazem parte das actividades da comunidade adulta. Esta participação atenta “intent participation”) também acongtece em alguns contextos (como a aprendizagem precoce da linguagem na família), em comunidades que, nas suas rotinas, segregam as crianças da maioria das actividades dos adultos. Contudo, no século passado, algumas sociedades industriais confiaram numa forma de instrução especializada que parece acompanhar a segregação das crianças das actividades da comunidade adulta, através da qual os adultos “transmitem” informação às crianças. Neste artigo estabelecemos o contraste entre estas duas tradições de organização da aprendizagem, em termos da sua estrutura de participação, dos papeis dos mais e dos menos experientes, distinções entre motivação e propósito (“purpose”), fontes de aprendizagem (observação de actividades versus lições), formas de comunicação, e o papel da avaliação.Spencer Foundation and the National Institutes of Health; UCSC Foundationinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio