Time for a bit of a time out. I know that the AM and PM metaphors are important , but I am still trying to get a grip of what they actually mean. So here's my summary, helped along by Paavola et al (2003).
Acquisition is the individual learner acquiring 'knowledge' - the having.
Participation is the learner is a part of society; the novice to the master through doing.
Identity Change - this is about transformation of the individual - they change as a person.
Paavola et al also help to focus back on what this means for learning and also technology. (here the discuss AM, OM and knowledge - creation - which is developing something new while learning - the collaborative approach)
Acquisition - goal is to acquire factual or conceptual knowledge - passing receiving or actively constructing in one's head. Learning is designed to provide facts, and exercises to help remember the facts.
Participation - goal is to participate in actions and practices that are important in some area of expertise - doing things - enculturation. Learning material emphasizes authentic tasks, activities and practices; simulates real life process, integrate fact based knowledge to procedural knowledge; may include expert models and joint activities with peer group.
Knowledge- creation - goal is to learn collaboratively and develop tools/knowledge for future use. Learning material presents knowledge widely, often from different perspectives; presents questions, answers, theories and explanations; concentrates on the long term process so learners develop expertise and uses tools that support knowledge creation and building.
"Does the learning material emphasize, for example, propositional knowledge and school book like knowledge, or authenticity of knowledge and sources of knowledge? Or is the idea to instigate learners’ own knowledge advancement and knowledge building."
It's easy looking at this to start thinking about how technology and learning activities can therefore support the metaphors.
But that leaves us with an awful lot of metaphors and theories...so a quick recap.
Week two Instructional technology paper talked about how technology should be used to support the learning approach. Here they used behaviourism, cognitivism and humanism as the approaches. Behaviourism with its facts and skills, drills and practise and its teacher centred approach mirrors much of the AM, and instructional ICT is the best use of technology. Cognitivism with its development of metacognitive skills may benefit from technology that helps learners to seek for themselves - there is probably some AM and some PM approaches in this. Humanism with its learner centred approach benefits from technology like conferencing which brings together the social side - and is very much a PM approach.
Here the relationship between the teacher and the learner determined the type of learning approach. It was clear in John Seely Browns speech that he was very much for the participative approach and rejected the acquisition approach! We learn, according to JSB through our participation with the world.
It's also interesting to reflect back on Livingstone(2001) paper about informal learning. He categorized learning around the structures that it is presented in. So education requires the curriculum and the teacher and learners being instructed (ala AM); Non formal or further education is still assisted by a curriculum and a teacher, but the learner is the motivator in acquiring new skills. Informal education is the work based/incidental and spontaneous instruction by mentors or teachers, without a formal curriculum, but within a discipline or area of knowledge. Then finally informal learning is the pursuit of individual knowledge or skill without the presence of a externally imposed curriculum. Technology in Education can therefore be used constructively in supporting the process; whereas when you get to the informal learning, individuals are likely to use the tools around them - ie the internet, phones etc.
I will come back to this I am sure, but it is interesting to start thinking about how technology fits with all of these things; especially when many are of the opinion that technology should be integral/enhance the process of learning it supports.
Paavola, S., Ilomäki, L., Lakkala, M. and Hakkarainen, K. (2003) 'Evaluating virtual learning materials through the three metaphors of learning.' Paper Presented in the Symposium Designing Virtual Learning Material EARLI 10th Biennial Conference 2003.
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