VLADIMIR A. FOMICHOV (VAF@nw.math.msu.su)
Thu, 6 Aug 1998 19:59:40 MST-3MDT
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From: "VLADIMIR A. FOMICHOV" <VAF@nw.math.msu.su> Date: Thu, 6 Aug 1998 19:59:40 MST-3MDT Subject: [ifets] Wolf and Kids (Reply of Moderators to Dr. A.Patel, Ms. K.Luchini
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The Wolf and the Seven Little Kids
(A Reply of Moderators to Dr. Ashok Patel and Ms. Katy Luchini)
>From: "Ashok Patel" <apatel.aqua@btinternet.com>
>To: <ifets@gmd.de>
Subject: RE: [ifets] ITS bridging the gap between
entertainment and education.
Date: Thu, 6 Aug 1998 02:52:12 +0100
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Ashok Patel wrote:
>Thanks Dave Graves and Dr. Quinn for thought provoking discussion
and references in connection with my earlier mail.
Katy Luchini wrote:
> I believe that ITS have great potential for bridging this
> gap between entertainment and education
Ashok
Ashok Patel wrote:
>Can we say that play is more successful because there is active
involvment and it begins with some instruction, allows lot of
construction and occassional discovery (when another player uses
>some lateral thinking !)
>Perhaps these are the proportions we need to follow in designing
more successful ITS. In that case, I can't help wondering whether
we have been climbing up the wrong tree so far! If the emphasis
is on construction, do we need to bother so much about
>sophisticated student models and diagnostics ?
................................................
>Wouldn't it be better to think about a Teacher model and
>how the ITS can adjust to teachers with different approaches
>(teaching styles - at least a natural reflection of their own
>learning styles).
Ashok Patel
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Moderators:
We suggest to discuss the balance between entertainment and
education.
We would like to give an example where, to our opinion, a balance
between educational goal and entertainment is achieved.The example is
taken from our practice and is published in the Intern. Journal
INFORMATICA (Ljubljana, Slovenia), 1994, Vol. 18, No. 2.
It is the explanation of one of the rules of reading in English as a
foreign language to five-six-year-old Russian children. The subject
is the diference of pronunciation of the letter "Y" in different
positions.
Teacher:
"The letter "Y" wanted to be alike the letter "I". I suppose that the
letter "Y" liked the cap of the letter "I" very much. But "Y" quite
understood that she wasn't alike "I".
However, she remembered the fairy-tale "The Wolf and the Seven Little
Kids". The Wolf realized quite well that he didn't resemble the Mummy
Goat, and the only way out was to change his voice. So he did, and
the Seven Little Kids confused him with their Mummy Goat.
So did the letter "Y". She started to sound like the letter "I" in
all positions except one. In the beginning of the word the letter "Y"
sounds like herself. But her voice begins to sound not so lovely,
because she always tries to resemble "I" and forgets about her own
voice".
While listening to this story, children discuss the reasons why the
letter "Y" wanted to be alike the letter "I". They discuss the cap
of the letter "Y" and many other things. Children "switch-on" their
vivid fantasy and formulate a lot of reasons why the letter "Y" lost
her own voice and why she wanted to be alike the letter "I". They
speak about a number of observations from their life experience.
As a result, a new, very bright fragment of the conceptual system of
the child is established. And very young children master this rule
immediately, without any difficulties because of their own reasonings
(active involvement), a lot of made menatl constructions, and a lot
of occasional discoveries.
We would like to get to know your opinion about the following:
- Is it playing or not ?
- Is there a balance between entertainment and education ?
- Would it be posssible to use the same strong connection with life
experience and conceptual picture of the world while teaching
teenagers and university students ?
Sincerely,
Vladimir Fomichov
Olga Fomichova
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