- In his research on the cognitive development of children, Jerome Bruner proposed three modes of representation:
- The role of the teacher should not be to teach information by rote learning, but instead to facilitate the learning process.
Enactive representation (action-based) Iconic representation (image-based) Symbolic representation (language-based)
- Bruner's work also suggests that a learner even of a very young age is capable of learning any material so long as the instruction is organized appropriately.
- According to Bruner, Language is important for the increased ability to deal with abstract concepts.
Brief understanding of 3 steps of learning by Bruner's theory:
a. Enactive representation:
Thinking is based entirely on physical actions, and infants learn by doing, rather than by internal representation (or thinking).
b. Iconic representation:
Information is stored as sensory images (icons), usually visual ones, like pictures in the mind. For some, this is conscious; others say they don’t experience it.
c. Symbolic representation: This develops last. This is where information is stored in the form of a code or symbol, such as language. This mode is acquired around six to seven years-old. In this stage, knowledge is stored primarily as words, mathematical symbols, or in other symbol systems.
- The aim of education should be to create autonomous learners (i.e., learning to learn).
- For Bruner (1961), the purpose of education is not to impart knowledge, but instead to facilitate a child's thinking and problem-solving skills which can then be transferred to a range of situations.
Bruner suggests a concept of 'spiral curriculum':
This involved information being structured so that complex ideas can be taught at a simplified level first, and then re-visited at more complex levels later on.
Source:
https://www.simplypsychology.org/bruner.html