Mike's post on motivation and learning was illuminating and set me thinking about the intricacies of learning. While I won't rehash my comments to his post, flow theory helps explain the process of disengagement and immersion. However, Scratch as a construct depends on other constructs, on its own, it is not a sufficient resource. Arguably, for successful learning to occur, the tenets that Bers (2008) refer to are vital. While Mike disengaged and did not necessarily learn from Scratch, his reflections on his own process was 'learning about learning'. Perhaps not learning Scratch was the lesson after all.
In contrast, my re-engagement with Scratch was influenced by Charlene's actions. Had it not been for an offhand remark about the Bozo or whatever-it-was-called sprite dancing to the music that was playing when Charlene's name was presented, I would have still been obsessed about getting the Bozos to roll. Charlene responded to my comment by scripting the actions, which I then took up willingly and shifted my original design. Do I still want to learn how to get those things rolling and bouncing? Definitely. But in the interest of time and collaboration, I shifted my goals. While my original goal had not been achieved, I realise that goals are permutative. As learners, we can shift our expectations, depending on our current abilities and context. As a new learner, I lowered my expectations and was content with the existing result. At the same time however, the original goal still exists. I am still very much motivated to learn what I had originally intended. Being frustrated is part of the learning process, but as Bers pointed out, having an outlet, or the design journal allows learners to express that frustration and the community will act as a resource to help motivate the learner. In this vein, I urge Mike not to give up on his relationship with Scratch. I had glanced at what he had designed and would love to see his work in all its glory. Think of it as teething, it is beyond exasperating but necessary.
Interesting . .pain as necessary for growth. This reminds me of Billy Blanks, who coached me from my TV screen this morning as I did Tae-Bo: "You gotta give some to get some!!"
ReplyDeleteYou also make a good point about the importance of the social component of learning. It seems that it went two ways -- working with Charlene at times led to compromises about the work being done (not always simultaneously personally meaningful to both of you) but it also allowed for hooks to draw you back into the learning process. While learning by observation may not be as powerful as engaging first hand, it sounds like it's an important component in the learning process. Constructionists place a central value on creating artifacts in a social context because of the conversation that ensues between you, the artifact, and others in the space. I also like your ties to the importance of the design journal as an outlet for emotions during the design process -- I don't think that was highlighted in the readings but you and Mike make a good argument about the role of of emotion in metacognition. Is the blog proving to be such an outlet for you in the design process?
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