Research: Under the Microscope
New studies suggest that learning occurs in a process of fits and starts, steps forward and stumbles backward, rather than the steady upward progression that many people imagine.
Forget about big ideas and large-scale studies. When it comes to
studying children's learning and development, a limited but growing
group of researchers says thinking small is the way to go.
By "small," these researchers are not just talking about the size of the humans under their microscopes. What they have in mind is studying learning in much shorter time increments than traditionally has been the case in the field.
The idea behind the new school of thought, which is called "microdevelopment," is to give scientists a better picture of how learning occurs in real time, rather than relying on snapshots of what children learn at particular points. And, if developmental and cognitive scientists can puzzle out how children learn, they might be better able to figure out what teachers can do to...
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