isms

Learning can take place anywhere and at anytime. It often involves play and action. Learning can be done alone or in groups.
There is not a singular road to knowledge. I believe in a sort of interdisciplinary approach. One subject, idea or issue can be approached and discovered via many different avenues.
Also, all people have a different setting that is most comfortable to them. Some may learn well in a classroom. Others may learn by doing. Personally, I try to get the information as it approaches, but I have to let it gestate for a while before I actually feel like I’ve “learned.” Usually, my EUREKA moments come when I’m having fun…some synapse is triggered or something opens up for me. In other words I just want to play all of the time!
These were my initial thoughts when first asked to think about how I learn and what I believe about learning. It has taken my entire life to make the progression from behaviorism to constructivism. Of course all the “isms” (with cognitive) in the middle are evident still. I certainly see the value of behaviorism in libraries. I mean, where would we be without late fees? But I think it’s important for every librarian to embrace some element of constructivism. Actually, after having explored these theories in class, I have been reminded that I should thank my lucky stars for my experiences as an Interdisciplinary Studies major at ASU for. My behaviorist shell cracked open after my first IDS class, and the crack continues to get bigger and bigger. Yes, I am comfortable with comparing myself to a nut. It’s funny how behaviorism seems like the simplest and most basic of the “isms”, however, when thinking about basics I think of how young children learn. The through doing, play, and creative collaboration with their teacher (aka parent), so the whole triad of “isms” kind of come full circle in a certain way.

from the mixed-up blogs of lyme kedic

Uh oh. Once again I blogged the individual book instead of group book. So sorry. Moving on. From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg comes in at number two on my list of the best books read so far in this class. Granted, nothing has really compared to Tuck Everlasting, but this book is definitely a quality read. Konigsburg succeeds in the same way as Babbitt does in that they both transport the young reader to alternate realities. They lift the reader out of the mundane into an imaginative exciting reality; Babbitt, with the supernatural idea of immortality, Konigsburg with a more based in reality idea of two children living in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Although I am a little uncomfortable with the way the book almost romanticizes running away from home, I do appreciate the adventurous spirit of its main character, Claudia. The book was written in 1972, but I think the age helps more than hinders its success with young readers today. I think readers would appreciate Claudia’s and her younger brother, Jamie’s desire to explore and learn in the real world instead of the almost virtual education and exploration children experience today. Reading this book could motivate children to walk away from the computer and ask their parents to take them to see some art or any other adventure they may think of.

Postflusky

Children’s Poet Laureate Jack Prelutsky knows how to grab his audience. The poems in It’s Raining Pigs and Noodles are geared toward a much younger age bracket than myself but my raggedy aged self could still appreciate a good gross-out poem or a weird animals-that-don’t-exist poem. My introduction to this book, strangely, happened at just the right time. I checked this book out while trying to recover from the flu. During my convalescence, I felt too wretched to concentrate on anything but really bad daytime television. Trying to make my achy eyes focus of any sort of grown up “literature” (including the word-fluff of a surfing magazine) was nauseating and impossible. But this could only go on for so long… I had to get some work done! Jack Prelutsky was the perfect segue back to a world without Judge Judy. The poems read quick, easy, and fun. Prelutsky obviously loves to play with words, and I think this could help young readers and/or listeners get a better handle on and pursue their interests in language.

Blessed be the Southern Gothic!

I’m so thankful to have been able to talk with Amy’s class in the discussion boards because I was given the opportunity to read To Kill a Mockingbird again. The last time I read it was at least ten years ago. This, being my third reading, found an even deeper appreciation for it (which I didn’t really think was possible). For some reason a lot of the humor rose to the surface for me this time. It was also really nice to read the dialogue of characters like Maudie Atkinson and be reminded of the way my grandmother spoke (e.g. “Oh, foot!” as an expletive).
The novel is so well balanced! Just the right amount of humor, tragedy, foreshadowing, and even well placed austerity.

Ramona

My girlfriend often references Ramona and her Father as one of her favorite childhood books. I, of course, had never read it before now. I expected to find the character of Ramona a little more rambunctious, but perhaps this particular story didn’t lend itself to the exploration of her wilder side. Something I really appreciated was the working class aesthetic the book maintains. Ramona’s father eventually finds a job (after a considerable dry spell) as a cashier in a supermarket. Cleary makes the characters very approachable by making them good working class people.
Cleary’s strong-minded and brave Ramona is an excellent role model to young girls. She’s precocious, smart, and funny. Through her relentless work and creativity, she even succeeds in convincing her father to give up a nasty smoking habit.
Even though Ramona and her Father was written in the seventies, I couldn’t really find anything that made it seem truly dated. It really is a timeless classic.