Readiness for Learning – Bruner states (as cited in Smith, 2002) that interest in the material to be learned is the best stimulus to learning, rather than such external goals as grades or later competitive advantage. Bruner uses three unique ideas to explain his statement:
1.Intellectual development – As a child transitions through the stages of development, the child explains the world with
a distinctive view. “What is most important for teaching basic concepts is that the child be helped to pass progressively from concrete thinking to the utilization of more conceptually adequate modes of thought. It is futile to attempt this by presenting formal explanations based on a logic that is distant from the child’s manner of thinking,” (Bruner, 1960, p. 38).
2. The act of learning – Includes three almost simultaneously processes:
Acquisition of new information – Defined as "a refinement of previous knowledge", (Bruner, 1960, p.48).
Transformation – defined as "the process of manipulating knowledge to make it fit new tasks", (Bruner, 1960, p. 48). In
order for transferability to occur, there must be a true understanding of the material and the concepts (Driscoll, 2005).
Evaluation – defined as "checking wheter the way we have manipulated information is adequate to the task", (Bruner, 1960, p.48).
3. The Spiral Curriculum – Based on Bruner's belief that "a curriculum ought to be built around the great issues,
principles, and values that a society deems worthy ofthe continual concerns of its members", thus determining whether the content is deemed worth of the continual (Bruner, 1960, p. 52).
1.Intellectual development – As a child transitions through the stages of development, the child explains the world with
a distinctive view. “What is most important for teaching basic concepts is that the child be helped to pass progressively from concrete thinking to the utilization of more conceptually adequate modes of thought. It is futile to attempt this by presenting formal explanations based on a logic that is distant from the child’s manner of thinking,” (Bruner, 1960, p. 38).
2. The act of learning – Includes three almost simultaneously processes:
Acquisition of new information – Defined as "a refinement of previous knowledge", (Bruner, 1960, p.48).
Transformation – defined as "the process of manipulating knowledge to make it fit new tasks", (Bruner, 1960, p. 48). In
order for transferability to occur, there must be a true understanding of the material and the concepts (Driscoll, 2005).
Evaluation – defined as "checking wheter the way we have manipulated information is adequate to the task", (Bruner, 1960, p.48).
3. The Spiral Curriculum – Based on Bruner's belief that "a curriculum ought to be built around the great issues,
principles, and values that a society deems worthy ofthe continual concerns of its members", thus determining whether the content is deemed worth of the continual (Bruner, 1960, p. 52).