Knowledge & IBSE, of young twins
.. a reply to @BethBudden article
Yesterday, via Whatsapp, came a minute long video of 7 month old twins, at last, communicating to each other. One was intermittently squealing, whilst the sister watched attentively. Mother would occasionally say his name and the boy would stop, turn to acknowledge, but quickly revert to continue his conversation. One had some knowledge that, now, another might learn, socially.
He was epistemically updating a skill, teaching & learning, in a procedural fashion. It might be said that the acquisition of the concepts involved had been aided by skills/conceptual-knowledge imparted to some extent by the parents earlier (cf the topmost line in the “Knowledge Domain” table in the article). In buggies there exists a captive audience.
Contrast with their sole interaction with leaves on trees whilst facing forward in a sling at the right height & close enough to grasp. The primary piece of substantive knowledge that is “given” is not to allow them to play with roses/holly, for safety reasons. There is no social aspect, but through the weeks they have shook, torn and generally explored the forces and textures involved making their way down the list of forceful interactions as outlined by @BenRogers in a table in one of his recent tweets.
Finally, it’s all about the tools, both within (ie fine motor control) & outwith the body. Compare feeding implements: some plastic spoons are simple, others have improved bowl shape for food delivery plus enhanced grip surfaces. And of course toast, melon etc can be fashioned so no artificial aids are used.
In early life, with limited sensory channel capability, direct instruction is handicapped & less effective than a play IBSE (Inquiry-Based Science Education) approach. At some point in time, it may be said that the balance shifts and it might be that ”its all about knowledge” and its explicit instruction However, at some stage the pendulum swings back and, in such as a PhD — but most likely earlier, the IBSE approach re-asserts itself primarily because post formal education in the workplace textbooks are of limited use.
