The Children's Machine: Rethinking School in the Age of the Computer
Papert, S. (1993). The Children's Machine: Rethinking School in the Age of the Computer. New York: Basic Books.
Abstract by Matthew Travers
Seymore Papert, the author of this book, was one of the early advocates of using computers in the classroom. By developing a successful computer language specifically for young children, he played a pivotal role in establishing the place computers now hold in education. Papert takes issue with the idea that the route to better learning is always the improvement of instruction, which he calls an "instructionist" attitude. This attitude is summed up as the idea that science should be used to find out what is best, and then everyone should adopt the proven methods (218). Papert states that there may not be a best way, saying that teachers should have a "constructionist" outlook, where the goal is to teach in such a way as to produce the most learning for the least teaching (139). The author believes that the traditional structure of schools squelch creativity when they impose a single way of "knowing" on everyone. He compares our current educational system to the Soviet Union's disastrous planned economy (209) where everything is carefully structured according to a master plan. He believes that we must dare to let go of the rigid constraints on learning imposed on us by tradition, and get back to the idea of informal, natural learning. The African proverb about giving a man a fish, or teaching a man to fish is applicable here. The idea is that children need the knowledge that will help them to get more knowledge. In other words, instead of the teacher simply transmitting knowledge to a passive student, the student instead is encouraged to be an active learner, reconstructing a personal version of the information in new ways. He also states that teachers should strive to place knowledge within a context, such as using wooden manipulatives to teach mathematical concepts. The practical application of knowledge must take precedence over the theoretical. Papert states that "Geometry is not there to be learned-it is there for being used" (17). If we don't become involved with the area of knowledge, it will be that much harder to learn.
Papert stresses the need for more improvisational learning with self-directed activities that come closer to the way that children learn in non-school settings. He uses the example of how many children learn difficult video games without help, which he believes indicates that if children want to learn something and can put it into immediate practice, they will learn even if direct instruction is poor or absent. He believes that the computer is in the process of changing children's relationship with knowledge with the advent of interactive video, electronic books, virtual reality, and multimedia presentation software that is capable of supporting a wide range of intellectual styles. The author contends that literacy now no longer applies simply to the skills of reading and writing, but to a much larger skill set which includes these new presentation technologies.
However, Papert sees a number of obstacles to the implementation of this new way of learning. He states that schools often don't see teachers as having a creative role, but instead sees them as technicians, doing a technical job (70). He also writes that schools are reluctant to give up control and formalization that have been in place for many years. He sees the more recent trend toward teacher/school accountability as measured by standardized testing as another obstacle, saying that it often leads to more top-down planning and curriculum-driven schooling. In his opinion, this interferes with the move from abstract reasoning toward a more concrete form of educating. Papert's recipe for effective educational change involves decentralization, grass-roots style involvement of the community, and an encouraging of individual learning styles and expression. He further contends that if we as a society are willing to modify our traditional outlook on education, we will help to encourage a revolution that will leave no aspect of our society unchanged.
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