Chapter Nine

As a learner, I often find myself agreeing with Piaget in that knowledge is a body of ever changing ideas which are greatly influenced by the world around us. This accounts quite well for the differences in culture and how different people from all over the world know so many different things. I also think that there are steps which one must follow and that a great many of those are universal which agrees with both Skinner and J. Anderson but I am still partial to the fluid knowledge of Piaget. I agree with him too that the teacher is the facilitator and not necessarily the bearer of knowledge, nor should the teacher be. The role of a teacher is to help the student find a way to get by in this world on their own which often means encouragement and an occasional hint in the 'right' direction but not being led by the hand to gain the exact experiences as my neighbor does. With this in mind, the learning is left up to the individual and with them at the reigns it is their seeking of knowledge and will be meaningful to them. I agree with Piaget that learning is learning how to think, question and answer those questions on ones own.