Unlearning certainty
Toward a culture of student inquiry
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 4879933 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Marcy Singer Gabella (Vanderbilt University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 1995 |
| Volume | 34 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 236-242 |
| Publication date | 1995-09-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Theory Into Practice (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0040-5841 • E-ISSN: 1527-2532 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/00405849509543686 |
| OpenAlex | W2130233714 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
| References cited | 10 |
Intelligent individuals, Dewey asserts, do not mind a romp in the ambiguous or uncertain. Quite to the contrary, they are attracted to the doubtful as an occasion for learning: In the face of uncertainty, learning begins. Yet, how much uncertainty or ambiguity do we permit to seep into schools and classrooms? In the following pages, I explore the relationships among ambiguity and uncertainty on the one hand, and learning and school culture on the other. Specifically, I propose that if we accept with Dewey that the hallmark of intelligence is the ability both to seek out that which is doubtful and so to attempt to make sense of such problematic situations, and if the purpose of formal education is to cultivate human intelligence, then our schools must become places where uncertainty and ambiguity are cherished, rather than eschewed or merely tolerated. My comments are inspired by two rather distinct experiences. The first is a year-long study of an 11th grade U.S. history class in a 30-year-old public high school in the San Francisco Bay area, described
Certainty · Epistemology · Mathematics education · Pedagogy · Sociology · Education and Critical Thinking Development · Educator Training and Historical Pedagogy · Philosophy · Psychology · Teacher Education and Leadership Studies
The quest for certainty
Proofs and Refutations
Experience and Education
Science, Curriculum, and Liberal Education
Beyond the Looking Glass
When the Problem Is Not the Question and the Solution Is Not the Answer
Characteristics of Classroom Mathematics Traditions
On the Reading of Historical Texts
Experience and Education
| Citations per year | 0.17 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2002 - 2021 (20) |
| Highly cited | No |