Analysis: Why Imagination Is More Important Than Knowledge

“Imagination is more important than knowledge” so said Albert Einstein http://blog.ampli.com/2012/03/albert-einstein-quotes-education-15-of.html Who is one of the most notable genius’ that ever lived. Learning is far more than teaching memorization and regurgitation. Learning begins with drawing from prior knowledge of the children and building on what they already know. Specifically when it comes to literacy and reading. Each individual in the class will know something different. Some will know more than others and this is ok. This is called the constructionist theory. Another important aspect of teaching literacy is understanding each individual child’s thought process or how their brain works. This is called metacognition. Combining these …show more content…
(Crash course) But how is this done? How does a teacher convey a concept to her classroom full of individuals and how does the teacher get each student to learn and understand what is being taught? Strategies are used to think through concepts. There is the algorithm and the heuristic simple strategy. The heuristic simple strategy is one that allows us to solve problems faster, although it is more error prone than an algorithm. An algorithm is a logical step-by-step procedure that eventually guarantees a solution but may be slow to work through. So which is better? Using what you already know or starting without any prior knowledge? Of course there is also trial and error, which is another way to solve a problem or get through a concept. It is important to use both prior knowledge and to keep in mind the steps for the problem or concept you are working …show more content…
Children learn through curiosity and they are constantly adding to the information that they already know. John Greene describes it in his TED talk video as map making. Just as the early explorers made maps and added to them and as the students learn more from each other and from their teachers they are able to add to their maps. John Greene said, “ A community of learners is a community of people who are engaged together in the cartographic enterprise of trying to better understand and map the world around us.” Constructionism like with map making is about building on what the students already know like building blocks. By drawing on prior knowledge and allowing students to share their knowledge with each other it gives them confidence and an independence that has become rare in a classroom. Children have become subject to “assessment learning” such called because the teacher is expected to constantly assess their students. Therefore they teach to the