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EDUC5220 Discussion Unit 5 - 5

The document discusses six key factors for constructing units of study according to Bruner from 1965 and how they compare to current approaches. Bruner's original factors were the nature of the unit, pictures/readings/diagrams, materials for students, exercises to guide learning, documenting student observations, and supplemental materials. While the terminology has evolved, the core factors of instructional materials, meaningful learning activities, and supplemental materials remain important today, though recording observations is less common. Overall, Bruner's framework from over 50 years ago remains relevant but is now expressed with more specific terminology.

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Peter Gunawan
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641 views2 pages

EDUC5220 Discussion Unit 5 - 5

The document discusses six key factors for constructing units of study according to Bruner from 1965 and how they compare to current approaches. Bruner's original factors were the nature of the unit, pictures/readings/diagrams, materials for students, exercises to guide learning, documenting student observations, and supplemental materials. While the terminology has evolved, the core factors of instructional materials, meaningful learning activities, and supplemental materials remain important today, though recording observations is less common. Overall, Bruner's framework from over 50 years ago remains relevant but is now expressed with more specific terminology.

Uploaded by

Peter Gunawan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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According to Bruner (1965), there are six key factors to consider when it comes to units of study: 

 Talks to Teachers – nature of unit


 Queries & Contrasts – pictures, readings, diagrams
 Devices – materials for students
 Model Exercises – guide students with puzzles, conundrums, and games
 Documentaries – record student observations
 Supplemental Materials – additional readings, games, and practice

Bruner’s breakdown of unit construction seems to fit the time period of the mid-1960s. It was in the
1960s that education reform was really starting to take hold, not only in the Civil Rights movement
but also in the type of classes that were being offered. Additionally, teachers were encouraged to
help students develop their creativity (Encylcolpedia.com, 2020). According to the IRIS Center
(2020), the six key factors to unit planning include: 

 Setting goals/objectives for students


 Choosing the content
 Choosing instructional methods
 Connecting learning activities to experiences
 Choosing and listing resources
 Choosing assessment method

The six key factors mentioned by the IRIS Center (2020) are like Bruner’s (1965) six key factors,
simply worded differently. The factors that are still prevalent within today’s educational setting would
be devices/activities, materials, and supplementary materials. These factors are still in use today as
teachers plan their units. It is very important for teachers to know what materials will be needed for
the lessons, the activities have to have to hold a meaningful connection for students, and the
supplementary materials will help students to extend their understanding of the content. On the other
hand, the documentaries portion is the most obsolete in today’s classroom. However, teachers may
not be recording their students interacting with content or recording their experiences, but teachers
are observing and making mental notes. This is very similar as teachers need to be able to evaluate
how well students are interreacting with the content and determine their level of understanding.

Although Bruner’s (1965) ideas were developed well over five decades ago, his outline of unit design
is still relevant to today’s classroom instruction. The major difference is that the terminology has
evolved and is a bit more specific than what it was before.

References

Bruner, J. (1965). Man a Course of Study. Man: A Course of Study. Occasional Paper No. 3.
Retrieved from
              https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED178390.pdf

Encyclopdia.com (2020). The 1960s Education: Overview. Retrieved from  


              https://www.encyclopedia.com/social-sciences/culture-magazines/1960s-education-
overview

IRIS Center (2020). Unit Plan Design. Retrieved from 


              https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/cnm/cresource/q4/p15/

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