Susan C. Lawson

Dr. Richard Clark

Wilkes University

ED 530 Spring 2010

Jerome Bruner

oBorn in New York, New York to

Herman and Rose (Gluckmann) Bruner.

oThe youngest of four children, Dr.

Bruner was born blind until receiving

two cataract surgeries while still an

infant.

oReceived B.A. from Duke in 1937

oReceived Ph.D. From Harvard in 1941

oWorked with Leo Postman, during

1940s, studying effects of motivation,

needs and expectations on perception.

Referred to as groundbreaking

research known as the “New Look” in

psychology.

oWorked with U.S. Army Intelligence

during World War II as a social

psychologist at General Dwight D.

Eisenhower’s headquarters in France.

Jerome Bruner Background10/1/15 -

oA psychologist, U. S. Schooling became point

of interest for Dr. Bruner during the late

1950s and went on to contribute greatly to

cognitive psychology, cognitive learning

theory in educational psychology.

oOpened the Center for Cognitive Studies at

Harvard in 1960, with George Miller.

oDr. Bruner left Harvard in 1972 to teach at

Oxford University.

oIn 1979 returned to Harvard as a visiting

professor.

oDuring 1981 Dr. Bruner joined the new

School of Social Research in New York City.

oCurrently is a senior research fellow at the

New York University School of Law.

Dr. Bruner ‘s Background Continued…

oPublished first book, The

Process of Education in

1960.

oAkin to Piaget’s

fundamental beliefs of

development, Bruner’s

research led him to a

contrasting belief of how

and when children learn.

oConstructivist Learning

Theory – the belief that

learners construct

knowledge themselves.

New ideas and concepts

are based on current and

past knowledge of the

learner.

The Educational Icon

InstructionIn 1966 Bruner determined that instruction should address four major aspects:

• Predisposition towards learning• Structure for learning being easily grasped• Effective sequence of material• Nature and pace of rewards and punishments

Eventually these four aspects became known as following three major principles:• The instruction must appeal to the student’s willingness

and ability to learn by coinciding with experiences and contexts the student has, this is readiness.

• Instruction must be organized and structured to be easily grasped (spiral organization)

• Instruction needs to be designed in order to facilitate an atmosphere where learning beyond current information given is created .

Basic Understanding of Instruction

The teacher is to present information in a logical and interesting way while the student is to be allowed the opportunity to learn for themselves. Having the new information taken in, generated and understood by the learner to his or her own interpretation and understanding. The teacher is available for helping the student intermittently and reinforcement of understanding.

In 1966 Bruner proposed three modes of learning:Enactive or action-based Iconic or image-based Symbolic or language-based

Each mode of learning is integrated and interact with one another. Unlike Piaget, with his definitive beliefs on when a learner has the ability to learn new instruction, Bruner contends that a learner can learn any new material if present in an appropriately organized way for the learner at any age. Similar to Bloom's Taxonomy, Bruner believes a system of coding is developed by the learner, where a hierarchy is developed, while being categorized.

Three Modes

Each new level of learning revisits the previously learned lessons and is built upon, allowing the learner to expand his or her knowledge to form their own interpretation of the material presented.

Bruner’s Spiral Curriculum

The drawing represents learning being built upon and expanded.

o Similar to Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development, Bruner teaches us that while developmental stages can not be rushed, they can be helped to progress by a knowledgeable adult.

o The learner constructs his or her own meaning to the material learned.

o Learning starts at infancy and continues through experiences, including, perhaps most importantly for children, through play.

o The best way to learn is to experience. The focus is on environmental and experiential factors for each learner’s own learning pattern to develop.

o Jerome Bruner argues the cognitive revolution, with its current fixation on mind as "information processor," has led psychology away from the deeper objective of understanding mind as a creator of meanings. Only by breaking out of the limitations imposed by a computational model of mind can we grasp the special interaction through which mind both constitutes and is constituted by culture. (Review of Harvard University Press)

Additional Bruner Basics to Understand

The video clip directly involves a student of Dr. Bruner’s briefly discussing a program called Squeakers. The clip offers a small glimpse of Dr. Bruner’s personal beliefs on learning in his own words.

References of Dr. Bruner’s WorkTo look up at your discretion, here is a list of some

of Dr. Bruner’s Published works:

Bruner, J. (1960). The Process of Education. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Bruner, J. (1966). Toward a Theory of Instruction. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Bruner, J. (1973). Going Beyond the Information Given. New York: Norton. Bruner, J. (1983). Child's Talk: Learning to Use Language. New York: Norton. Bruner, J. (1986). Actual Minds, Possible Worlds. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Bruner, J. (1990). Acts of Meaning. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.Bruner, J. (1996). The Culture of Education, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.  Bruner, J., Goodnow, J., & Austin, A. (1956). A Study of Thinking. New York: Wiley.

References

Review of Harvard University Press. Bruner, Jerome. "Acts of Meaning." Harvard University Press unknown: 1. Web. 12 Feb 2010. <http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog/BRUMEA.html>.

"Jerome Bruner." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Wikipedia, Web. 13 Feb 2010. <http;//wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerome_Bruner>.

"Jerome Bruner." Zalfonada Lee. Web. 13 Feb 2010. <zaragozaciudad.net/zalfonadalee/2007/abril.php>.

"Health Care Industry, Bruner, Jerome S.." Health Care Industry. 06 04 2001. Health Care Industry, Web. 17 Feb 2010. <http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_g2699/is_0000/ai_2699000048/>.

"Jerome Bruner." FutureU Bookstore. Web. 13 Feb 2010. <www.futureu.com/bookstore/aisle07.html>.

"Jerome Bruner." Gardner Writes. Web. 13 Feb 2010. <http://www.gardnercampbell.net/blog1/?m=20080108>.

"Jerome Bruner." Youtube - Jerome Bruner. Web. 14 Feb 2010. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2H_swMUlOg>.