Roger Säljö University of Gothenburg and University of Turku

1. Teacher identities in the information society: handling the tensions between calls for innovation and adherence to standards Roger Säljö University of Gothenburg and University of Turku Seminar in honour of Professor RobertJan Simons, Utrecht, May, 2010.

2. A broad definition of learning • The issue of how people come to share the experiences of their society (the funded capital of civilization) through various forms of communication, interaction and social activities, and how they are able to exert agency in social practices by drawing on the social memory

4. Calender stick

6. Externalization of insights into conceptual and physical artefacts

7. Learning within everyday practices • ’Incidental’, occasioned by activities • Arises spontaneously • Situated in practices with other goals

8. Sumer

13. The edduba Dubsar/ummia Son of tablet house The tablet house The teacher/school father Student The emergence of schooling in Mesopotamia

14. Pattern of classroom communication • IRF – Initiation, Response, Follow-up • IRE – Initiation, Response, Evaluation • Teacher: What is the capital of France • Student: Paris • Teacher: That’s right, and of the Netherlands?

15. The curricular paradigm • Learning takes place in an institution where learning is the overarching goal • Learning is sequenced so as to build up specific competences • Knowledge is evaluated according to institutional norms, rules of assessment

16. The power of the curricular paradigm • Adds a mechanism for learning, oral transmission is complemented by texts • Makes it possible to share the collective experiences of society outside the immediate group • Psychological implications: new modes of meaning-making, taking meaning from texts, ’logical’ thinking • Contributes to developing a ’theoretic culture’

19. Transmission model of teaching and learningfocussed on products • Interactive and maieutic model of teaching and learning focussed on processes, on how one comes to know something

20. Problem solving and assessment • S-problems • A boat sails at a speed of 45 kilometres per hour. How long does it take this boat to sail 180 kilometres?” (Verschaffel et al, 2000) • A cow produces 18 litres of milk per 24 hours. How much milk does the cow produce during one week?” (Säljö & Wyndhamn, 1988)

21. Problem solving and assessment • P-problems • John’s best time to run 100 metres is 17 seconds. How long will it take him to run 1 kilometre (Verschaffel et al, 2000) • Kalle goes to school and on average he has 7 lessons per day. How many lessons does he have per week? (Säljö & Wyndhamn, 1988)

22. Texts,books, libraries Maps and charts Registers Databases Face-recognition devices Instruments (calculators, compasses, navigators etc.) …. External symbolic storages (ESS) Artificial memory systems (AMS)

23. Characteristics of modern ESS/AMS • Exist in public space • Are relatively permanent • Can be used repeatedly • Are unlimited in their capacity • Organized on the basis of explicit and (semi-)public rules • Use relies on socialization into specific meaning-making practices

24. Transformations of learning • We master complex tasks without understanding the sequential steps • Technology functions as a ’black box’ (trust) • We increasingly learn from the ’complex’ to the ’elementary’ • We ’understand’ as part of practices, we do not necessarily ’understand’ as part of hierachically organized knowledge (such as in the disciplines)

25. Interpretations of learning in the digital age • Meta-communicative and meta-cognitive skills (modelling) • Learning becomes increasingly ’conceptual’ and ’procedural’, but in coordination with material cultural tools • Learning is the ability to transform and recontextualize in manners that are relevant for local needs, i.e. learning is in the performative