Brian Cambourne: Relationship Between Thinking, Learning And Learning

Between the years of 1984 - 1999, Brian Cambourne had a wonderful opportunity to be a participate observer with a large range of school staffs (in the Western educational cultures,) who were engaged in the process of turning theory into classroom practices. The questions in which the staff/teachers were asked were the following: “what is good reading? “how is it best learned?” and “after it’s been learned, what should it be used for?” Cambourne’s overall goal was to collaborate everyone’s thoughts together and try to come to a conclusion about the level of debates that underrates the attempt to translate any theory into effective classroom practice and to come up with, “shared meanings.” This group of staff/teachers engaged in a range of

language behaviors that included discussing, arguing, questioning, describing and drawing conclusions. The result was the set of general principles and the set of student behaviors.
For the first question, “what is good reading?” many of the groups discussed comprehension and what the author of the text being read intends. With the second question, “how is it best learned?” staff/teachers the differences were much more obvious and distinct. Knowledge, skills, and understanding were touched upon about effective reading that needs or should be explicitly, systematically, and directly taught. There were many questions asked about what the term actually meant. Lastly, with the third question, the responses were more different in degree than in kind. The three main uses to which reading could be applied, once learning became skillful in it, and emerged. These were a tool for communication/information gathering, personal growth and development, and gaining access to power towards a kinder society.
By reading the final thoughts/statements of the article, it looks like teachers benefited from being in a learning setting that goes beyond transmissions of “how to” knowledge. It seems that they also need learning settings that share these common goals… First, teaching/learning needs to be created in a learning community that is honest, supportive and collaborative. Second, authentic learning is absolutely necessary at all times! Third, there is a need for learners to create meaning and knowledge individually and create a deep reflection of their own knowledge. Finally, there is an authentic need for learners to make their meaning and knowledge collaborative and make the time and opportunity for these things to occur. These teachers need to stand together and stand up for what they believe in, but at the same time need to collaborate and do what is best for their students. Teachers need to support their students as best they can and help them become successful in today’s society.
I strongly agree with Brian Camborne’s theory of teaching and his practices. My overall goal is to make my future classroom’s reading instruction come together to become rich and whole by using his, “conditions of literacy learning” framework. All eight of the conditions that he addresses are extremely important and really formulate a classroom. Some common similarities that all of these conditions share is that they accommodate all learners, allow students to be independent, be authentic, be active/ engaged at all times, collaboration and student lead discussions (open ended.) All of the conditions that Brian has created would make every classroom be an effective, positive and rich environment.

In this article, Brian Cambourne is trying to find solutions to a long standing dilemma about “covering content” and “teaching thinking” that has concerned teachers of specialist discipline subjects. Throughout the process, a framework for both understanding the dilemma and developing a pedagogic for dealing with this issue at the level of classroom practice is proposed. Covering content of all subjects and also teaching them to think like the particular subject seems to be a humongous issue along the lines of all middle/high school teachers. This repeating thought came across my mind as I was reading this article… “as educators can we do these two things in a matter of time: teach content and teach thinking?”
Listed are the historical and theoretical origins of the issue addressed in the article: “1.

The cumulative effect of social, cultural and biological evolution.” 2. “The exponential growth of knowledge and the emergence of the “additive curriculum.” 3. “Theoretical confusion about the relationship between “thinking, learning and knowing.” Cambourne elaborated and explained each of the origins and how teachers can help students learn through these in the best ways possible. For the first one, Brian says that we created scholarly disciples as a way of resolving this tension. We also created continuing exponential growth and expansion of knowledge. We need to emerge the additive curriculum and bring thoughts and ideas together. For the second one, he suggests that coverage is more important than depth and that students must first learn what to think and then how to think. Finally, for the third one, Cambourne states that teachers can help students’ become literate in all subjects if they are willing to teach how learning occurs in their field of skill and knowledge. We need to teach students’ how to decode the disciplines by showing and modeling for them as they are engaged with learning the

content.
I strongly agree with Brian Cambourne’s beliefs about achieving high degrees of literacy and deep understandings in discipline based on all subjects. As educators, we absolutely need to reform about what we think about knowledge, learning and thinking from a construction of meaning views. This will allow all teachers to create classrooms that will permit students’ to take on penalizing problems and operate ideas in thinking through their own beliefs and own understandings. In addition, this will also help all students’ further develop their ideas with collaboration from peers, teachers and staff.
Cambourne’s ideas/overall goals of “this kind of classroom,” is to help all students’ become improved thinkers and feel confident with knowing the knowledge of which they are learning about and to help them use their known and proud knowledge in productive, useful and proficient ways.

I truly love Cambourne’s idea of “this kind of classroom” because his ideas are completely realistic and should be happening in every classroom around the world. All students’ need to experience collaboration with all peers, feel confident with what they are learning and always feel and get the support in which they need. I will abide by and apply Cambourne’s ideas and goals in my

classroom!