Isaac Bruner

After rereading a passage from Bruner, titled "The Language of Education" I was reminded of a letter I had read by Isaac Asimov like five months ago. My creepy browser fortunately still remembered that I viewed it, and I was able to find it again.  What connected these two in my mind was they both describe alternate versions of education. While Bruner focuses on this and makes it his point, Assimov is yelling at someone who wrote him a letter, but in doing so brings into question our view of right and wrong. Bruner's passage suggests that education shouldn't be based off of force fed information. There shouldn't be a set of rules or set of facts that we all need to learn. Rather education should be a forum, where things can be debated, and discussed openly. The system currently in use suggests students are ignorant and need to be shown the right answer; this method does not involve learning. Assimov discusses right and wrong, and how those two terms are not in fact so black and white. The point of his passage is to apply this to more grand theories, but in doing so he starts with examples of school children. One example he gives, involves answers to the question 2+2, to which one student responds "purple" and the other "17." While neither student is correct, it is not unreasonable to say that "17," is more correct than "purple." He provides more, and better examples, and I would highly recommend reading it, it is quite interesting. (Link)

The force feeding of facts such as Bruner describes is similar to the black and white view of right and wrong. There is a correct answer and an incorrect answer, and they are determined by the instructor, thus you learn what they want you to learn. The forum that Bruner wishes education was, is similar to the gray area that Assimov describes as existing for right and wrong. It involves discussion, imagination and more than one right answer.
check it out!