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The Role of Intuition in the Teaching/Learning Process University of Massachusetts Amherst ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst Doctoral Dissertations 1896 - February 2014 1-1-1986 The role of intuition in the teaching/learning process. Donna Harlan University of Massachusetts Amherst Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations_1 Recommended Citation Harlan, Donna, "The role of intuition in the teaching/learning process." (1986). Doctoral Dissertations 1896 - February 2014. 4090. https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations_1/4090 This Open Access Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations 1896 - February 2014 by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE ROLE OF INTUITION IN THE TEACHING/LEARNING PROCESS A Dissertation Presented By Donna L. Harlan Submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Massachusetts in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF EDUCATION May 1986 Education Donna L. Harlan All Rights Reserved 11 THE ROLE OF INTUITION IN THE TEACHING/LEARNING PROCESS A Dissertation Presented By Donna L. Harlan Approved as to style and content by: Chairperson Dr. Portia Elliott, Associate Professor Dr. Marion Rhodes, Associate Professor Mario Fantini, Dean School of Education Dedication To my parents: My mother who "taught" me intuition—the unconditional love and attention to all things and all people. My father who taught me to think. To Dr. Judith A. Siciliano, a pure embodiment of spiritual, intuitive grace, who helped me through this process. / xv Acknowledgments My thanks to: shoulders shrugged palms upturned expression of "Who knows 1" Kay Harlan who brought Jessica Lynne Box into this world, this time The Study Club, for consistent, patient listening and suggestions Teddy Grady Norma Kent Paula Nowick Dear friends and colleagues who participated in and supported this endeavor: Latifa Amdur Ellen Dibble Wobke Kuemmerle Joan MacDonald Mary Melonis Rita Sheehan Fran Ziperstein v ABSTRACT The Role of Intuition in the Teaching/Learning Process May 1986 Donna L. Harlan, B.S., University of Texas, Austin M.Ed. Trinity University, San Antonio, Texas Ed.D. University of Massachusetts, Amherst Directed by: Dr. Doris J. Shallcross In September 1959, Jerome Bruner, noted psychologist and educator, convened a conference of world-renowned educators, psychologists, and scientists. The intent of the Woods Hole Conference, as it came to be known, was to examine how science education might be improved in the elementary and secondary schools in America. The concern of the conference was the gap between instruction and the technological reality of the rapidly expanding knowledge base (of 1959). The conferees proceeded to determine that there are four major elements of learning: (1) curriculum (2) readiness (3) intuition (4) motivation (Bruner, 1977, p. 13) This dissertation examined one of these elements of learning, intuition, in the context of today's educational dilemmas: the breakdown of public confidence in public education coincidental with vi the "widening gap between instruction and the technological reality of the rapidly expanding knowledge base" (of 1985). In twenty-five years the dilemmas are the same and the gap only wider. The investigation examined the premise that intuition has been proven to be a valid source of knowledge acquisition in the fields of philosophy, psychology, art, physics, and mathematics. However, upon examining a sample of teaching methods there seemed to be little reference to or acknowledgement of intuitive learning or teaching. The dissertation then investigated various philosophies of education to examine why intuition may not be acknowledged in public education. The dissertation then examined the possibility of intuitive learning through a series of interviews with selected elementary school students. In addition, selected elementary school teachers were interviewed to determine their definitions and application of intuition to the teaching process. Having determined some characteristics of intuitive learning and teaching, model lessons for using intuition in teaching were recommended. vxx TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgments . Chapter I. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM . 1 A. Meaning of Terms. 1 B. Statement of Problem . 1 C. Purpose of the Study. 12 D. Significance of the Study. 13 E. Delimitations of the Study. 14 F. Design of the Study. 15 II. SURVEY OF THE LITERATURE. 15 A. Introduction and Overview. 15 B. Philosophy: Intuition as the Knowledge of Ultimate Reality . 18 C. Religion and Mysticism: Intuition as Grace . 28 D. Science and Math: Intuition as Myth .... 40 E. The Arts: Intuition as Aestheticism .... 46 F. Psychology: Intuition as the Unconscious ... 48 G. Learning and Teaching: Intuition as Metaphor . 56 H. Models of Teaching: Intuition as Anonymous . 60 I. Education: Intuition as a Problem . 92 III. PRESENTATION OF THE DATA. 101 A. Overview of Purpose. 101 B. Students' Interviews . 101 1. Definitions from question 1. 101 2. Interviews from art activities: questions 2 and 3. 109 C. Teacher Interviews. 123 viii A. Review of the Purpose. ^3 2 B. Student Question 1.* 132 C. Student Question 2. D. Student Question 3.’ 136 E. Teacher Question 1. 138 F. Teacher Question 2. ^3g G. Teacher Question 3. 140 V. PRESENTATION OF THE MODEL. 141 A. Philosophical Foundation . 141 1. Axiology. 143 2. Ontology. 143 3. Epistemology. 143 4. Teleology. 144 B. Design Phases. 144 C. Overview of Model. 146 1. Rationale. 146 2. Goals. 149 3. Sample unit. 150 Lesson 1. 150 Lesson 2. 152 Lesson 3. 154 Lesson 4. 156 4. Alternative activities . 158 VI. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS. 160 A. Conclusions . 162 B. Recommendations. 164 REFERENCES. 166 BIBLIOGRAPHY. 179 APPENDIX A: PERMISSION FORMS . 192 APPENDIX B: ASSIGNMENT 3. 199 APPENDIX C: OBSERVATION DOCUMENTS . 201 1. Teacher Observation . 202 2. Student Observation . 214 3. Environment Observation . 221 IX LIST OF FIGURES 1. Flow Chart of the Model. 12 2. Jung's Personality Types as Defined by Briggs Myer. 51 3. Joyce's Teaching Models and Outcomes . 65 4. Schematic Drawing of the Model. 148 x CHAPTER I STATEMENT OF PROBLEM Meaning of Terms Learning is, most often, figuring out how to use what you already know in order to go beyond what you already think. There are many ways of doing that. Some are more intuitive and others are formally derivational. Bruner 1983, p. 183 Intuition—the intellectual technique of arriving at plausible but tentative formulations without going through the analytic steps by which such formulations would be found to be valid or invalid conclusions. Bruner 1977, p. 13 Intuitive insight—the meeting of the old and new in which the readjustment involved in every form of consciousness is effected suddenly by means of a quick and unexpected harmony which in its bright abruptness is like a flash of revelation. Dewey, 1958, p. 266 Statement of the Problem The problems with teacher education today may be said to be legion. For the purposes of introduction the statement of the problem will be focused on five recent education sources: Society of Professors of Education Monograph Series, Phi Delta Kappan Journal, New York Times Education Surveys, Chronicle of Higher Education, Journal of Teacher Education. Clearly, there can be little doubt teacher education in this country has fallen upon hard times. Even within the ranks of professional teacher-educators themselves, little consensus is^ apparent on the appropriate aims, organization, or administration 1 2 of preparatory programs. Issues confronting educators of teachers have assumed an urgency and magnitude virtually without historical precedent. Public disaffection with teacher education is rife—accompanied, it might be added, by a palpable erosion of support for public schooling in general .... Allegation of incompetence, confusion and programmatic disarray run rampant. (Lucas in Foreword to Too Many Schools of Education. Too Little Scholarship 1983) Wisniewski's premise in his presentation at the annual meeting of the Society of Professors of Education, Houston, Texas, February 17, 1982, is precisely that there are too many teacher training institutions in the United States. He goes on to "open the wound" of the "teaching, service, research" argument (Wisniewski, p. 1). In summary he suggests five "points": -more stringent control over admissions into education degree programs -support of the NCATE accreditation process ("non-governmental, national accreditation is a major avenue open to those who advocate quality") -scholarship must be advocated at every opportunity -more required of students at all levels of preparation -advocate professional schools of education that extend the four year pattern of preparation. (Wisniewski, pp. 9 and 10) The responses to Wisneiwski's proposals are as varied as there are schools of education. Arnstein argues that there is and can be no real definition of quality of TPIs (teacher preparation institutions). He closes by summarizing one of the obvious struggles in education: I close by calling attention to a complaint frequently heard in California: would you want your child to be taught by a teacher who can't spell "drought"? My answer is that we shall always have to settle for teachers who are less than perfect. And I would prefer a teacher who can't spell "drought" to one who can't tell the difference between cheating and helping a friend. (Arnstein in Bagley,
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