Unaffiliated Discourses - Discourses on Learning in Education

Focus

Explaining why learners do what they do in terms of the action rather than a reward

Principal Metaphors

Knowledge is … range of possible activity
Knowing is … appropriate action
Learner is … a malleable being
Learning is … changing
Teaching is … supporting change

Originated

Unspecifiable

Synopsis

Some discourses on influencing learning seem to be applicable to virtually every other discourse – that is, they present constructs and recommend actions that can be aligned with a broad diversity of perspectives. A critical element of such discourses seems to be a resistance (or perhaps failure) to offer an explicit and/or consistent interpretation of learning, apart from the near-universal belief that learning entails change. For example ...

Cognitive Learning (Knowledge Change) (R.E. Mayer, 2000s) – a change in personal knowledge that is due to experience
Content Literacy – competencies in decoding and interpreting texts, typically associated with abilities to anticipate meaning before reading, paraphrase while reading, and summarize after reading. Content Literacy is discipline independent, and it is generally regarded as necessary to but insufficient for Disciplinary Literacy.
Disciplinary Literacy – facility with the specialized vocabulary, distinct ways of thinking, and unique modes of expression that are particular to a discipline
Individual Learning – a phrase encountered in multiple fields to refer to a change in a learner’s behavior and/or understanding, and typically defined operationally in terms of a demonstrable contrast in behavior and/or understanding across two defined moments in time.
Knowledge Organization (Information Organization; Organization of Information; Organization of Knowledge) – an academic domain concerned with strategies and tools used to access, distribute, and maintain established knowledge. A wide range of theoretical perspectives on knowledge, information, learning, and teaching are represented in the domain.
Multiliteracies (New London Group, 1990s) – a term coined to embrace two emergent elements of education: Multimodality (see below) and linguistic diversity
Multimodality (Multiple Literacies) – the simultaneous use of multiple modes of communication and/or representation (e.g., textual, aural, iconic, gestural), generally intended to support richer communications and more robust understandings. Subdiscourses include:
- Melodic Learning (Susan Homan, 2000s) – a type of Multimodality in which music is foregrounded in a blend of imagery, movement, and melody. Similar ideas are prominent in other educational theories (see, e.g., Eurythmy, under Alternative Education). As well, the strategy is embraced by both Correspondence Discourses (see, e.g., Learning Styles Theories) and Coherence Discourses (see, e.g., Embodied Cognition), but in theoretically incompatible ways.
Stochastic Models of Learning (Probabilistic Models of Learning) (various, 1950s) – perspectives on learning that rely on principles of probability to assess and predict future states of learning

Commentary

The fact that a particular discourse can be aligned with multiple, conflicting other discourses should not, in itself, be seen as a flaw. Arguably, in fact, such discourses may be tapping into elements of deep and broad consensus, even if they may not be offering new or compelling insights. In particular, a common feature among those perspectives that we’ve classified as Unaffiliated Discourses is the tendency to rely on not-necessarily-explicit Bipartite Models and/or Tripartite Models or the human psyche:

Bipartite Model (Bipartite Division) – any model that splits the psyche into two distinct components. Bipartite Models tend to emphasize dichotomies and binary conflicts. Prominent examples include:
- Plato’s Bipartite Model (4^th century BCE) – Plato described a two-part soul: Rational Part (associated with reason and logic) and Irrational Part (encompassing desires and emotions). This view has often been foregrounding in the struggle between reason and passions.
- Freud’s Bipartite Model (Sigmund Freud, 1890s) – the division, common to most Psychoanalytic Theories, between the Conscious Mind (thoughts and feelings within immediate awareness) and the Unconscious Mind (hidden desires, memories, and instincts influencing behavior)
Tripartite Model (Tripartite Division) – any model that splits the psyche into three distinct components. In contrast to Bipartite Models, Tripartite Models typically allow for intermediary or mediating forces, capturing more complexity in human psychology. Prominent examples include:
- Plato’s Tripartite Model (4^th century BCE) – Plato described the soul as having three parts: Logos/Rational (governs reason and intellect), Thymos/Spirited (drives emotions like courage and indignation), and Eros/Appetitive (relates to desires, pleasures, and bodily needs). Plato emphasized that a harmonious soul required the rational part to govern the other two.
- Christian Tripartite Model (early Christian thinkers, 200s CE) – the description of one’s soul as having three aspects: Mind/Reason (governs intellect and decision-making), Will/Spirit (drives actions and intentions), and Passions/Desires (encompasses emotions and instincts)
- Freud’s Tripartite Model (Sigmund Freud, 1920s) – an elaboration of Freud’s Bipartite Model (see above), involving three aspects of the psyche: Id (the instinctual and pleasure-seeking component), Ego (the rational mediator between the id and reality), and Superego (the moral conscience, embodying societal norms and ideals). This model highlights internal conflict and the role of the ego in balancing competing forces.
- Jung’s Tripartite Model (Carl Jung, 1910s) – a perspective built on Freud’s Bipartite Model (see above) but emphasizing three layers of the psyche: Conscious Mind (awareness of the self and external world), Personal Unconscious (memories and experiences unique to the individual), and Collective Unconscious (shared archetypes and cultural symbols)
- Neuroscientific Tripartite Models (1900s) – categories that are based on distinct brain functions (see Neuroscientific Discourses), such as the interplay between the limbic system (emotions), prefrontal cortex (reason), and basal instincts

Subdiscourses:

Bipartite Model (Bipartite Division)
Christian Tripartite Model
Cognitive Learning (Knowledge Change)
Content Literacy
Disciplinary Literacy
Eureka Task
Freud’s Bipartite Model
Freud’s Tripartite Model
Individual Learning
Jung’s Tripartite Model
Knowledge Organization (Information Organization; Organization of Information; Organization of Knowledge)
Melodic Learning
Multiliteracies
Multimodality (Multiple Literacies)
Neuroscientific Tripartite Models
Plato’s Bipartite Model
Plato’s Tripartite Model
Stochastic Models of Learning (Probabilistic Models of Learning)
Tripartite Model (Tripartite Division)

Map Location

Please cite this article as:
Davis, B., & Francis, K. (2024). “Unaffiliated Discourses” in Discourses on Learning in Education. https://learningdiscourses.com.

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