Benutzer:Cspannagel/forschungsprofil/iatelmotivation/classasbrain

The class as brain / "neuron metaphor"

In "learning through teaching" the class is seen as "brain" with the students being "neurons" (neuron metaphor). Students present information, give exercises, and lead discussions. They are free to express every thought they have, without being "corrected" by the teacher. The open atmosphere fosters creativity, innovation, and collaborative knowledge construction. The neuron metapher can directly be transferred to online learning networks. For example, twitter is a direct implementation of it: people "fire" information like neurons and knowledge emerges through fast interactivity.

We are very interested to discuss the "class as brain" approach, the method "learning through teaching", and the similarities of offline and online networks with other experts in an interdisciplinary context.

Both aspects - the class as brain and the neuron metaphor - have been described by Jean-Pol Martin (in German).

The neuron metaphor: How neurons should behave (translation)

Original German version: Wie verhalten sich Neuronen?

1. Neurons are open and transparent.
2. Neurons share their knowledge immediately. They don't try to become famous, and they are not egocentric.
3. Neurons are not afraid of making mistakes nor of making a fool of themselves - they just "fire" immediately.
4. Neurons react immediately when they are stimulated.
5. Neurons always try to get in contact with other neurons. They are not afraid of being obtrusive.
6. Neurons don't take offence.
7. Neurons don't pause. They take time off only when their project is finished.
8. Neural networks play with uncertainty.
9. Neural networks realize grassroots democracy.

Humans as resources (translation)

Original German version by Jean-Pol Martin

Everybody should realize that

1. they are carriers of resources.
2. they should increase their resources in order to be more attractive for the group.
3. they can increase their resources by communication.
4. communication emerges from the fact that someone knows something another one doesn't know.
5. one's own knowledge increases by communitating and sharing knowledge.

Everybody should have the capability

1. to realize potentials of other group members and to make them accessible and interesting for the group.
2. to realize the readiness for action and to activate it.
3. to induce communication in the group and to keep it alive.
4. to guide the transformation from information to knowledge in the group.
5. to search for external relevant ressources actively and to realize the readiness for communication.
6. to induce communication in virtuality and to keep it alive.

Examples

• Neuronen in der Vorlesung (German)
• Stufenmodell für Seminare (German)