Department of Psychology, Clark University, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA.
Adv Child Dev Behav. 2011;40:209-41. doi: 10.1016/b978-0-12-386491-8.00006-2.
This chapter examines children's learning through careful attention and participation in the ongoing activities of their community. This form of learning, which has been called learning through Intent Community Participation, seems to be especially common in Mesoamerican Indigenous communities. In these communities, children are integrated into the everyday work and lives of adults and their learning may not be the central focus. We contrast this pattern with that of middle-class European American communities where children are segregated from the primary adult functions of the community. In middle-class communities and schools, children are often encouraged to engage in abstract lessons where their attention is explicitly directed to specific events. In contrast, learning through keen attention and observation may rely on learning through attention to instructions not specifically directed to the learner. Studies demonstrate Mesoamerican Indigenous children's ability to learn through simultaneous and open attention to overheard or observed activities. This form of learning is supported through multiple modalities of communication and interaction. Motivation to learn stems from the learner's inclusion into the major activities and goals of the community. Implications of research and future directions for the study of learning through keen observation are discussed.
这一章考察了儿童通过认真关注和参与社区正在进行的活动来学习。这种学习形式，被称为通过意向社区参与学习，似乎在中美洲原住民社区中尤为常见。在这些社区中，儿童融入了成人的日常工作和生活，他们的学习可能不是主要关注点。我们将这种模式与中产阶级欧洲裔美国社区的模式进行对比，在中产阶级社区和学校中，儿童通常被隔离在社区的主要成人职能之外。在中产阶级社区和学校中，儿童经常被鼓励参与抽象的课程，他们的注意力被明确引导到特定的事件上。相比之下，通过敏锐的关注和观察进行学习可能依赖于通过对未专门针对学习者的指示的关注进行学习。研究表明，中美洲原住民儿童能够通过同时对听到或观察到的活动进行开放关注来学习。这种学习形式通过多种交流和互动模式得到支持。学习的动机源自学习者被纳入社区的主要活动和目标。讨论了通过敏锐观察进行学习的研究意义和未来研究方向。
