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REFLECTION AND ARTICULATION An Assignment Submitted by Name of Student Name of Establishment Class XXXX, Section XXXX, Fall 2011

REFLECTION AND ARTICULATION Philosophy is one of the oldest sciences that appeared many centuries ago. This science is unique one as it gives incredibly versatile cognition and its methods are universal too. Their universalism become apparent in the fact that they can be used in research concerning any spheres and forms of reality in the process of creation both practical and theoretical programs. Philosophical method involves a commitment to reason and argument as a source of knowledge. (Brown R., 2008). Among plenty of methods in this work we are focusing our attention on two of them. They are methods of reflection and articulation. These methods are associated with a move away from viewing the learning process as mechanistic and towards the conceptualization of learning as something emergent and social (Brill, 2001). Articulation and reflection work together as a pedagogical strategy. Reflection skills promote critical thinking and students

construction of knowledge. Articulation skills give students the ability to communicate that knowledge with other. These methods of instruction give students the opportunity to express what they are learning as it relates to their own learning experience and to self-evaluate their process (Bonk, 1998). In the given essay we are dealing with the example taken from the book by Martin Cohen 101 Philosophy Problems. Our task is to analyze the case with Farmer Field, his cow Daisy and his dairyman. As it is said he is so much concerned about his cow that does not want to believe the dairymans words that everything

is with her. Farmer needs to be sure in it. That is why instead of believe dairyman he goes out to the field and sees Daisy. Does he really see her or it only seems to him that it is his cow? In fact he sees some white and black shape that reminds him Daisy. Farmers logic is like this: the colour of his cow is black and white, at this moment she must be in the field and he really sees some black and white creature behind the trees. This fact satisfies him completely. He needs no other arguments. The week point of Farmers thinking is that he is standing near the gates and does not come closer to the cow. He sees the white and black shape at the distance in which he recognizes Daisy, but again Farmer Filed does not come up to her to see with his own eyes that this is really his favourite cow. Farmer does not give himself trouble to think further. If we could have a chance to ask him why, he would probably answer that as he is certain that the black and white shape is his cow. His certainty is based on the fact that his white and black cow is grazing grass in the field. His eye catches a familiar shape of definite colour and gives signal to his brain. Farmer accepts this signal and soothes himself being sure that his precious cow is not in danger. He comes back to the dairyman with a quite soul telling him that there is nothing to worry about as Daisy is in the field. What happens after? The dairyman comes back to the field with a desire to check everything again by himself. Why does he do it if the master of the cow says that cow is okay? May be the thing is that the dairyman also sees the weak point is the farmers arguments. But what is wrong with them? Lets try to follow the

dairymans logic now. As we have already mentioned Farmer Field sees the black and white shape in the field and thinking that his cow must be at the same place at this moment of time makes a conclusion that this is Daisy while the dairymans thinking goes further. He understands that looking at Daisy Farmer Field was standing too far from her. Moreover, the cow was hiding by the trees. He didnt make any other efforts to be certain that that shape and his cow are the same things. Being more curious or meticulous the dairyman decides to finds out everything till the end. He develops his thinking. He realizes that the shape of the definite colour can be something else, not only Daisy even if they have the same colour and shape. Being also clever he is aware of the fact that it can be another cow from the neighbour field, can be a picture of a big size painted in the same colours, or even stuffed cow made by jealous neighbour who stole real Daisy and made that model instead of Farmers cow. The further even proves the dairymans right. The black and white shape appears not a cow, but a large piece of black and white paper that stuck in the tree somehow. Thus summarizing all the arguments given above we can state that before accepting the fact as a truth it is worth to analyze it from different aspects, to think about all the possible variants, to reflect the situation and only after come to definite conclusion. The Farmer Field didnt want to go in his thinking till the end, accepted the most obvious variant as a truth and as a result appeared wrong. He believed his eyes as he wanted to believe them while the

dairyman reflected the whole situation, analyzed it and was awarded for his efforts.

References Martin Cohen 101 Philosophy Problems. London: Routledge, 2002. p. 3 Brown Richard, The Philosophical method, August 15, 2008 www.onemorebrown.wordpress.com Brill J., Kim B., & Galloway S. (2001) Cognitive apprenticeships as an instructional model. Retrieved from http://www. coe.uga.edu/epltt/CognitiveApprenticeship.htm. Bonk, C.J., & Cunningham, D.J. (1998) Searching for learnercentered, constructivist and sociocultural components of

collaborative educational learning tools. Retrieved October 2, 2006, from http://www.publicationshare.com/docs/Bon02.pdf

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