Epistemology is the branch of philosophy that seeks to define knowledge, that seeks to explain what it means to know something, that seeks to understand how humans come to know things. since all of schooling is about students coming to know things, what we mean by knowing is an essential questions. Epistemology provides an answer to that question and so it also provides an essential philosophical foundation for educational practice.
Positivist concerns knowledge pertaining to facts and set variables. certain facts, truths, relationships exist in the world; if we apply ourselves to exploring the world methodically, we can discover them. knowledge is there, waiting for us to find it.
Constructivist takes an approach at experiences and self learning as the main way of learning. the best way for a student to learn is through experiences he has been through and that way he will develop his own understanding. a teachers goal is for students to use information in some way tat will deepen their own understanding of an area.
i myself would identify myself as a positivist because i do not like to have to over think things and develop my own understanding. i much rather prefer facts that are set in stone rather than having to analyze things to come to a conclusion.
Positivst is easier in the sense that there is one truth with a capital T. However is there one T in aviation? Ok yeah a reg is a reg but think about being faced with a weather scenario and the need to divert. How might a positivist teach this? A constructivist?
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