Contextual Learning L3C

Contextual Learning L3C is an educational company formed by a group of three educators. The members who comprise this company  have extensive experience in inquiry based, context rich, hands-on teaching and learning processes. The thrust of our company is the creation of bridges that span the gap between concrete thinking and reasoning processes to abstract thinking and reasoning processes.

An example clarifies the statement above:

When students who are competent in arithmetic are introduced to a new kind of mathematics, algebra, many students become confused and  loose their former competence. When students loose competence often their confidence is greatly diminished. In an experience like this, when students loose a former competence and self confidence, many students form the unfounded belief that they "can't do math".

Arithmetic requires concrete thinking and reasoning processes to solve problems, and algebra, requires abstract thinking and reasoning processes to solve problems.

Concrete thinking is sufficient in doing arithmetic problems.  A student can think about arithmetic in a concrete way. A girl can picture dividing a cake in half or in thirds or quarters, etc. Similarly, a boy can envision adding apples and similarly having many apples and taking away some of the apples to do addition and subtraction problems.  Actual objects and events are part of concrete thinking and reasoning. 

In algebra, abstract thinking is required, as variables are introduced in the form of symbols and letters combined with numbers and is explained by a set algebraic rules.

"Abstract thinking uses a strategy of simplification, wherein formerly concrete details are left ambiguous, vague, or undefined; thus effective communication about things in the abstract requires an intuitive or common experience between the communicator and the communication recipient. This is true for all verbal/abstract communication."http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abstraction

Image above:  Middle school girls at the Raleigh Girls Club, Raleigh NC, are shown, using CityGreen Software, by first using forestry tools and terms; identifyinf trees by type and finally inputting  their own (student created) data into the CityGreen software program to ascertain the economic benefits of the trees on the Raleigh Boys and Girls Club campus. 

Bridging this gap between concrete and abstract thinking is accomplished by providing inquiry based, hands-on, context rich, student led and teacher facilitated learning processes. These learning processes link concrete thinking with abstract thinking by using the real world, in this example the three dimensional world of the Boys and Girls Club campus and then transforming their own, student collected data into a sophisticated economic analysis. The students accomplished this by using  Geographic Information Systems (GIS) computer mapping skills and a GIS application called CityGreen. City Green showed these students in detail how the trees on their campus in Raleigh, NC, provide economic benefits in terms savings on energy costs of the club via providing shade and environmental benefits in terms of of carbon sequestration in the trees themselves.

While the students learned a new computer technology application, they also learned a how to identify, and measure the height and diamater of individual trees on the study site. The outdoor environment became an appealing place to learn and play instead of merely a hot or cold environment to be escaped.

Further examples of how the Contextual Learning L3C learning processes are accomplished are found in the About section of this website.

The members of Contextual Learning L3C are:

Kristina H. Fowler - CEO and Founding Member

Rita A. Hagevik, PhD - Member

Joyce Hilliard-Clark PhD - Member (CV soon to be available)