Paradigms


 * Paradigms and the impact on Education**

Paradigms and its impact on Education A __paradigm__ may be thought of as a pattern or model of how something is structured (the parts and their interrelationships) and how the parts function (behavior within a specific context or time dimension). Kuhn (1962) defined scientific paradigms as "accepted examples of actual scientific practice, examples which include law, theory, application, and instrumentation together--[that] provide models from which spring particular coherent traditions of scientific research. Both Harmon (1970) and Baker (1992), writing from the perspective of analyzing past and present activity to predict future trends, built on Kuhn's definition. Harmon defined a paradigm as "the basic way of perceiving, thinking, valuing, and doing associated with a particular vision of reality..." (p. 5), while Baker defined a paradigm as "a set of rules and regulations (written or unwritten) that does two things: (1) it establishes or defines boundaries; and (2) it tells you how to behave inside those boundaries in order to be successful. People have paradigms that surround all aspects of life. One of the most important paradigm is one's __worldview:__ a set of constructed perceptions and ideas about how the world works. Worldview provides a frame of reference that guides one’s understanding of reality and provides the foundation by which one gives meaning to experiences and thoughts. A major problem in establishing a correct or valid paradigm of reality consists of two aspects. First, while there is possibly an objective reality to be investigated, each person does so through the subjective reality of one's personal understandings, as influenced by one's immersion in a physical, social, and cultural context (Huitt) Categories of Reality:
 * 1) Visible, Objective reality: one observed by animals
 * 2) Invisible, Objective reality: exists, but is not readily observable
 * 3) Subjective, Conscious Reality refers to what we think we know explicitly about reality and has been the focus of cognitive psychology.
 * 4) Subjective, Unconscious Reality: have demonstrated that the phenomenon discussed in ancient philosophy and modernized by Freud and Jung has a basis in brain activity (Miller, 1986).

One’s worldview, focuses attention on certain aspects of objective reality and guides one's interpretation of the possible structure and functioning of both visible and invisible reality (Thulasidas, 2008). It also guides one's understanding and interpretation of the unconscious aspect of subjective reality. It is therefore absolutely critical that a person's, as well as a society's and culture's, subjective interpretations match objective reality. The paradigms educators and parents use to define desired outcomes for students and children, influence decisions such as selecting curriculum, defining appropriate teaching methods, and measuring progress. To the extent these paradigms are incorrect children and youth may be making significant progress in school, while being unprepared for the opportunities and challenges that await them as adults. __Paradigm shift:__ a fundamental change in approach or underlying assumptions. [|__Here is an example of a Paradigm shift for K-12 education__]

By: Desiree Pina

**References:**

Huitt, W. (2011). Analyzing paradigms used in education and schooling. //Educational Psychology Interactive//. Valdosta, GA: Valdosta State University. Retrieved [date] from []

Ormrod, J. E. (2003). Educational psychology: Developing learners. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Merrill/Prentice Hall.