What the hell is ‘collective meaning-making’, and why is it that as a discipline, sociology is riddled with gobbledegook, and each writer has to invent some new ‘concept’?
Im thinking about collective meaning-making as a way to encourage students collectively share ideas (at a base level) to then halp them shape (or construct) higher order level thinking around concepts. They start with understanding a concept (i.e. neoliberalism), then they start to connect that ideology/concept to their lives. In doing so thus construct how neoliberalism has impacted their lives. This helps take abstract concepts and structure them in such a way that it give meaning. Collectively, they then swap their flipchart paper with another group who add their thoughts on a next associated question. Thus collective. They all then feedback to the room, and explain how they understood the previous group words, and how they took them further. - so not only is this collective (group) but also, collective to the wider groups and whole class - it helps them make meaning out of a concept they don't yet understand. After discussing it and applying it to their own lives they then understand it better - this is active learning - instead of listening to me explain concepts as a lecture - which is boring passive learning (and often forgotten).
It would be a stretch to think that i have been attempting to make my own concept. This was your insinuation, not mine.
What the hell is ‘collective meaning-making’, and why is it that as a discipline, sociology is riddled with gobbledegook, and each writer has to invent some new ‘concept’?
Thanks Richard,
Im thinking about collective meaning-making as a way to encourage students collectively share ideas (at a base level) to then halp them shape (or construct) higher order level thinking around concepts. They start with understanding a concept (i.e. neoliberalism), then they start to connect that ideology/concept to their lives. In doing so thus construct how neoliberalism has impacted their lives. This helps take abstract concepts and structure them in such a way that it give meaning. Collectively, they then swap their flipchart paper with another group who add their thoughts on a next associated question. Thus collective. They all then feedback to the room, and explain how they understood the previous group words, and how they took them further. - so not only is this collective (group) but also, collective to the wider groups and whole class - it helps them make meaning out of a concept they don't yet understand. After discussing it and applying it to their own lives they then understand it better - this is active learning - instead of listening to me explain concepts as a lecture - which is boring passive learning (and often forgotten).
It would be a stretch to think that i have been attempting to make my own concept. This was your insinuation, not mine.