ABSTRACT

This special issue introduces a new focus for inquiry in the learning sciences. When research attention turns to learning that takes place within social movements, the scope and scale of inquiry expands dramatically. It becomes difficult to see learning, as we usually conceive it. The author’s commentary begins with two metaphors for difficulty in this new arena of research. A first metaphor is that of “Waldo,” a cartoon figure visually represented as located somewhere within crowds of persons that are similarly dressed. This illustrates the problem of scale in the study of social movements, in attempts to monitor activity that is widely dispersed in space and time. A second metaphor is that of blind inquirers attempting to study an elephant—each inquirer only gets a partial apprehension of the whole. This points to the multiplicity of opportunities to learn within social movements—raising awareness in social critique, acquiring skills in organizing, developing fluency in rhetorics of persuasion. Because movement-situated learning is so multidimensional it is difficult for a single study to account for the full range of learning opportunities that a movement affords. In its middle section the commentary surveys specific examples of limits and affordances in research on learning in social movements, by reviewing briefly the empirical studies reported in the journal articles and by recounting the author’s personal experience in the Civil Rights movement in Chicago in the 1960’s. The commentary concludes on a cautionary note, observing that many of the processes of social movement formation, and of learning opportunities that develop within such movements, are similar in movements that are regressive as well as in those that are progressive in aim.

摘要

本期特刊介绍了学习科学探究的新焦点。当研究的注意力转向在社会运动中发生的学习时，探究的范围和规模将急剧扩大。正如我们通常认为的那样，很难看到学习。作者的评论从两个比喻开始，以隐喻在这个新的研究领域中遇到的困难。第一个比喻是“沃尔多”，这是一个卡通人物，形象地表示为位于一群穿着相似衣服的人中的某个地方。这说明了在研究社会运动中的规模问题，试图监测在时空上广泛分布的活动。第二个隐喻是盲探者试图研究一头大象的行为，每个探究者只对整体有部分了解。这表明在社会运动中学习的机会多种多样，包括提高对社会批评的认识，掌握组织技巧，提高说服力的流利性。由于运动相关的学习是如此多维，因此单个研究很难说明运动提供的全部学习机会。评论在其中间部分中，通过简要回顾期刊文章中报道的实证研究，并回顾作者在1960年代在芝加哥的民权运动中的个人经历，对社会运动学习研究中的局限性和可负担性的具体示例进行了调查。评论以警告告终告一段落，指出许多社会运动的形成过程，