In educational theory, a distinction is made between two kinds of learning - Convergent, and Divergent.
Convergent learning is learning that converges on a set goal ( 'The one right answer") - "How to ride a bike", "List the 3 main types of communication" - acquiring knowledge that is already known.
Divergent learning is learning that leads to unknown or a variety of outcomes - "how many uses can you think of for a barometer?", " What is the future of computing? "
Obviously, both types of learning are important, but often the education industry gets hooked up on the easiest one to measure and mark - convergent thinking, which has unfortunate connotations of conformity, initiation into a particular mindset, or 'brainwashing'.
I noticed an example of this the other day. My grandson had his 4th birthday, and had been given a number of Lego kits for fire-engines, campervans, and dune buggies, etc. These sets even have instructions on how to assemble the toy from the parts provided. This is a fine example of a convergent learning task. I suggested to him that a tree from the messy pile of old lego parts our children had played with in years gone by, could fit on top of the campervan, but he was insistent that it would not, as 'it wasnt part of it'.
The divergent style of Lego play is to have a huge pile or bucket of bits and pieces, from which the child imaginatively assembles a toy, without a plan to follow...
Each approach leads to different learning outcomes at a meta-level...
