Constructivism And Education

An international collection dealing with the constructivist approach to education.

Unique in offering a multidisciplinary perspective on key issues of alternative epistemologies in education, this collection includes contributions from scholars in family therapy, epistemology, and mathematics, science, and language education. These respected researchers were brought together to develop the theme of constructivism as it applies to many diversified fields. This book examines key distinctions of various constructivist epistemologies, comparing and contrasting the various paradigms. Each section provides both keynote positions on a particular alternative paradigm as well as critical comments by respondents regarding that position. Several chapters also present a synthesis of the alternative epistemological perspectives.

While many people talk about the Constructivist philosophy, there has not been a publication that provides a detailed description of what a Constructivist classroom sounds like and looks like. This book fills that void by examining the philosophy, translating it into teaching strategies, and providing over forty examples. These examples come from the elementary level up to and including the collegiate level, and include all content areas. These examples show how the Constructivist educator uses the linguistic mode, the visual mode, and the kinesthetic mode to create a class environment in which the Constructivist philosophy flourishes. Examples of student work are provided; the book also includes chapters on note-taking, Problem-Based Learning (PBL), action research, and other Constructivist resources. Written in user-friendly form, this book presents a concrete and step by step approach for translating the Constructivist philosophy into classroom practice. This book is intended for every Constructivist researcher, practitioner, and teacher-educator. The researcher and teacher-educator will benefit from topics such as the history of Constructivist thought, the principles of Constructivism and action research. This book is more than a list of recipes, and this will be beneficial to the practitioner. Starting with the principles of Constructivism, and bridging to four basic teaching strategies, the practitioner is guided on how to use different learning modes and “meta-strategies” to create a true Constructivist practice. An educator’s life is made up of one’s philosophy, teaching principles, daily strategies, resources, and research tools. This book provides an in-depth look, from the Constructivist perspective, at each one of these components. In every sense of the word, this book is truly “comprehensive.”

First published in 1997. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Mathematics is the science of acts without things - and through this, of things one can define by acts. 1 Paul Valéry The essays collected in this volume form a mosaik of theory, research, and practice directed at the task of spreading mathematical knowledge. They address questions raised by the recurrent observation that, all too frequently, the present ways and means of teaching mathematics generate in the student a lasting aversion against numbers, rather than an understanding of the useful and sometimes enchanting things one can do with them. Parents, teachers, and researchers in the field of education are well aware of this dismal situation, but their views about what causes the wide-spread failure and what steps should be taken to correct it have so far not come anywhere near a practicable consensus. The authors of the chapters in this book have all had extensive experience in teaching as well as in educational research. They approach the problems they have isolated from their own individual perspectives. Yet, they share both an overall goal and a specific fundamental conviction that characterized the efforts about which they write here. The common goal is to find a better way to teach mathematics. The common conviction is that knowledge cannot simply be transferred ready-made from parent to child or from teacher to student but has to be actively built up by each learner in his or her own mind.

This volume provides a needed elaboration of theories and potential applications of constructivism in science education. Although the term "constructivism" is used widely, there has been a dearth of materials to guide science educators concerning the potential of constructivism to influence what is done in the field. In fact, there has been a tendency for constructivism to be viewed as a method that can be used in a classroom. This view tends to diminish the power of constructivism as a way of thinking about education, and in particular, about science education. The chapters in this book address the need to document the theoretical roots of constructivism and to describe how practitioners have applied constructivist oriented beliefs in the practice of K-12 teaching of science and mathematics, as well as teacher education. Not only does this book contain different theoretical perspectives on constructivism, but it also features a chapter that critiques constructivism as an epistemology. Specific topics covered include: * cooperative learning, * the negotiation of meaning, * problem centered learning, * social construction of knowledge, * science in culturally diverse settings, * curriculum planning and implementation, and * instructional technology. Issues associated with the preparation and enhancement of science teachers and the reform of science education are also explored.

No longer relegated to just the classroom, learning has become universal through the use of social media. Social media embodies constructivism itself as the users engage in the development of their own meaning. And, constructivism is relevant to education, and learning theory and technological advance can be better understood in the light of one another. This volume explores: particular areas influenced by constructivist thinking and social media, such as student learning, faculty development, and pedagogical practices, practical and useful ways to engage in social media, and dialogue and discussions regarding the nature of learning in relation to the technology that has changed how both faculty and students experience their educational landscape. This is the 144th volume of this Jossey-Bass higher education series. It offers a comprehensive range of ideas and techniques for improving college teaching based on the experience of seasoned instructors and the latest findings of educational and psychological researchers.

Constructivism is one of the most influential theories in contemporary education and learning theory. It has had great influence in science education. The papers in this collection represent, arguably, the most sustained examination of the theoretical and philosophical foundations of constructivism yet published. Topics covered include: orthodox epistemology and the philosophical traditions of constructivism; the relationship of epistemology to learning theory; the connection between philosophy and pedagogy in constructivist practice; the difference between radical and social constructivism, and an appraisal of their epistemology; the strengths and weaknesses of the Strong Programme in the sociology of science and implications for science education. The book contains an extensive bibliography. Contributors include philosophers of science, philosophers of education, science educators, and cognitive scientists. The book is noteworthy for bringing this diverse range of disciplines together in the examination of a central educational topic.