Discusses von Glaserfeld's conception of constructivism and the variety of approaches to it: realist, radical, psychological, critical, cognitive, sociocultural, interactive, social, and Deweyan. Outlines criteria for differentiating between these theories: communality, objectivity, practice, and historicity and change. (Contains 43 references.)…

Jim McKenzie's reply to the author's paper suggests that there are substantial areas of disagreement between US. McKenzie appears to agree with the central philosophical point that the author wished to make, that internal representationalism is incoherent. The author's target was that set of doctrines known as "cognitivism", which is based on the…

As any glance at contemporary educational literature demonstrates, the concept of "constructivism" carries with it enormous appeal. Contemporary literature also reveals that many current educational reform initiatives encourage teaching practices that many people refer to as constructivist (Brooks and Brooks 1993; Roth 1993; Crawford and Witte…

Although delivered via distance learning technology, distributed learning is substantially different in fundamental ways. Distributed learning could be described as a distance learning environment that supports the co-construction of knowledge, an endeavour where learners build a learning community where they are given and take on more…

This article discusses the theory and practice of constructivism and suggests a way to move from the theory into the practice of it.

In this article a theory of learning, variation theory, is presented in order to address the "provocation" created by the relationship between theoretical positions and findings in research and what these do and do not disclose. I demonstrate how this can be used as an analytical tool for studying classroom learning in mathematics by juxtaposing…

Constructivist theories of learning and recent research into aesthetic experience suggest that most people actually benefit by instruction in various means of engagement with art, and that engagement is most fulfilling when it actively challenges, builds on, and extends the knowledge, aptitudes, and abilities of the museum visitor. This in turn…

The necessary learning actions new employees must undertake to meet the performance requirements of their new job may be said to constitute a constructivist epistemology of necessity. This view forms a useful basis of inquiry into new employee workplace learning as it seeks to explicate the significance of what new employees "do" in and…

Problems are experienced in geography teaching in almost all countries. Modifications made to curriculums from time to time aim to meet the expectations of the community and the Ministry of National Education in the fields of education considered problematic. The purpose of the geography teaching is to bring up individuals that are responsible,…

Parents are concerned about their children's math learning. Teachers are concerned about math teaching. When parents see what children are bringing home under the new curriculum, it is clear that their children are not working on the same mathematics that parents remember from the time when they were in school. But, the problem goes beyond grades…

This paper presents a framework of approaches to sharing meaningful knowledge of assessment standards amongst an academic community, particularly students. Presented as a nested hierarchy, these approaches encompass: a "laissez faire" approach in which students' knowledge of standards is acquired in ad hoc and serendipitous ways; an…

This article reviews a range of literature of computer games and learning theories and attempts to establish a link between them by proposing a typology of games which we use as a new usability measure for the development of guidelines for game-based learning. First, we examine game literature in order to understand the key elements that…

This study examined the relationship between university faculty members' perspectives on students with special learning needs and their views on providing accommodations. Findings demonstrate that professors who view students with disabilities from a conventional, deficit perspective feel ill-equipped to provide necessary accommodations.…

In many U.S. prisons an overuse of individualized instruction silences literacy learners and reinforces oppressive notions about what knowledge is and whose knowledge counts. In these classrooms, methods that invite learners to tap their background knowledge, reflect on their worlds, and dialogue with others to construct meaning--commonplace in…

Originally, blogs served as personal journaling tools. Recently, blogs have facilitated the formation of online communities and have thus expanded to more extensive uses in education. Little has been learned about using blogs as a collaboration tool in educational contexts. In this article, the authors share their experiences with using blogs to…