Constructivism: Theory, Perspectives, and Practice

✍ Scribed by Catherine T. Fosnot (editor)

• Publisher: Teachers College Press
• Year: 2005
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 321
• Edition: 2
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

This enduring bestseller remains the most comprehensive examination of constructivism and its relationship to teaching and learning. Closing the gap between theory and practice, well-known scholars make constructivism accessible by showing its application in everyday classrooms. Building on the success of the first edition, the authors have completely updated this popular text and expanded its scope to include examples of constructivist teaching across all grade levels and disciplines.

An ambitious revision of a now classic text, Constructivism: Theory, Perspectives, and Practice, Second Edition is an invaluable resource for practicing teachers, teacher educators, and curriculum specialists in mathematics, science, social studies, and language arts.

New for the Second Edition!

• An updated theory section that adds further contemporary biological evidence to go beyond the theories of Piaget and Vygotsky―offering a more contemporary framework for a psychological theory of learning.
• New chapters reflecting the school-based reforms that have been initiated since the writing of the first edition―specifically addressing the changes in mathematics, social studies, and teacher education.
• A new chapter on the emerging field of disability studies―including a critique that unmasks current practices and assumptions that better serve schools rather than students and their families.

✦ Table of Contents

Cover
Contents
Preface
PART I Theory
CHAPTER 1 Introduction: Aspects of Constructivism
ADAPTATION INSTEAD OF REPRESENTATION
THE CONCEPT OF ENVIRONMENT
THE CONSTRUCTION OF MEANING
CONCLUSION
CHAPTER 2 Constructivism: A Psychological Theory of Learning
INTRODUCTION: THEORIES OF LEARNING
THE BIOLOGICAL LANDSCAPE OF LEARNING: EVOLUTIONARY SYSTEMS
COGNITIVE EVOLUTION
APPLICATION OF CONSTRUCTIVISM TO EDUCATION
CONCLUSION
REFERENCES
CHAPTER 3
Where Is the Mind?
A Coordination of Sociocultural
and Cognitive Constructivist Perspectives
PART II Perspectives from the Disciplines
CHAPTER 4 A Constructivist Perspective on Teaching and Learning Science
WORKING WITH BALLOONS
CONSTRUCTIVISM FOR TEACHERS
CONCLUSION
REFERENCES
CHAPTER 5
A Constructivist Perspective on
Teaching and Learning Mathematics
TWO MATHEMATICS LESSONS
CONSTRUCTING A NEW VISION
CONSTRUCTING A NEW PRACTICE
REFERENCES
CHAPTER 6
A Constructivist Perspective
on Teaching and Learning
in the Language Arts
LITERATE ENVIRONMENTS
COLLABORATION, INTERACTION, AND QUESTIONING
COLLABORATIVE TALK, DIALOGUE, AND DEVELOPMENT
SCAFFOLDING: ASSISTING GROWTH
PEER COLLABORATION
ERRORS: WINDOWS ON DEVELOPMENT
OWNERSHIP, POINTS OF VIEW, AND DECENTERING
CONCLUSION
REFERENCES
CHAPTER 7
A Constructivist Perspective on
Teaching and Learning in the Arts
REFERENCES
CHAPTER 8
A Constructivist Perspective on the
Role of the Sociomoral Atmosphere in
Promoting Children’s Development
HOW CHILDREN THINK ABOUT SOCIAL AND MORAL ISSUES
THE TEACHER–CHILD RELATIONSHIP
GROUPTIME
RULE MAKING AND DECISION MAKING
SOCIAL AND MORAL DISCUSSIONS
CONFLICT RESOLUTION
THE CONSTRUCTIVIST ALTERNATIVE TO DISCIPLINE
INTEGRATING SOCIOMORAL AND COGNITIVE OBJECTIVES
CONCLUSION
REFERENCES
CHAPTER 9
A Constructivist Perspective from the
Emerging Field of Disability Studies
DISABILITY STUDIES IN EDUCATION
CONSTRUCTING DISABILITY IN THE CLASSROOM
CONSTRUCTING ABILITY IN THE CLASSROOM
CONCLUSION
REFERENCES
PART III Classroom Practice
CHAPTER 10“Mathematics” or “Mathematizing”?
LEARNING AND TEACHING IN THE CLASSROOM
TEACHING AND LEARNING AS DEVELOPMENT
STRATEGIES, BIG IDEAS, AND MODELSIN A TEACHING/LEARNING FRAMEWORK
SUMMING UP . . .
NOTE
REFERENCES
CHAPTER 11
A First-Year Teacher Implements
a Literature-Based/Whole-Language
Program in a Fourth–Fifth Grade
THE FIRST STEP
MEANINGFUL TIME TO MAKE MEANING
DECIDING WHAT TO TEACH
IT’S THE AUDIENCE, STUPID!
REFLECTIONS
NOTE
REFERENCES
CHAPTER 12
The Project Approach in Reggio Emilia
AN AMUSEMENT PARK FOR BIRDS
THE ROLE OF THE GREATER COMMUNITY
REFERENCES
CHAPTER 13
Teaching Introductory Physics
to College Students
EXAMINING WHAT WE THINK
APPLYING OUR NOTIONS TO A SPECIFIC INSTANCE
MAKING SENSE OF THE DISCREPANCIES
THE MISMATCH OF GOALS ANDMETHODS IN TEACHER EDUCATION
QUESTIONING UNSPOKEN ASSUMPTIONS
SOME BENEFITS OF USING CONSTRUCTIVISMTO GUIDE DECISIONS ABOUT TEACHING
TEACHING TEACHERS
NOTES
REFERENCES
CHAPTER 14
Being There: Middle School Students
as Coconstructors of a Classroom Senate
BEING THERE: TEACHING AND LEARNINGTHROUGH CURRICULUM DRAMA
REFLECTION: ENVISIONING NEW POSSIBILITIES
REFERENCES
CHAPTER 15
Teachers Construct Constructivism:
The Center for Constructivist
Teaching/Teacher Preparation Project
CONSTRUCTING CONSTRUCTIVISM
CONCLUSION
REFERENCES
About the Contributors
EPILOGUE
Constructivism Revisited:
Implications and Reflections
REVISITING THE THEORY
REVISITING THE IMPLICATIONS FOR EDUCATION
MATHEMATICS IN THE CITY
CONCLUSION
REFERENCES
Index