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Constructivism Bibliography
Constructivism
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by Annie and John Selden
November, 1996
Return to the Bibliography or
the Research Sampler
column.
The following annotated list of references is not linked to
any particular Research Sampler column. It was prepared as
a supplement to our talk "Constructivism in Mathematics
Education -- What Does It Mean?" given at the RUMEC
Conference on Research in Mathematics Education held at
Central Michigan University, Sept. 5-8, 1996.
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Bettencourt, A. (1993). The construction of knowledge: A
radical constructivist view. In K. Tobin (Ed.), The
Practice of Constructivism in Science Education
(pp. 39-50). Washington, DC: AAAS Press.
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Gives four constraints on knowledge that can be constructed:
one's previous constructions, interactions with others, one's
experience, "fit" with the rest of one's knowledge.
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Cobb, P. (1994). Where is the mind?
Constructivist and sociocultural perspectives on mathematical
development. Educational Researcher, 23(7), 13-20.
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Describes the (psychological) constructivist and
sociocultural views as complementary -- each "tells
half a good story," with the former using terms like
accommodation, and the latter, terms like appropriation.
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Cobb, P. & Yackel E. (1995). Constructivist, emergent,
and sociocultural perspectives in the context of
developmental research. In D. T. Owens, M. K. Reed &
G. M. Millsaps, Proceedings of the Seventeenth Annual
Meeting of the North American Chapter of the International
Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education,
Vol. 1 (pp. 3-29). Columbus, OH: ERIC/CSMEE Publications
(SE 057 176).
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Differentiates between psychological constructivist,
sociocultural, and emergent (social constructivist)
perspectives mainly with regard to the conduct of research,
and to a lesser extent, teaching.
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Dubinsky, E. (1992). Reflective abstraction in advanced
mathematical thinking. In D. Tall (Ed.), Advanced
Mathematical Thinking (pp. 95-124). Dordrecht: Kluwer
Academic Publishers.
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An extension of Piagetian ideas to the learning of
university level mathematics, emphasizing the "
genetic decompositions of concepts," i.e.,
descriptions, based on empirical data and an understanding
of the mathematics involved, of the constructions a
student might make.
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Ernest, P. (1991). The Philosophy of Mathematics
Education. London: Falmer Press.
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Influenced by David Bloor and SSK, Ernest proposes a
philosophy of mathematics called "social
constructivism," which sees mathematics as fallible
and objective as meaning socially agreed upon.
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Golden, G. A. (1990). Epistemology, constructivism, and
discovery learning of mathematics. In R. B. Davis, C. A.
Maher & N. Noddings (Eds.), Constructivist Views on
the Teaching and Learning of Mathematics (pp. 31-47).
Reston, VA: NCTM.
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Argues in favor of "moderate constructivism" and
takes issue with radical constructivism from the viewpoint
of a physicist who directs the Rutgers Center for
Mathematics, Science and Computer Education.
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Kilpatrick, J. (1987). What constructivism might be in
mathematics education. In J. C. Bergeron, N. Herscovics
& C. Kieran (Eds.), Proceedings of the Eleventh
Conference of the International Group for the Psychology
of Mathematics Education (pp. 2-27). Montreal:
University of Montreal.
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A critique of radical constructivism, together with a common
core that most mathematics education researchers today accept. Available through
ERIC/CSMEE (SE 055 633).
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Martin, J. & Sugarman, J. (1996). Bridging social
constructionism and cognitive constructivism: A psychology
of human possibility and constraint. A revised version of
an invited address by the first author presented at the AERA
annual meeting in New York. (Available from Jack Martin,
Faculty of Education, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby,
B.C. Canada V5A 1S6.)
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The sociocultural view (of the appropriation of cultural
practices through conversation) does not explain how
individual creativity arises, and cognitive constructivism
does not account for how individuals come to take knowledge
as shared. The authors propose a mechanism whereby
individuals are constrained, but not determined by, the
surrounding culture. Sophisticated memory capabilities and
imagination, together with personal experiences, allow
revision of appropriated ideas.
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Linn, M.C. & Burbules, N. C. (1993). Construction of
knowledge and group learning. In K. Tobin (Ed.), The
Practice of Constructivism in Science Education
(pp. 91-119). Washington, DC: AAAS Press.
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Argues that advocating group learning for knowledge
construction oversimplifies issues concerning the social
structure of groups, individuals' goals, and the diverse
nature of knowledge construction. Problems include "
groupthink," group acceptance of the first idea
generated, use of everyday arguments, etc.
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Phillips, D. C. (1995). The good, the bad, and the ugly: The
many faces of constructivism. Educational Researcher,
24(7), 5-12.
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Takes an exceptionally broad view of constructivism,
considering authors like v. Glasersfeld, Piaget, Dewey,
Kant, Kuhn, and various feminists. What's good is the
emphasis on active participation by the learner. What's
bad is the tendency toward relativism and the "
jettisoning of any substantial rational justification."
What's ugly is the tendency toward sectarianism -- each
"harbors some distrust of its rivals."
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Sismondo, S. (1993). Some social constructions. Social
Studies of Science, 23, 515-53.
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An attempt to sort out what various authors in the social
studies of science consider to be socially constructed:
knowledge, facts, theories, representations, etc.
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Slezak, P. (1994). Sociology of scientific knowledge and
scientific education: Part I. Science and Education,
3, 265-294. Sociology of scientific knowledge and scientific
education Part II: Laboratory Life under the Microscope.
Science and Education, 3 , 328-355.
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A critique, especially of Latour and Woolgar's Laboratory
Life, calling SSK "an extravagant deconstructionist
nihilism according to which all science is fiction and the
world is said to be socially constructed by negotiation,"
along with the admonition that science teachers resist its
findings.
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Steffe, L. P. & Gale, J. (1995). Constructivism in
Education. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
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Six alternative paradigms of constructivism, applying to
fields from mathematics education to family therapy, are
considered: radical constructivism (v. Glasersfeld), social
constructionism (K. Gergen), information-processing
constructivism (R. Spiro), cybernetic systems (F. Steier),
sociocultural approaches (J. Wertsch), and social
constructivism (H. Bauersfeld).
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Steffe, L. P. & Kieren, T. (1994). Radical constructivism
and mathematics education. Journal for Research in
Mathematics Education, 25, 711-733.
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An historical account, in JRME's 25th anniversary
special issue, describing Piaget's cognitive-development
psychology, the "preconstructivist revolution"
of the 70s, and JRME's role, from the early 80s on,
as a forum for debate of issues related to constructivism
within mathematics education.
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von Glasersfeld, E. (1983). Learning as a constructive
activity. In J. C. Bergeron and N. Herscovics (Eds.),
Proceedings of the Fifth Annual Meeting of the North
American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology
of Mathematics Education (pp. 41-69). Montreal:
University of Montreal.
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The paper in which radical constructivism "burst onto the
international scene." (P. Ernest) Available through
ERIC/CSMEE (ED 289 688).
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von Glasersfeld, E. (1990). An exposition of constructivism:
Why some like it radical. In R. B. Davis, C. A. Maher
& N. Noddings (Eds.), Constructivist Views on the
Teaching and Learning of Mathematics (pp. 19-29). Reston,
VA: NCTM.
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A brief overview explaining why constructivism "needs to
be radical," explaining viability and how one can
"manage without the traditional notion of Truth."
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von Glasersfeld, E. (1993). Questions and answers about
radical constructivism. In K. Tobin (Ed.), The Practice
of Constructivism in Science Education (pp. 23-38).
Washington, DC: AAAS Press.
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Brief, and mostly easy-to-read, answers to forty-two
questions regarding epistemology, the role of "social
interaction," and implications of the constructivist
orientation for teaching.
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von Glasersfeld, E. (1995). Radical Constructivism: A Way
of Knowing and Learning. London: Falmer Press.
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"The definitive theoretical account of radical
constructivism." (P. Ernest) An autobiographical first
chapter lets you in on how v. Glasersfeld came to his views.
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