Exposing the Roots of Constructivism

Exposing the Roots of Constructivism
Author: R. Scott Smith
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 181
Release: 2022-10-20
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 1666912476

Constructivism dominates over other theories of knowledge in much of western academia, especially the humanities and social sciences. In Exposing the Roots of Constructivism: Nominalism and the Ontology of Knowledge, R. Scott Smith argues that constructivism is linked to the embrace of nominalism, the theory that everything is particular and located in space and time. Indeed, nominalism is sufficient for a view to be constructivist. However, the natural sciences still enjoy great prestige from the “fact-value split.” They are often perceived as giving us knowledge of the facts of reality, and not merely our constructs. In contrast, ethics and religion, which also have been greatly influenced by nominalism, usually are perceived as giving us just our constructs and opinions. Yet, even the natural sciences have embraced nominalism, and Smith shows that this will undermine knowledge in those disciplines as well. Indeed, the author demonstrates that, at best, nominalism leaves us with only interpretations, but at worst, it undermines all knowledge whatsoever. However, there are many clear examples of knowledge we do have in the many different disciplines, and therefore those must be due to a different ontology of properties. Thus, nominalism should be rejected. In its place, the author defends a kind of Platonic realism about properties.

Institutional Constructivism in Social Sciences and Law

Institutional Constructivism in Social Sciences and Law
Author: Dora Kostakopoulou
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 231
Release: 2018-10-04
Genre: Law
ISBN: 1108470548

The book develops the model of institutional constructivism to aid socio-legal research and to account for patterns of socio-legal change.

Constructivism and the Technology of Instruction

Constructivism and the Technology of Instruction
Author: Thomas M. Duffy
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 230
Release: 2013-01-11
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1136612270

This book is about the implications of constructivism for instructional design practices, and more importantly, it is about a dialogue between instructional developers and learning theorists. Working with colleagues in each discipline, the editors were amazed to find a general lack of familiarity with each others' work. From an instructional design perspective, it seems that the practice of instructional design must be based on some conception of how people learn and what it means to learn. From a learning theory perspective, it seems obvious that the value of learning theory rests in the ability to predict the impact of alternative learning environments or instructional practices on what is learned. Thus the interchange of ideas between these disciplines is essential. As a consequence of both the information rich environment and the technological capability, business is seen moving away from a fixed curriculum and toward providing information and instruction when it is needed. These changes bring about a window of opportunity establishing a dialogue that will provide for a richer understanding of learning and the instructional environment required to achieve that learning. The editors hope that this book is the beginning of the conversation and that it will serve to spur continued conversation between those involved in learning theory and those involved in the design of instruction.

Handbook of Research on Educational Communications and Technology

Handbook of Research on Educational Communications and Technology
Author: David H. Jonassen
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 1195
Release: 2004
Genre: Education
ISBN: 0805841458

This edition of this handbook updates and expands its review of the research, theory, issues and methodology that constitute the field of educational communications and technology. Organized into seven sectors, it profiles and integrates the following elements of this rapidly changing field.

Constructivism in Science Education

Constructivism in Science Education
Author: Michael Matthews
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 241
Release: 2012-12-06
Genre: Science
ISBN: 940115032X

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.

In Search of Understanding

In Search of Understanding
Author: Jacqueline G. Brooks
Publisher: ASCD
Total Pages: 150
Release: 1999-07-15
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1416602739

The activities that transpire within the classroom either help or hinder students' learning. Any meaningful discussion of educational renewal, therefore, must focus explicitly and directly on the classroom, and on the teaching and learning that occur within it. This book presents a case for the development of classrooms in which students are encouraged to construct deep understandings of important concepts. Jacqueline Grennon Brooks and Martin Brooks present a new set of images for educational settings, images that emerge from student engagement, interaction, reflection, and construction. They have considerable experience in creating constructivist educational settings and conducting research on those settings. Authentic examples are provided throughout the book, as are suggestions for administrators, teachers, and policymakers. For the new edition of their popular book, the authors have written an introduction that places their work in today's educational renewal setting. Today, they urge, the case for constructivist classrooms is much stronger and the need more critical. Note: This product listing is for the Adobe Acrobat (PDF) version of the book.

Constructivism in Central Europe

Constructivism in Central Europe
Author: Esther Levinger
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 382
Release: 2022-01-31
Genre: Art
ISBN: 9004506373

The book tells the story of individual artists in Central Europe who believed in art's power to change the world; they imagined a collective of human beings living happily in a free society liberated of injustice and inequality.

Constructivism Reconsidered in the Age of Social Media

Constructivism Reconsidered in the Age of Social Media
Author: Chris Stabile
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 136
Release: 2016-01-05
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1119216141

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.

Realist Constructivism

Realist Constructivism
Author: J. Samuel Barkin
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 203
Release: 2010-03-25
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1139484400

Realism and constructivism, two key contemporary theoretical approaches to the study of international relations, are commonly taught as mutually exclusive ways of understanding the subject. Realist Constructivism explores the common ground between the two, and demonstrates that, rather than being in simple opposition, they have areas of both tension and overlap. There is indeed space to engage in a realist constructivism. But at the same time, there are important distinctions between them, and there remains a need for a constructivism that is not realist, and a realism that is not constructivist. Samuel Barkin argues more broadly for a different way of thinking about theories of international relations, that focuses on the corresponding elements within various approaches rather than on a small set of mutually exclusive paradigms. Realist Constructivism provides an interesting new way for scholars and students to think about international relations theory.