What is needed, in my view, is some serious theoretical work in which
educational constructivism is clearly differentiated from
philosophical constructivism or social constructivism.


But this is going to be tricky since a society is made up of a bunch
of individuals and so what is true of individuals, such as students,
is presumably also true to some extent of society or the scientific
community as a whole.


The people who merely respond by saying that the claims of
educational constructivism are not the same as those of social
constructivism cannot have it both ways, especially since they often
dip into the wider philosophical debate in order to support their
views on educational constructivism.

Some students eventually become scientists. Does educational
constructivism simply means correcting their misconceptions so that
when they grow up to be real scientists all the constructivist
factors are eliminated?

Surely something like this would need to be true in order to divorce
educational constructivism from social constructivism which holds
that even mature scientists "construct" their views of reality to
some extent or other.

eric scerri






>OK - the constructivist theory of learning has a lot going for it.
>However, the way of teaching which has been developed in view of the
>theory clearly has a lot of
>problems. Surely its time for something better.
>
>K-S-Taber wrote:
>
>> Eric is quite right: however - the principles of constructivism in science
>> education are derived from empirical evidence from science
>> teaching/learning and research based psychology of learning.
>>
>> Constructivists typically believe that all people actively construct models
>> of the world, based on various inputs (teaching, early life experience,
>> liguistic clues, folk knowledge etc.) AND that the cognitive mechanisms
>> that bring about learning are constrained by limited working memory, and by
>> existing conceptual frameworks acting as the means for interpreting new
>> information, etc., AND THEREFORE that learners' exsiting ideas are often
>> both different from science models and are significant influences on new
>> learning.
>>
>> Some constructivists are radical constructivists, and may believe that
>> consensus science is purely historically/culturally contingent (and so
>> says nothing about any external reality - which becomes a meaningless
>> concept).
>>
>> However, even a teacher who is a pure realist about science (i.e. it
>> uncovers an objective, knowable reality), can still be a constructivist in
>> the more pragmatic terms I describe above! We are constructivists as
>> educators. Some may go beyond that, but not all!
>>
>> Keith
>>
>> --On 17 March 2003 11:12 -0800 Eric Scerri <scerri@...> wrote:
>>
>> >
>> >
>> > I find it amusing that somebody should show such unrestrained and
>> > indiscriminate support for constructivism in science education given
>> > for some of the highly dubious material that passes for
>> > constructivism at least here in the US and especially among chemical
>> > educators.
>> >
>> > Some of the authors in question even go as far as to claim that they
>> > support relativism, thinking that it represents a new and enlightened
>> > philosophical view by contrast with the "evils" of inductivism and
>> > positivism.
>> >
>> > Specific details and references available on request.
>> >
>> >
>> > regards,
>> >
>> > eric scerri
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >> In 2000 I taught in East Anglia. Having come from NZ
>> >> where constructivists have captured the nation's curriculum (or at
>> >> least made constructivist science teaching possible), I found the
>> >> English system completely traditional.
>> >>
>> >> I taught GCSE Biology and Physics and felt that I was part of a
>> >> conveyor belt designed to force a bunch of facts into kids' heads. I
>> >> rarely carried out with the students a holistic, real science
>> >> investigation.
>> >>
>> >> Does constructivist science education exist in the UK? Is
> > >> Cambridge producing constructivist teachers and, if yes, do they
>> >> step into staff rooms where some old wizened soul takes them
>> >> aside and say "Forget all that stuff you learnt at Cambridge.
>> >> Welcome to the real world"?
>> >>
>> >> England felt like that.
> > >>
>> >> Regards
>> >> John Cruden
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> About this list:
>> >>
>> >> Purpose: an international forum for discussing aspects of learning
>> >> in science, and for circulating news about publications, projects,
>> >> etc., related to this theme.
>> >>
>> >> Membership: open to teachers at any level, researchers into learning
>> >> in science and related fields, and any others interested in the
>> >> topic.
>> >>
>> >> This list gives you the choice of receiving e-mails individually, or
>> >> as a single daily digest of all messages circulated that day.
>> >>
>> >> homepage:
>> >> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/learning-science-concepts/
>> >> bookmarks to other sites:
>> >> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/learning-science-concepts/links
>> >> bibliography on learning in science
>> >> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/learning-science-concepts/files/
>> >>
>> >> This list is a moderated discussion group (ie postings are vetted
>> >> for relevance to the group theme).
>> >>
>> >> Moderator: Dr. Keith Taber, Faculty of Education, University of
>> >> Cambridge. http://www.educ.cam.ac.uk/staff/taber.html
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> to join an un-moderated general science education discussion list,
>> >> please visit:
>> >> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/science-education/
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to
>> >> http://uk.docs.yahoo.com/info/terms.html
>> >
>> > --
>> >
>> >
>> > Dr. Eric Scerri ,
>> > UCLA,
>> > Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry,
>> > 607 Charles E. Young Drive East,
>> > Los Angeles, CA 90095-1569
>> > USA
>> >
>> > E-mail : scerri@...
>> > tel: 310 206 7443
>> > fax: 310 206 2061
>> > Web Page: http://www.chem.ucla.edu/dept/Faculty/scerri/index.html
>> >
>> > Editor of Foundations of Chemistry
>> > http://www.kluweronline.com/issn/1386-4238
>> >
>> > Also see International Society for the Philosophy of Chemistry
>> > http://www.georgetown.edu/earleyj/ISPC.html
>> >
>> > Yahoo! Groups Sponsor
>> >
>> > About this list:
>> >
>> > Purpose: an international forum for discussing aspects of learning in
>> > science, and for circulating news about publications, projects, etc.,
>> > related to this theme.
>> >
>> > Membership: open to teachers at any level, researchers into learning in
>> > science and related fields, and any others interested in the topic.
>> >
>> > This list gives you the choice of receiving e-mails individually, or as a
>> > single daily digest of all messages circulated that day.
>> >
>> > homepage:
>> > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/learning-science-concepts/
>> > bookmarks to other sites:
>> > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/learning-science-concepts/links
>> > bibliography on learning in science
>> > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/learning-science-concepts/files/
>> >
>> > This list is a moderated discussion group (ie postings are vetted for
>> > relevance to the group theme).
>> >
>> > Moderator: Dr. Keith Taber, Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge.
>> > http://www.educ.cam.ac.uk/staff/taber.html
>> >
>> >
>> > to join an un-moderated general science education discussion list, please
>> > visit: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/science-education/
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
>>
>> Dr. Keith S. Taber
>> University of Cambridge Faculty of Education
>> Homerton Site
>> Hills Road
>> Cambridge CB2 2PH
>>
>> kst24@...
>>
>> http://www.educ.cam.ac.uk/staff/taber.html
>>
>> Physics Tutor
>> Secondary PGCE Partnership Course
>>
>> Secondary Science Tutor
>> KS2/3 PGCE Partnership Course
>>
>> Associate Editor
>> Chemical Education: Research & Practice in Europe
>>
>> Chair
>> Chemical Education Research Group of the Royal Society of Chemistry
>>
>> to join an electronic discussion list on learning in science please visit
>> http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/learning-science-concepts
>>
>> to access links to information about learning in science please visit
> > http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/learning-science-concepts/links
>>
>> to access links to web-sites for resources of interest to science teachers
>> please visit
>> http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/science-education/links
>>
>> About this list:
> >
>> Purpose: an international forum for discussing aspects of learning
>>in science, and for circulating news about publications, projects,
>>etc., related to this theme.
>>
>> Membership: open to teachers at any level, researchers into
>>learning in science and related fields, and any others interested
>>in the topic.
>>
>> This list gives you the choice of receiving e-mails individually,
>>or as a single daily digest of all messages circulated that day.
>>
>> homepage:
>> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/learning-science-concepts/
>> bookmarks to other sites:
>> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/learning-science-concepts/links
>> bibliography on learning in science
>> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/learning-science-concepts/files/
>>
>> This list is a moderated discussion group (ie postings are vetted
>>for relevance to the group theme).
>>
>> Moderator: Dr. Keith Taber, Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge.
>> http://www.educ.cam.ac.uk/staff/taber.html
>>
>> to join an un-moderated general science education discussion list,
>>please visit:
>> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/science-education/
>>
>>
>>
>> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to
>>http://uk.docs.yahoo.com/info/terms.html
>
>
>About this list:
>
>Purpose: an international forum for discussing aspects of learning
>in science, and for circulating news about publications, projects,
>etc., related to this theme.
>
>Membership: open to teachers at any level, researchers into learning
>in science and related fields, and any others interested in the
>topic.
>
>This list gives you the choice of receiving e-mails individually, or
>as a single daily digest of all messages circulated that day.
>
>homepage:
>http://groups.yahoo.com/group/learning-science-concepts/
>bookmarks to other sites:
>http://groups.yahoo.com/group/learning-science-concepts/links
>bibliography on learning in science
>http://groups.yahoo.com/group/learning-science-concepts/files/
>
>This list is a moderated discussion group (ie postings are vetted
>for relevance to the group theme).
>
>Moderator: Dr. Keith Taber, Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge.
>http://www.educ.cam.ac.uk/staff/taber.html
>
>
>to join an un-moderated general science education discussion list,
>please visit:
>http://groups.yahoo.com/group/science-education/
>
>
>
>Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to
>http://uk.docs.yahoo.com/info/terms.html

--


Dr. Eric Scerri ,
UCLA,
Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry,
607 Charles E. Young Drive East,
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1569
USA

E-mail : scerri@...
tel: 310 206 7443
fax: 310 206 2061
Web Page: http://www.chem.ucla.edu/dept/Faculty/scerri/index.html

Editor of Foundations of Chemistry
http://www.kluweronline.com/issn/1386-4238

Also see International Society for the Philosophy of Chemistry
http://www.georgetown.edu/earleyj/ISPC.html