Constructivist Program Research Articles

Newton on constructions in geometry

Newton was critical of Descartes's constructivist vision of the foundations of geometry organised around certain curve-tracing principles. In unpublished work, Newton outlined a constructivist program of his own, based on his “organic” method of curve tracing, which subsumes Descartes's emblematic turning-ruler-and-moving-curve construction method as a special case, but does not suffer from the latter's flaw of being unable to trace all conics. This Newtonian program has been little studied and is more thoughtful and technically substantive than is commonly recognised. It also clashes with, and arguably supersedes and improves upon, Newton's perhaps better known earlier statements on the subject.

History of Perspectivism and the status of Perspectivist concepts

In recent decades, Perspectivism has developed into an epistemological research program claiming its independence. This autonomy stems from Perspectivism’s potential ability to resolve the contradictions between realist and constructivist programs. Perspectivism is based on the idea that the object depends on perspective, which constitutes any subjective attempt to cognize it. Perspectivists reconstruct and explain the factors involved in the formation of perspective, identifying the conditionality of epistemic acts, using concepts such as “position”, “point of view”, “view”, “angle”, “horizon”, “focus”, “picture”, “context”, “aspect”, etc. Although these concepts are part of the Perspectivist’s toolkit, their meanings and interrelation have so far been taken for granted and have not yet been critically and comprehensively analyzed. The purpose of this article is to take steps toward clarifying the conceptual basis for defending Perspectivism as an epistemological program. Once consistently uncovered and correlated in a conceptual model, Perspectivist concepts can be used as a tool for a detailed analysis of theories, positions, and beliefs. The article begins with a preliminary description of the concept of Perspectivism and its brief history as an epistemological program. In particular, the first modern attempts to outline Perspectivist epistemology are described in the works of F.Kaulbach (1990), W. Stegmaier (2008), and M.Massimi (2017, 2020). The problem of identifying the special a priori status of Perspectivist notions as a strategy for justifying the autonomy of Perspectivism is then posed. A method for demonstrating such a status, based on Kant’s transcendentalism and P. Strawson’s descriptive metaphysics, is then suggested.

Analysis of Teacher Measurement-Evaluation Preferences from the Perspective of Epistemological Belief

The goal of this research is to make an epistemological analysis of methods used by high school teachers in teaching process and their measurement and evaluation preferences. The research is based on descriptive model and conducted on a total of 819 teachers. Data are collected through information form and analyzed with scientific statistical techniques. At the end of the analyses, it is observed that high school teachers participated in the research are partially sufficient in terms of epistemological belief; but these teachers stated that they highly benefit from the nature of knowledge while teaching a topic and conducting an exam. As there seems to be a dilemma between the statements and practices of teachers, the statements are found questionable. Participant teachers preferred the method of presentation in teaching process while they preferred conducting written exams in measurement-evaluation processes. These preferences justified the questionable point. This situation, which reveals the epistemological deficiency of teachers who participated in the research, is also an indication of epistemological discrepancy between current education programs and teachers. This indication shows that modern constructivist education programs in Turkey are practiced in a traditional sense. Putting education programs into practice by epistemologically destroying their nature is a serious risk that can prevent Turkey from reaching educational goals. It is known that constructivist approach makes significant contributions to ensure efficient education and to the process of raising creative individuals.

Introducing Constructivism to Young Learners: Analysing the Impact on English Language Performance

The significance of this study was to observe the instructional effect of constructivist teaching methodologies on English language performance outcomes among grade four students at a private all-boys school in central Bangkok. The experiment comprised two classes of differing ability: Class One (n = 18) classified as above average; and, Class Two (n = 15) below average. Both groups were taught according to the traditional Thai syllabus in the first semester of the academic year of 2016/17, transitioning to a constructivist learning environment in the second semester. The results of formal academic assessments were analysed via t-tests (<0.05); and the findings revealed that, as a result of the constructivist program, a significant difference was observed in both classes in relation to speaking attainments. However, in terms of overall language performance, a significant difference was noted in Class One only . Key Words : constructivism, instruction, performance, macro skills, young learners DOI : 10.7176/JCSD/46-07 Publication date :March 31 st 2019

A DEVITT-PROOF CONSTRUCTIVISM

I distinguish 20th century Constructivists (e.g. Goodman, Putnam) whose anti-Realism is global and is motivated by epistemic and semantic concerns about Realism from 21st century Constructivists (e.g. Einheuser, Goswick, Sidelle) whose anti-Realism is local and is motivated by specific metaphysical concerns about modality. I argue that the 21st century Constructivist program is plausible in a way the 20th century Constructivist program is not. In particular, I argue that 21st century Constructivism is immune to the anti- Constructivist arguments Devitt presents in Truth and Realism.

Reflective Professional Development Journals for Constructivist Evaluation of Teacher Learning and Reactions

Limited in scope, this paper deliberately foregrounds the evaluation stage of a suggested 5-month constructivist professional development (PD) programme for Algerian novice middle school English teachers (N=14) who were willingly involved in the whole process of its planning, implementation and evaluation and whose needs, preferences and reflections were valued. Evaluating this programme, assessment rubrics, classroom observation notes, project presentations and professional development journals (PDJs) were analysed. Precisely, amongst these constructivist evaluative tools, this study aimed to explore the participants’ post-programme learning and reactions through a qualitative content analysis of their reflective PDJs. The revelations of this evaluative analysis about the participants’ learning and reactions would inevitably assess the value of this constructivist programme as well as its effectiveness and help make decisions for its improvement. Additionally, this analysis would significantly confirm the usefulness of PDJs as effective constructivist reflective tools for teachers’ conceptual and practical development. After being collected, repeatedly read and qualitatively content-analysed, the participants’ coded PDJs (N=14) disclosed themes (N=6) and sub-themes (N=14) reflecting an amalgam of their learning and reactions. This cognitive and affective analysis of the participants’ reflections revealed signs of constructions of different ELT- and PD-related concepts, correction of some misconceptions together with traces of satisfaction, self-confidence and willpower. In the light of this study, the researcher strongly recommends PDJs for teachers to self/peer-assess and develop their teaching concepts and practice, and for programme facilitators to uncover and, therefore, meet teachers’ individual cognitive and affective needs.

Norm Contestation and Global Governance: Taking Actor Configurations and Practical Reasoning Seriously

Norm Contestation and Global Governance: Taking Actor Configurations and Practical Reasoning Seriously

Evaluation of metacognitive competence of pre-service music teachers in terms of some variables

The purpose of the present research is to define pre-service music teachers’ competence in using metacognitive activities in relation to academic achievement, gender, and class grade variables. The work-group consists of 131 pre-service music teachers, who study at BalA±kesir University Necatibey Faculty of Education, Programme of Music Teaching. “Motivational, Cognitive, and Metacognitive Competence Scale”(MCMCS) developed by Mok et al. and adapted to Turkish by AktamA±AŸ and Uca was utilized as data collection tool with the permission of the researchers. For the analyses, t-test, One-way ANOVA and Spearman rank correlation coefficient tests were conducted. The effects of socio-cultural and demographic features on presenting metacognitive skills were discussed in accordance with the findings, and teachers were recommended to provide their students with opportunities to use metacognitive strategies within the scope of constructivist program perception. Additionally, many new research subjects were suggested for the literature in accordance with findings obtained. Key words: Music education, metacognition, academic achievement, pre-service music teachers.

Transformation in a Constructivist Montessori Teacher Education Program Using a Blended Course Design

This applied dissertation was designed to understand the experience of participants as they engaged in a process of transforming attitudes about teaching and learning through participation in a Montessori teacher-training program with a blended design. Participants were surveyed regarding their previous experiences in education as both student and educator, previous experiences in Montessori education, and previous experiences with distance education programs. Research questions guiding the study:Particular aspects such as self-directed learning, facilitating relationships, and learning in social contexts have been known to be considered best practice in constructivist program design, but what is the phenomenological experience of adult participants as they grapple with transforming best practice in teaching and learning with their own pre-kindergarten to eighth-grade students? 2. How do individual participants perceive the blended program influenced a personal transformation of teaching and learning? How does the perceptual transformation compare to others? 3. How do administrators perceive the blended program influenced changes to the overall school culture as a result of faculty participation in the program? 4. How consistent are standards of best practice in constructivist settings with individual perceptual transformations and perceptions of changes to school culture as well as to interactions with students?A comparative design was carried out for the study. Participant and administrator questionnaires were analyzed for patterns and insights regarding descriptions of change experienced during a blended distance education (DE) course using constructivist methodology. A final analysis of the data revealed that participants had various experiences with traditional education as students and as educational professionals. Most participants reported a lack of confidence teaching within the traditional system and subsequent relief when learning the constructivist, Montessori pedagogy and methodology. One surprising finding was that some educators were predisposed to using constructivist principles in teaching before any formal training. Another significant finding was that adults were able to guide school-age students in becoming self-directed and autonomous as learners. A third finding was that there were specific advantages of a blended DE training program design that were not present in other models of DE or face-to-face teacher training.

Convexity and osculation in normed spaces

Constructive properties of uniform convexity, strict convexity, near convexity, and metric convexity in real normed linear spaces are considered. Examples show that certain classical theorems, such as the existence of points of osculation, are constructively invalid. The methods used are in accord with principles introduced by Errett Bishop. Introduction. Contributions to the constructive study of convexity are found in [1, 2, 9] and, most extensively, in a recent paper of Fred Richman [8]. The present paper consists mainly of comments related to the latter paper, and Brouwerian counterexamples concerning various properties of convexity and the existence of certain points. Constructive mathematics. A characteristic feature of the constructivist program is meticulous use of the conjunction “or.” To prove “P or Q” constructively, it is required that either we prove P , or we prove Q; it is not sufficient to prove the contrapositive ¬(¬P and ¬Q). To clarify the methods used here, we give examples of familiar properties of the reals which are constructively invalid, and also properties which are constructively valid. The following classical properties of a real number α are constructively invalid: “Either α 0,” and “If ¬(α ≤ 0 ), then α > 0.” The relation α > 0 is given a strict constructive definition, with far-reaching significance. Then, the relation α ≤ 0 is defined as ¬(α > 0). A constructively valid property of the reals is the Constructive Dichotomy lemma: If α α, or γ < β. This lemma is applied ubiquitously, as a constructive substitute for the constructively invalid Trichotomy. For more details, see [1]. Applying constructivist principles when reworking classical mathematics can have interesting and surprising results. Brouwerian counterexamples. To determine the specific nonconstructivities in a classical theory, and thereby indicating feasible direc2010 AMS Mathematics subject classification. Primary 46B20. Received by the editors on June 9, 2010, and in revised form on August 2, 2010. DOI:10.1216/RMJ-2013-43-2-551 Copyright c ©2013 Rocky Mountain Mathematics Consortium 551

Experiences of social work students with learning theoretical knowledge in constructivist higher vocational education: a qualitative exploration

An important learning goal in higher vocational education concerns the professional domain’s shared body of knowledge. Constructivist programmes use authentic learning contexts and self-directed learning to create a close connection throughout the learning process between theoretical knowledge and other forms of professional knowledge. Critics of constructivist learning contend that the situated way of learning places too much emphasis on the instrumental use of knowledge and that self-directed learning is too demanding for students. This qualitative case study investigated these criticisms by exploring the learning experiences of 18 final-year bachelor’s students in social work in a constructivist programme. From a previous study, the differences between these participants’ theoretical knowledge were known. Results show that while all students agreed that their constructivist programme was beneficial for learning knowledge pertaining to instrumental use, they had different experiences with acquiring knowledge as a system of meaning in itself. Students with high-level knowledge felt positively challenged and actively studied theories as a whole. Students with medium- and low-level knowledge had not reached beyond the knowledge that was immediately needed in the authentic learning contexts. Hypotheses and questions for further research into differences between students are discussed.

Extension and measurement: A constructivist program from Leibniz to Grassmann

This paper traces what I see as a Leibniz-inspired constructivist program through the eyes of the 19th century philosopher-mathematicians Herbart, Riemann and Grassmann, and then uses Grassmann’s algebra of points to build up levels of extension algebraically. The connection between extension and measurement is investigated in line with this constructivist program.

Medizin, Geschichte und Geschlecht: Körperhistorische Rekonstruktionen von Identitäten und Differenzen (review)

Reviewed by: Medizin, Geschichte und Geschlecht: Körperhistorische Rekonstruktionen von Identitäten und Differenzen Mary Lindemann Frank Stahnisch and Florian Steger , eds. Medizin, Geschichte und Geschlecht: Körperhistorische Rekonstruktionen von Identitäten und Differenzen. Geschichte und Philosophie der Medizin, vol. 1. Stuttgart: Franz Steiner, 2005. 297 pp. Ill. €49.00 (3-515-8564-5). Histories of the body and histories of sex seem to be everywhere these days. For some fifteen or so years, a range of scholars have turned their attention to the historical study of the body, usually postulating or accepting that the body is historically, socially, and culturally constructed. Michel Foucault, feminist scholarship, and social historians of medicine have led the way and have been followed by a horde of disciples and epigones drawn from several fields. At first one might think that this collection of essays, edited by Frank Stahnisch and Florian Steger (one trained in medicine and the other in history), merely adds its moiety to an already large oeuvre—and in some ways it does. More importantly, however, it shifts the perspectival ground, goes at the subject from unexpected angles, and recenters medicine—and especially anatomy—in the writing of (body) history. The results sometimes fail to surprise those familiar with the field, or merely nuance what we already know; yet often they radically reposition our point of view on the body and gender, and the role of medicine in shaping both. In their introduction, Stahnisch and Steger argue that medical-historical scholarship needs to be given a more central place in a discussion that has been mostly dominated by cultural history, in order to "indicate perspectives which allow the history of one's own body or the body of the other ('fremder Körper') to appear [more] plastically" (p. 17). These thirteen authors take up the challenge and show how medical knowledge affected and interacted with the social and historical construction of bodies and gender. The dense prose of the introduction does much to obfuscate the real objectives of the volume, and one must labor to dissect out the general themes. But the result repays the effort: the agenda is a stimulating one, and the best articles succeed in standing verities on their heads and making us rethink newly received wisdoms. The book falls into two parts: the first is devoted to the reconstruction of identity, and the second to the delineation of difference. The first section includes pieces covering, for example, how Greek authors of the archaic period portrayed men and women in their differing relationships to their bodies, how early modern "beauty" books distributed advice and to what end, how the skillfully done anatomical preparations of the eighteenth century responded to deeper cultural assumptions, and how transsexuality presented (and presents) complex physical and cultural difficulties. The second part follows the same chronology, moving from a scrutiny of sexual difference in the Middle Ages, to the study of brain anatomy and nerves over three centuries, to how universities strove to preserve male virility by excluding women, and ending with an analysis of the tangled issues of homosexuality and hermaphroditism. While the essays do not always cohere well methodologically (some authors seem far more committed to a constructivist program than others, and some articles seem strongly medicalized or even clinical in tone), nor do they faithfully [End Page 655] track the (painfully explicated) logic of the introduction, the theme of gender as affected by medical thinking and medical practice binds them together. The best essays enlighten and even startle with their ability to cast new light on old(er) subjects. Thomas Schnalke's essay on anatomical preparations, for example, obviously deals with a "teaching aid," but is original in focusing on what he calls "spatiality," understanding preparations within the context of how things were thought to be best displayed. Ortrun Riha, in discussing sexual difference in the Middle Ages, takes on the one-sex model and demonstrates that medieval writers on the subject regarded the existence of two sexes as "indisputable" (p. 180). Likewise stimulating and original is Hans-Georg Hofer's handling of neurasthenia (a topic that has perhaps received almost too much attention from scholars) in its subtle separation of the...

En respuesta al comentario de Carlos Pereda sobre Un lugar para la moral

Carlos Pereda califica mi concepción de la moral de realismo particularista y objeta a mi defensa tanto del realismo como del particularismo. En mi respuesta trato de mostrar cómo nuestras discrepancias en torno al papel de los principios en la deliberación moral es, excepto en un punto crucial, cuestión de énfasis. No ocurre lo mismo, sin embargo, con mi reivindicación del realismo moral, pues parte de lo que intento mostrar en el libro es que los programas constructivistas de los que habla Pereda no pueden pensarse coherentemente.

Fallible or inerrant? A belated review of the ‘constructivist's bible’ Jan Golinski, Making Natural Knowledge: Constructivism and the History of Science. Cambridge History of Science. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999. Pp. xiv+236. ISBN 0-521-44913-8. £15.95 (paperback).

When Jan Golinski's Making Natural Knowledge was published in 1998 it was generally applauded for its ecumenical stance between the empirical ‘art’ of historians and the theoretical focus of the social sciences. Indeed, such a middling position was a unique approach to be taken in wake of the ‘science wars’ and this, in combination with the book's clear organization and (for the most part) forthright prose, quickly earned it a place upon HPS, STS and SSK postgraduate reading lists. Now, five years since its first edition was published (hardback, 1998), the work has become a standard introduction to historically minded scholars interested in the constructivist programme. In fact, it has been called the ‘constructivist's bible’ in many a conference corridor. Since the book has attained such a status (and since it has not been reviewed in the BJHS), it is perhaps worth reflecting on whether or not such canonical text (to use a biblical analogy) is fallible or inerrant – especially in relation to its content and pedagogical efficacy.

Effects of Consistency Management® on Student Mathematics Achievement in Seven Chapter I Elementary Schools

This study reports the additive effect Consistency Management & Cooperative Discipline (CMCD; Freiberg, Stein, & Huang, 1995) had on a constructivist mathematics program in 3 of 7 Chapter I elementary schools. Specifically, Grades 4, 5, and 6 students of teachers skilled in both CMCD and constructivist mathematics in 3 elementary schools had higher achievement gains than students from 4 schools with only the constructivist mathematics program. These 7 elementary schools constitute a geographic feeder pattern in a large urban city in the southwest United States. Analysis of the state-mandated mathematics subtest showed an effect size gain of ES + .33 for both math and CMCD programs compared to only the mathematics program. This is consistent with other studies utilizing CMCD and has important implications for necessary classroom organizations for constructivist curriculums.

Structures of Community and Democratic Practices in Graduate Teacher Education, Teacher Change, and Linkages Facilitating Change

The authors describe practices in a constructivist graduate program in teacher education, document changes in teachers and their practice, and analyze connections between program practices and teacher change. The authors also develop a model for constructivist teacher education with linkages between community and democratic practices and teacher change.

Children's Temperament and Behavior in Montessori and Constructivist Early Childhood Programs

This study tested the hypothesis that curriculum type (Montessori and constructivist) moderates the impact of temperament (specifically activity level and attention-span/persistence) on the classroom behavior of 3- to 5-year-old children. Mothers enrolled in Montessori and constructivist preschools filled out the Colorado Childhood Temperament Inventory. The children's teachers filled out the Preschool Behavior Questionnaire and the Preschool Adjustment Questionnaire. A near-significant trend suggested that temperamentally active boys were more likely to be perceived by their teachers as having behavior problems if they were enrolled in Montessori programs than if they were enrolled in constructivist programs. There was no such trend for girls. There was no evidence that temperamental attention-span persistence moderated the impact of curriculum type on either boys' or girls' behavior. The findings thus give modest support to the notion that parents should be advised to select constructivist early childhood programs especially for boys who are temperamentally predisposed to be highly modifying their teaching practices to better accommodate the needs of these children active. In addition, directors and teachers in Montessori programs may consider modifying their teaching practices to better accommodate the needs of these children.

The Socializing Influence of Normative Cohesive Teacher Education on Teachers’ Beliefs about Instructional Choice

This paper explores the conceptions held by the teacher education faculty and their teacher learners regarding teachers’ beliefs about instructional choice. Findings show that different conceptions of teachers’ instructional decision‐making were associated with different teacher education designs. In programs where teaching was conceived, for the most part, as an externally regulated profession, teachers had few opportunities to understand, reflect on or align their practice in response to students’ learning needs. In programs where teachers were seen as professional individuals capable of making informed instructional choices, teachers had more opportunities to acquire the knowledge and skills to adjust instruction to learners’ diverse needs. Conceptions of instructional choice and sources of guidance in teaching and learning to teach were, on average, disperse across the programs studied, but in constructivist programs, graduates’ views were more likely to move in the direction of their faculty's expectations. I discuss programs’ socialization opportunities that may play a role on teacher education influence.

On why constructivism does not yield relativism

Abstract There are many varieties of epistemological and cognitive constructivism. They have in common an appreciation of the failures of centuries of attempts to realize a correspondence notion of truth and representation, and they all propose some constructivist programme as an alternative. The programmatic proposals, however, can differ greatly. Some contemporary constructivisms that are being vigorously advocated propose a social form of idealism with a consequent relativism. Such proposals risk giving constructivism a bad name. The main burden of this article is to show that such an idealism and relativism is not forced by constructivism, but, instead, is the result of an additional and questionable presupposition. Constructivism per se is a strong epistemological position that is fully compatible with realism.