The Nature of Constructionist Learning

Bakhtiar Mikhak (mikhak@media.mit.edu)

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Readings. All students are expected to do the readings, and to participate in discussions of the readings in class. Copies of readings will be provided as the course develops. The following books will be the source for many of the readings in the first half of the course:

• Gruber, H.E. & Voneche, J.J., eds. Piaget, J. (1977). The Essential Piaget. New York: Basic Books.
• Dewey, J. (1938). Experience and Education. New York: Collier Books.
• Wertsch, J.T. (1985). Vygotsky and the Social Formation of Mind. Cambridge, MA: Harvard.
• Illich, I. (1970) Deschooling Society. (Chapters 2 and 6). New York, NY: World Perspectives, Harper & Row, Publishers, Inc.
• Freire, P. (1972). Pedagogy of the Oppressed. New York: Herder and Herder.
• Lave, J. & Wenger, E. (1991). Situated Learning: Legitimate Peripheral Participation. NY: Cambridge University Press.
• Levi-Strauss, C. (1966). The Savage Mind. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
• Gilligan, C. (1982). In a Different Voice (Introduction and Chapter 3). Harvard University Press.
• Keller, E.F. (1985). Reflections on Gender and Science (Chapter 8)
• Papert, S. (1980). Mindstorms: Children, Computers, and Powerful Ideas. New York: Basic Books.
• Papert, S. (1993). The Children's Machine: Rethinking School in the Age of the Computer. New York: Basic Books.
• Harel, I. & Papert, S., eds. (1991). Constructionism. Norwood, NJ: Ablex.
• Kafai, Y., & Resnick, M., eds. (1996). Constructionism in Practice: Designing, Thinking, and Learning in a Digital World. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
• Resnick, M. (1994). Turtles, Termites, and Traffic Jams: Explorations in Massively Parallel Microworlds. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
• Dissertations written by members of the Epistemology and Learning group; for example, Aaron Falbel, Alan Shaw, Paula Hooper, Fred Martin, and Mitchel Resnick
  

Class discussions. It is strongly recommanded that you discuss the readings with other students outside of class. Class discussion give us an important opportunity to present the different perspectives and interpretations of the readings, and in the process come to a shared understanding of some of the central questions and issues. You are encouraged to share the questions or issues that you found particularly provocative in the reading with the rest of the class through the course web site.

A short paper. Each student will write a short paper (4-5 pages) analyzing a research project in learning and education from the constructionist perspective. As the term progresses, part of each class will be devoted to students' presentation of the projects that they wish to study and critique. This paper is due before thanksgiving.

Class presentation. There are many additional suggested readings on the class schedule. Each student should (in collaboration with the instructor) select one of these readings and make a short presentation about it to the whole class.