Constructivism and the Technology of Instruction A Conversation

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.

Contents: Part I:Introduction. T.M. Duffy, D.H. Jonassen, Constructivism: New Implications for Instructional Technology. Part II:Constructivist Perspectives. A.K. Bednar, D. Cunningham, T.M. Duffy, J.D. Perry, Theory into Practice: How Do We Link? D.J. Cunningham, Assessing Constructions and Constructing Assessments: A Dialogue. D.N. Perkins, Technology Meets Constructivism: Do They Make a Marriage? R.J. Spiro, P.J. Feltovich, M.J. Jacobson, R.L. Coulson, Cognitive Flexibility, Constructivism, and Hypertext: Random Access Instruction for Advanced Knowledge Acquisition in Ill-structured Domains. Cognition and Technology Group at Vanderbilt University, Technology and the Design of Generative Learning Environments. Part III:Instructional Technology Perspectives. W. Dick, An Instructional Designer's View of Constructivism. M.D. Merrill, Constructivism and Instructional Design. Part IV:Clarifying the Relationship. Cognition and Technology Group at Vanderbilt University, Some Thoughts About Constructivism and Instructional Design. R.J. Spiro, P.L. Feltovich, M.J. Jacobson, R.L. Coulson, Knowledge Representation, Content Specification, and the Development of Skill in Situation Specific Knowledge Assembly: Some Constructivist Issues as They Relate to Cognitive Flexibility Theory and Hypertext. T.M. Duffy, A.K. Bednar, Attempting to Come to Grips with Alternative Perspectives. D.H. Jonassen, Evaluating Constructivistic Learning. C.M. Reigeluth, Reflections on the Implications of Constructivism for Educational Technology. D.J. Cunningham, In Defense of Extremism. D.N. Perkins, What Constructivism Demands of the Learner. Part V:Reflections on the Conversation. C. Fosnot, Constructing Constructivism. W. Winn, The Assumptions of Constructivism and Instructional Design. B.S. Allen, Constructive Criticisms. S. Tobias, An Eclectic Examination of Some Issues in the Constructivist-ISD Controversy.

Thomas M. Duffy, David H. Jonassen