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Constructing Scientific Knowledge in the Classroom
Rosalind Driver, Professor
Science Education in the School of Education at the University of Leeds, United Kingdom
Hilary Asoko, Lecturer in science education,
John Leach, Lecturer in science education and
Philip Scott, Lecturer in science education
All four share an interest in teaching and learning science, with particular emphasis on the development of conceptual understanding, and are members of the Children's Learning in Science Research Group.
Eduardo Mortimer, Assistant Professor
Faculty of Education of the Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil, and is also interested in the development of conceptual understanding in science
The view that knowledge cannot be transmitted but must be constructed by the mental activity of learners underpins contemporary perspectives on science education. This article, which presents a theoretical perspective on teaching and learning science in the social setting of classrooms, is informed by a view of scientific knowledge as socially constructed and by a perspective on the learning of science as knowledge construction involving both individual and social processes. First, we present an overview of the nature of scientific knowledge. We then describe two major traditions in explaining the process of learning science: personal and social constructivism. Finally, we illustrate how both personal and social perspectives on learning, as well as perspectives on the nature of the scientific knowledge to be learned, are necessary in interpreting science learning in formal settings.
Educational Researcher, Vol. 23, No. 7,
5-12 (1994)
DOI: 10.3102/0013189X023007005
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