Commentary - Hatano

KathyKRO who-is-at aol.com
Sat, 23 Dec 1995 15:31:53 -0500

Forman, Minick & Stone (Eds.) (1993). _Contexts for Learning: Sociocultural
Dynamics in Children's Development_. New York/Oxford: Oxford University
Press.
Commentary: Giyoo Hatano
"Time to Merge Vygotskian and Constructivist Conceptions of Knowledge
Acquisition"
Reviewed by Kathy O'Byrne

In this commentary, Hatano outlines ways in which the Vygotskian emphasis on
the transmission of skills in knowledge acquisition can be integrated with
constructivist notions of active learning.

Hatano's juxtaposition of the basic assumptions of knowledge acquisition is
summarized as follows:
Vygotskian:
1. Knowledge to be acquired by the learner is possessed by the teacher.
2. Teacher demonstrates problem solving.
3. Teacher asks learners to take over solution steps.
4. Knowledge succesfully transmitted when learner solves problems without
help from
teacher.
Constructivist:
1. Learners are active.
2. Learners are competent. They have prior knowledge that enables them to
process new information.
3. Learners engage in horizontal (i.e., peer) as well as horizontal (i.e.,
hierarchical)
interactions.
4. Multiple sources of information are available to enhance knowledge
construction.

The issue of relevance is in the forefront for constructivist theorists,
since existing constructs organize incoming experiences according to their
personal meaning.
Common to both is the use of modelling of skills and learning through
observation of others' activity.

Hatano also groups authors reviewed in this commentary according to
representations of "moderate" or "radical" extensions of Vygotskian theory.
Moderate extensions are those concerned with "students' acquisition of
strategies under the teacher's guidance" (Palincsar et al; Change & Wells).
Radical extensions see knowledge acquisition as a "social activity as well as
an individual construction activity"
and include considerations of social classroom norms and metacognitive
activity (Cobb et al; Moll et al).

In summary, Hatano describes the ways in which Vygotskian thought has evolved
to include peer interactions in theories of knowledge construction, and
points to social relationships (both horizontal and vertical) as the context
for active learning-- as well as learning through activity. The
constructivist contribution has been the emphasis on the systemic constraints
and opportunities that individual learners bring to the relationship and
their use of artificats via existing constructs about the world.

Kathy O'Byrne
Cal State Fullerton
Fullerton, California
Phone: (714 ) 773 - 2254
Fax: (714) 773 - 3314