Date: Sat, 23 Dec 1995
From: KathyKRO@aol.com
Subject: Commentary - Hatano

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

Date: Sat, 15 Jun 1996
From: a87036
To: ellice+@pitt.edu
Subject: Re: Special Issue of Learning and Instruction

Dear Ellice, I am pleased to know that Bert's persevering effort has enabled us to organize a sepcial issue or section based on our symposium almost two years ago. I would like to expand the paper I presented and the time frame does not seem problematic. The only problem I see is the page limitation. If there are five contributors, each one can have 18 double-spaced pages (I guess it is not 90 printed pages), even when we do not have a discussant. However, I hope I can make it.

GIYOO