Cognition , Construction of Knowledge , and Teaching

This document submits that the existence of objective knowledge and the possibility of communicating it by means of language have traditionally been taken for granted by educators. This paper presents a brief outline of an alternative theory of knowing that takes into account the thinking organism's cognitive isolation from "reality." This orientation was proposed by Vico at the beginning of the 18th century, disregarded for 200 years, and then propounded independently by Piaget as a developmentally grounded constructivist epistemology. The paper focuses specifically on the "adaptive" aspect of communication, and the subjective perspective on social interaction. Identified are some of the consequences a shift of epistemological presuppositions might have on the practice of teaching science. (TW) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** Cognition, Construction of Knowledge, and Teachings' Ernst von Glasersfeld Scientific Reasoning Research Institute Hasbrouck lab., University of Massachusetts Amherst, RA 01003, USA