Abstract rationality in education: from Vygotsky to Brandom

Derry, Jan

doi:10.1007/s11217-007-9047-1

Cited by 75 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…Transparency in the nature and purposes of digital tools in the classroom would therefore seem a worthwhile aim. Since learners are not passive receivers of information (Daniels, 2005;Derry, 2008;Duke, Pearson, Strachan, & Billman, 2011), they actively engage with the activities, making personal connections between the task and other topics within and beyond the classroom while using digital tools in this engagement. Thus, building on the Vygotskian notion of the active, sense-making learner (Vygotsky, 1981), Claxton (2007) pointed out the importance of developing metacognitive awareness in learners to foster conscious and active learning.…”

Section: Theoretical Perspectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Our main argument is that the researcher's or the teacher's observation of student comprehension alone is not enough. The analyses of the classroom observations, teacher narratives, and student interviews suggest that the key to observation of student comprehension lies in the integration of the students' active engagement and reflections (Daniels, 2005(Daniels, , 2008Derry, 2008;Duke et al, 2011;Vygotsky, 1981Vygotsky, , 1986, made visible partly by using digital tools in the classroom (Davies & Eynon, 2013). Some challenges highlighted by these findings are discussed below.…”

Section: Case 4 -Observing Student Reflection Through Digital Co-prodmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The potential of digital tools for enabling the observation of comprehension in the classroom

Brevik¹,

Davies²

2016

NJDL

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This article examines findings about the role of digital tools in supporting teachers in the challenging task of observing student comprehension in upper secondary school. These findings indicate that digital tools can provide valuable information to teachers about students' uses of comprehension strategies, as well as enabling the students to demonstrate or reflect on their own uses of these strategies. Based on interviews, narratives, and observations in four classrooms, these findings suggest that digital tools potentially afford rich information about student processes of learning, in the course of being used for a variety of specific pedagogical purposes in the classroom.

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Section: Theoretical Perspectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Case 4 -Observing Student Reflection Through Digital Co-prodmentioning

confidence: 99%

The potential of digital tools for enabling the observation of comprehension in the classroom

Brevik¹,

Davies²

2016

NJDL

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“…A postulation of shared understanding would not make sense on an inferentialist picture, precisely because inferentialism rejects as impossible the independence of thought and its articulation in language. It is only on the basis of an intersubjective context that thinking could take place at all-a view in line with Vygotsky's ideas (Bakhurst 2011;Derry 2008Derry , 2013Sfard 2008).…”

Section: The Social-individual Dichotomy: Normsmentioning

confidence: 76%

Inferentialism as an alternative to socioconstructivism in mathematics education

et al. 2017

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The purpose of this article is to draw the attention of mathematics education researchers to a relatively new semantic theory called inferentialism, as developed by the philosopher Robert Brandom. Inferentialism is a semantic theory which explains concept formation in terms of the inferences individuals make in the context of an intersubjective practice of acknowledging, attributing, and challenging one another's commitments. The article argues that inferentialism can help to overcome certain problems that have plagued the various forms of constructivism, and socioconstructivism in particular. Despite the range of socioconstructivist positions on offer, there is reason to think that versions of these problems will continue to haunt socioconstructivism. The problems are that socioconstructivists (i) have not come to a satisfactory resolution of the social-individual dichotomy, (ii) are still threatened by relativism, and (iii) have been vague in their characterization of what construction is. We first present these problems; then we introduce inferentialism, and finally we show how inferentialism can help to overcome the problems. We argue that inferentialism (i) contains a powerful conception of norms that can overcome the social-individual dichotomy, (ii) draws attention to the reality that constrains our inferences, and (iii) develops a clearer conception of learning in terms of the mastering of webs of reasons. Inferentialism therefore represents a powerful alternative theoretical framework to socioconstructivism.

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“…Our example on Sam's pride and the happiness expressed by the hospital supervisor point to the possibility that emotions can be part of webs of reasons and actions (an emotion can be a reason for an action, but an action can also be the reason for an emotion). More generally, Derry (2008Derry ( , 2013 has argued that Brandom's ideas are compatible with Vygotsky's (which were also influenced by Hegel), which makes Brandom's inferentialism interesting to sociocultural researchers. At the same time, Brandom gives a careful account of concepts and concept use, which is not so common in sociocultural research with its focus on practice and activity (as observed by Guile and Young 2003).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An inferentialist perspective on the coordination of actions and reasons involved in making a statistical inference

2017

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To understand how statistical and other types of reasoning are coordinated with actions to reduce uncertainty, we conducted a case study in vocational education that involved statistical hypothesis testing. We analyzed an intern's research project in a hospital laboratory in which reducing uncertainties was crucial to make a valid statistical inference. In his project, the intern, Sam, investigated whether patients' blood could be sent through pneumatic post without influencing the measurement of particular blood components. We asked, in the process of making a statistical inference, how are reasons and actions coordinated to reduce uncertainty? For the analysis, we used the semantic theory of inferentialism, specifically, the concept of webs of reasons and actions-complexes of interconnected reasons for facts and actions; these reasons include premises and conclusions, inferential relations, implications, motives for action, and utility of tools for specific purposes in a particular context. Analysis of interviews with Sam, his supervisor and teacher as well as video data of Sam in the classroom showed that many of Sam's actions aimed to reduce variability, rule out errors, and thus reduce uncertainties so as to arrive at a valid inference. Interestingly, the decisive factor was not the outcome of a t test but of the reference change value, a clinical chemical measure of analytic and biological variability. With insights from this case study, we expect that students can be better supported in connecting statistics with context and in dealing with uncertainty.

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Abstract rationality in education: from Vygotsky to Brandom

Cited by 75 publications

References 4 publications

The potential of digital tools for enabling the observation of comprehension in the classroom

The potential of digital tools for enabling the observation of comprehension in the classroom

Inferentialism as an alternative to socioconstructivism in mathematics education

An inferentialist perspective on the coordination of actions and reasons involved in making a statistical inference

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