Dr. Seymour Papert augmented Jean Piaget’s learning theory of constructivism when he proposed his own learning theory and "strategy for education" (Resnick 1) called constructionism. Piaget's constructivism asserts that "people actively construct knowledge — that is, they construct robust systems of belief — out of their experience in the world" (Falbel 1). Constructionism fosters student-centered, socially interactive, hands-on learning environments where the learner actively constructs his or her own knowledge through the creation of meaningful things and artifacts (Falbel 2). Throughout his career, Papert challenged the status quo in education or what he called the "instructionist" approach. Papert advocated for a transformation in education, and presented his vision of constructionist learning environments by demonstrating inspiring examples of what they might look like within the subjects of mathematics, computer science, and engineering.
Papert felt that constructionism could not be defined with a generic, prescribed formula and that by doing so would only "trivialize it" (Papert 1). In a true constructionist spirit, Papert felt that in order for people to get a deeper meaning of constructionism they would have to think, build, and construct their own knowledge and examples of constructionism. "I must confine myself to engage you in experiences liable to encourage your own personal construction of something in some sense like it" (Papert 1).
Dr. Seymour Papert was a mathematician who worked with the Swiss philosopher and psychologist Jean Piaget at the University of Geneva from 1958-1963. "It was this collaboration that led him to consider using mathematics in the service of understanding how children can learn and think" (Preliminary 4). With an initial design in 1967, Papert developed the first computer programming language for children called Logo (MIT). In the late 1960s, Papert became a professor of applied mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he co-directed the Artificial Intelligence Lab, co-founded the MIT Media Lab in 1985, and directed the Epistemology and Learning Research Group at MIT until the late 1990s (MIT).
This annotated bibliography exists to guide anyone interested in learning about Seymour Papert and his learning theory of constructionism. Intended users might include educators, librarians, parents, pedagogists, academics, epistemologists, and anyone working with children in a formal or informal learning environment. Those involved with mathematics, computer science, maker education, technology education, lifelong learning, child development, cognitive development, and academic research in learning sciences will make good use of this annotated bibliography.
Current trends in K-12 education for the 21st century emphasize "deeper learning approaches" and "student-centered" (NMC 18), hands-on learning environments where the traditional roles of teachers as instructors are shifting to facilitators of learning. "To embrace new roles, educators need up-to-date research on learning methods" (NMC 30). The resources and information provided in this annotated bibliography will greatly assist those K-12 educators seeking inspiration for 21st-century pedagogical strategies in K-12 computer science curriculum, STEAM learning, maker education, and the integration of new technologies in classrooms.
"Our nation’s education systems are adapting to a 21st century vision of students who are not just computer users but also computationally literate creators." — K–12 Computer Science Framework (2017)
"Why then should computers in schools be confined to computing the sum of the squares of the first twenty odd numbers and similar so-called 'problem-solving' uses? Why not use them to produce some action?" — Dr. Seymour Papert (1971)
WORKS CITED
Falbel, Aaron. Constructionism: Tools to Build (and Think) With. Toronto: LEGO DACTA, 1993, www.issuu.com/luys/docs/constructionism_eng. Web. Accessed 8 Dec. 2017. www.learning.media.mit.edu/courses/mas713/readings/Constructionism%20-%20Falbel.pdf. Web. Accessed 8 Dec. 2017.
K-12 Computer Science Framework, 2017, par. 2, www.k12cs.org/. Web. Accessed 18 Dec. 2017.
MIT Media Lab. "Professor Emeritus Seymour Papert, Pioneer of Constructionist Learning, Dies at 88." MIT News, 1 Aug. 2016, www.news.mit.edu/2016/seymour-papert-pioneer-of-constructionist-learning-dies-0801. Web. Accessed 8 Dec. 2017.
"NMC/CoSN Horizon Report: 2017 K-12 Edition." The New Media Consortium, 2017, www.cdn.nmc.org/media/2017-nmc-cosn-horizon-report-k12-EN.pdf. Web. Accessed 17 Dec. 2017.
Papert, Seymour. "Situating Constructionism." Constructionism: Research Reports and Essays, 1985-1990, by Idit Harel and Seymour Papert. Ablex, 1991, pp. 1-11.
Papert, Seymour, and Solomon, Cynthia. "Twenty Things to Do with a Computer." MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Memo no. 248, June 1971, www.dspace.mit.edu/bitstream/handle/1721.1/5836/AIM-248.pdf?sequence=2. Web. Accessed 18 Dec. 2017. www.stager.org/articles/twentythings.pdf. Web. Accessed 18 Dec. 2017.
"Preliminary Inventory of the Seymour Papert Archives MC.0693." Massachusetts Institute of Technology — Institute Archives and Special Collections, 27 Oct. 2015, www.libraries.mit.edu/archives/research/collections/collections-mc/pdf/mc693.pdf. Web. Accessed 10 Dec. 2017.
Resnick, Mitchel. Introduction. Constructionism in Practice: Designing, Thinking and Learning in a Digital World, by Mitchel Resnick and Yasmin Kafai. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., 1996, p. 1.