The contributions of the transactional perspective to instructional design and the analysis of learning in social context

Paul Cobb

pp. 291-305

in: Timothy Koschmann (ed), Theories of learning and studies of instructional practice, Berlin, Springer, 2011

Abstrakt

In his chapter, Clancey develops his transactional perspective by taking an interactional viewpoint as his primary point of reference. In this chapter, I argue that the distinction that Clancey draws between the interactional and transactional perspectives is a difference that makes a difference when theorizing about learning and practice. I first draw on Dewey's pragmatism to clarify the criterion of usefulness as explanatory power that I use to assess the potential contributions of Clancey's transactional perspective to the collective enterprise of mathematics education. I then focus on specific aspects of Clancey's transactional perspective to illustrate its relevance in orienting instructional design and the analysis of learning in classroom settings.

Cited authors

Dewey John