This is a list of books I would suggest for your reading. You are free to choose your own book if you wish, but please let me know its title. Please note that these are all original sources - I will accept only such books for this assignment.
This list will grow for the next couple of weeks.
Jerome Bruner |
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This is Bruner's mature statement of his conviction that psychology must concern itself with social and environmental concerns. He lays out a complete argument for a "folk psychology" of cognition based upon individual and cultural stories. View it at Amazon |
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The collection of essays covers a wide variety of influences on Bruner's thinking. A challenging but rewarding view of the many perspectives this great man brings to cognition. View it at Amazon |
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These two books must be read together. They are foundational books if you are interested in studying Bruner. Towards a Theory of Instruction is classic Bruner. In it he speculates on ways to theorize about teaching rather than learning. This book was the basis for the curriculum reforms of the 1970's (including new math). View it at Amazon.com On Knowing is the artistic side of Bruner. In this he explores tacit knowledge and feeling. View it at Amazon.com |
Howard Gardner |
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It seems every week Howard Gardner is publishing a new book. This one remains of of my favorites. It's an interesting consideration of now robust "wrong thinking" is in spite of years of schooling. View it at Amazon |
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This is Gardner's classic book on multiple intelligences, now in its 10th edition. His perspective on the individuality of cognition remains controversial and influential. View it at Amazon.com |
William James |
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If you prefer to read the old masters, here he is. James more or less invented psychology in this country, serving as a great influence to both John Dewey and Edward Thorndike (the two polar opposites in cognition!). This text is considered by many to be the psychology we should have had. The Briefer Course spares you of a lot of anachronistic writing. View it at Amazon.com |
Donald Schön |
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This book is greatly influencing my own thinking these days. Though 20 years old, it remains a fresh look at how knowledge manifests itself in professional life. Schön argues that experts do not apply knowledge, but rather reflexively create it in practice. View it at Amazon.com |
Lev Vygotsky |
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Vygotsky is the current poster child for constructivism. This is the first published writing of his that was made available in the West (30 years after it was written). A candid and totally unique consideration of how social life forms the mind. View it at Amazon.com |
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A collection of essays that give an overview of his thinking. In this collection is a full explanation of the Zone of Proximal Development, Vygotsky's most famous and misapplied idea. |
Last modified Thursday, April 13, 2006 9:55 AM
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