[IAEP] Concise explanation of Constructionism from the Learning Team

[Edward Cherlin]

On Sat, Aug 16, 2008 at 4:04 PM, Albert Cahalan <acahalan at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Sat, Aug 16, 2008 at 6:03 PM, Edward Cherlin <echerlin at gmail.com> wrote:
>> On Fri, Aug 15, 2008 at 10:52 PM, Albert Cahalan <acahalan at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>>> Unfortunately, the cold hard facts don't support the ideas.
>>> In study after study, including the largest educational study
>>> ever done, the ideas have been proven to fail.
>>
>> Links or it never happened, Albert. I have asked you over and over
>> what your evidence is, and you have never yet replied.
>
> I did, at least twice.

Not in a form I recognized as such. Make a page on one of the Wikis
for your evidence.

> Search the mailing list archives if
> you need to. (on laptop.org I believe, not sugarlabs.org)

What would I search for, and in which list? Searching for

Albert-cahalan constructionism failure

produces nothing better than this, from you to Alan Kay.

http://n2.nabble.com/reconstructed-maths-td474893.html
"Can I get you to agree that all children
must memorize traditional arithmetic methods long before getting
any exposure to vector calculus? Can I get you to agree that
constructionism does not work for teaching math?

"In case not, please note that you're up against an independently
reviewed study that would cost about 3.3 billion in 2008 dollars.
In this real-world test, all 5 constructionist programs failed.
Personal experience, even 35 years of it, does not compare."

The answers to your questions are

* No, children can grasp the concepts of vectors, calculus, and vector
calculus visually without any arithmetic. (You are confusing geometric
vectors with their numeric representations.)
* No, none of us agrees that Constructionism does not work for teaching math.

You have not named or linked to your alleged study. So, again, links
or it never happened.

-- 
Silent Thunder [ 默雷 / शब्दगर्ज ] is my name,
And Children are my nation.
The Cosmos is my dwelling place,
And Truth my destination.