Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Learning, Teaching, and Social Justice: Eleanor Duckworth’s Perspective

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Book cover Constructivist Education in an Age of Accountability

  • 1388 Accesses

Abstract

This chapter presents Duckworth’s ideas on education in the context of school reform, summarizing both published sources and interviews. Central values of her career are examined: Schools should focus on developing the power and creative capacities of students’ minds, strengthen their understanding so it becomes confident and complex, and help children develop a sense of community responsibility, democratic commitment, and social justice. In a recent interview, she continues to prioritize learners’ engagements with subject matter and express her hopes that joy will return to learning and teaching.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
eBook
USD 24.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 32.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    In the United States, professional education organizations issued guidelines incorporating different shades of constructivism, such as the Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics (NCTM, 1989), The National Science Education Standards (National Research Council, 1996), and Innovations in Science Education Survey Instrument (BSCS, 1994). In other Western countries, “The New Zealand National Science Curriculum is heavily influenced by constructivist theories and ideals. …Comparable documents in Spain, the UK, Israel, Australia, and Canada bear, to varying degrees, the imprint of constructivist theory” (Matthews, 2002, p. 122).

References

  • Au, W. (2011). Teaching under the new Taylorism: High-stakes testing and the standardization of the 21st century curriculum. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 43(1), 24–25.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Au, W. (2013). Hiding behind high-stakes testing: Meritocracy, objectivity and inequality in U.S. education. International Education Journal: Comparative Perspectives, 12(2), 7–19.

    Google Scholar 

  • Auger, J. L. (2014). The author has the last word: Buddy editing in a first-grade classroom. Harvard Educational Review, 84(3), 367–384.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Biological Science Curriculum Study. (1994). Innovations in science education survey instrument. Colorado Springs, CO: Biological Science Curriculum Study.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cavicchi, E. M. (2007). Mirrors, swinging weights, lightbulbs…: Simple experiments and history help a class become a community. In P. Heering & D. Osewold (Eds.), Constructing scientific understanding through contextual teaching (pp. 47–63). Berlin, Germany: Frank & Timme.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cavicchi, E. M. (2008a). Opening possibilities in experimental science and its history: Critical explorations with pendulums and singing tubes. Interchange, 39, 415–442.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cavicchi, E. M. (2008b). Historical experiments in students’ hands: Unfragmenting science through action and history. Science and Education, 17(7), 717–749.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cavicchi, E. M. (2009). Exploring mirrors, recreating science and history, becoming a class community. The New Educator, 5(3), 249–273. https://doi.org/10.1080/1547688X.2009.10399577

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chiu, S. M. (2009). The ancient master painted like me. The New Educator, 5(3), 229–248. https://doi.org/10.1080/1547688X.2009.10399576

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cochran-Smith, M. (2000). Gambling on the future. Journal of Teacher Education, 51(4), 259–261.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Council of the Great City Schools. (2015). Student testing in America’s great city schools: An inventory and preliminary analysis. Washington, DC: Council of the Great City Schools.

    Google Scholar 

  • Darling-Hammond, L. (2015). Can value added add value to teacher evaluation? Educational Researcher, 44(2), 132–137.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dewey, J. (1916). Democracy and education. New York: Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Duckworth, E. R. (1973). The having of wonderful ideas. In M. Schwebel & J. Raph (Eds.), Piaget in the classroom. New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Duckworth, E. R. (1996). “The having of wonderful ideas” and other essays on teaching and learning (2nd ed.). New York: Teachers College Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Duckworth, E. R. (2000, March 11). Interview by Y. Hsueh. Cambridge, MA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Duckworth, E. R. (Ed.). (2001). “Tell me more”: Listening to learners explain. New York: Teachers College Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Duckworth, E. R. (2005a). A reality to which each belongs. In B. S. Engel (Ed.), Holding values: What we mean by progressive education (pp. 142–147). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

    Google Scholar 

  • Duckworth, E. R. (2005b). Critical exploration in the classroom. New Educator, 1(4), 257–272. https://doi.org/10.1080/15476880500276728

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Duckworth, E. R. (2006). Introduction. In “The having of wonderful ideas” and other essays on teaching and learning (3rd ed.). New York: Teachers College Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Duckworth, E. R. (2009). Helping students get to where ideas can find them. The New Educator, 5(3), 185–188. https://doi.org/10.1080/1547688X.2009.10399573

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Duckworth, E. R. (2010). The soul purpose. Learning Landscapes, 3(2), 21–28.

    Google Scholar 

  • Duckworth, E. R. (2012, February 16). Confusion, play and postponing certainty. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Thinks Big. Retrieved from http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2012/02/confusion-play-and-postponing-certainty-eleanor-duckworth-harvard-thinks-big/

  • Duckworth, E. R. (2016, April 26). Interview by Y. Hsueh. Memphis, TN.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gordon, D. T. (2003). Introduction. In D. T. Gordon (Ed.), A nation reformed? American education 20 years after A Nation at Risk. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Haslam, B. (2017, April 10). Letter to Tennessee students. Nashville, TN: State Capital.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hilliard, A. (2000). Excellence in education versus high-stakes standardized testing. Journal of Teacher Education, 51(4), 293–304.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hursh, D. (2013). Raising the stakes: High-stakes testing and the attack on public education in New York. Journal of Education Policy, 28(5), 574–588.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hsueh, Y. (1995). From Piaget to pedagogy: A brief history of constructivist teaching movements. Qualifying paper. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Graduate School of Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hsueh, Y. (2005a). The lost and found experience: Piaget rediscovered. The Constructivist, 16(1). (Refereed electronic journal of the Association for Constructivist Teaching).

    Google Scholar 

  • Hsueh, Y. (2005b). Critical exploration in the classroom: Its past and present. In D. Wallace (Ed.), Education arts, and morality: Creative journeys (pp. 121–141). New York: Kluwer Academic.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Hsueh, Y. (2009). Jean Piaget in the United States, 1925–1971. In U. Müller, J. M. Capendale, & L. Smith (Eds.), The Cambridge companion to Piaget. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hughes-McDonnell, F. (2009). I wonder how this little seed can have so much potential: Critical exploration supports preservice teachers’ development as science researchers and teachers. The New Educator, 5(3), 205–228. https://doi.org/10.1080/1547688X.2009.10399575

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Inhelder, B., Sinclair, H., & Bovet, M. (1974). Learning and the development of cognition. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kamii, C. (1982). Number in preschool and kindergarten. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children.

    Google Scholar 

  • Layton, L. (2015, October 24). Study says standardized testing is overwhelming nation’s public schools. The Washington Post, Education Column. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/study-says-standardized-testing-is-overwhelming-nations-public-schools/2015/10/24/8a22092c-79ae-11e5-a958-d889faf561dc_story.html?utm_term=.c027847ec710

  • Matthews, M. R. (2002). Constructivism and science education: A further appraisal. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 11(2), 121–134.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McKinney, A. (2005). Using women working resources in schools: A case study. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Graduate School of Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. (1989). Curriculum and evaluation standards for school mathematics. Reston, VA: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

    Google Scholar 

  • National Research Council. (1996). National science education standards. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nichols, S. L., Berliner, D., & Noddings, N. (2007). Collateral damage: How high-stakes testing corrupts America’s schools. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rauchwerk, S. (2003). Incubating knowledge: A narrative account of eight teachers studying chickens. Qualifying Paper. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Graduate School of Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ripple, R. E., & Rockcastle, V. N. (Eds.). (1964). Piaget rediscovered. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rogoff, B. (2003). The cultural nature of human development. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schneier, L. (2001). Apprehending poetry. In E. R. Duckworth (Ed.), Tell me more: Listening to learners explain (pp. 42–78). New York: Teachers College Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schneier, L. (2015). T-440 teaching and learning: “The having of wonderful ideas.” Retrieved from http://www.gse.harvard.edu/course/fall-2015/t440-teaching-and-learning-having-wonderful-ideas-fall-2015

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Educational Psychology and Research, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, USA

    Yeh Hsueh

Authors
  1. Yeh Hsueh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. College of Staten Island, City University of New York, Staten Island, New York, USA

    David W. Kritt

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Hsueh, Y. (2018). Learning, Teaching, and Social Justice: Eleanor Duckworth’s Perspective. In: Kritt, D. (eds) Constructivist Education in an Age of Accountability . Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-66050-9_14

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-66050-9_14

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-66049-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-66050-9

  • eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation