Learning Sciences: Introductory Books
January 23, 2012 10:30 PM

What are good books for an introductory overview of Learning Sciences?

I've culled all the universities that have Learning Science programs and have a good overview of some texts recommended in the few syllabi that I've found.

If you can recommend some other good books for introduction, that would be excellent; Or a copy of a syllabus from an introductory Learning Sciences class.

Bonus points for examples of online classes (or videos of lectures) in the Learning Sciences. Extra credit for cool research projects implementing computer's and games in education.

So we don't duplicate our work, here are the places from which I'm drawing my current best guess as to said introductory texts:

What single book is the best introduction to your field (or specialization within your field) for laypeople? @ Mefi

LS403 @ Northwestern

ED 301 @ University of Wisconsin, Madison [Anderson]


ED 301 @ University of Wisconsin, Madison [Hemphill]

ED 301 @ University of Wisconsin, Madison [Derry]

PIER @ Carnegie Mellon University


P 572 @ Indiana University

EDPC 5021 @ University of Sydney
posted by Pontifex to Education (1 answer total) 6 users marked this as a favorite
Here are the books / articles that I was able to locate either on Amazon or via Google:

Bransford, J. D., Brown, A. L., & Cocking, R.R. (Eds.). (1999). How people learn:
Brain, mind, experience, and school. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

Norman, D. A. (Ed.). (1981). Perspectives on cognitive science. Hillsdale, NJ: L.
Erlbaum Associates. (Chapters 1, 2, & 11).

Anderson, J. R. (2000). Cognitive psychology and its implications. (5th ed.). New York:
Worth Publishers. (pp. 151-165).

Matlin, M. W. (2001). Cognition (5th ed.). Fort Worth: Harcourt College Publishers. (pp.
236-256).

Lee, C. D. (2007). Culture, literacy, and learning: Taking bloom in the midst of the
whirlwind. New York: Teachers College Press. (pp. 9-57).

Bransford J. D., Brown, J. L., and Cocking, R. R. (1999). How people learn: Brain, mind,
experience, and school. Chapter 1: Learning: from speculation to science, pp. 3-18. Washington,
DC: National Academy of Sciences.

Skinner, B.F. (1948). Superstition in the pigeon.

Pai, Young (1973) Teaching, Learning and the Mind. Boston; Houghton-Mifflin. pgs. 94-
117.

Mansilla, V.B., Gardner, H. (2008). Disciplining the mind.

Lakoff, G., & Johnson, M. (1980). Metaphors we live by (excerpts).

Dweck, C.S. (2007). The secret to raising smart kids.

Kuhn, D., & Dean, D. (2004). Metacognition: A bridge between cognitive psychology
and educational psychology

Rogoff, B., Baker-Sennett, J. Lacasa, P., & Goldsmith, D. (1995). Development
through participation in sociocultural activity.

Trubowitz, S. (2005). Creating a culture for learning

Collins, A., & Halverson, R. (2009). Rethinking education in the age of technology: The
digital revolution and the schools. New York: Teachers College. (Chapters 2 & 3)

Steeves, K.A., Hodgson, J., Peterson, P. (2002). Are we measuring student success with
high-stakes testing?

Wu, H. (1999). Basic skills vs. conceptual understanding a false dichotomy.

Claxton, Guy (2004). Learning is learnable (And we ought to teach it).

Thought and knowledge: An Introduction to Critical Thinking (Halpern)

The Learning Brain: Lessons for Education (Blakemore)

Bohlin, L., Durwin, C.C., & Reese-Weber, M. (2009) EdPsych Modules. McGraw-Hill: Boston MA

Byrnes, J. (2001) Cognitive Development and Learning in Instructional Contexts, edition 2.
(pp 28-33) Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Berk, L. (2002) Child Development, edition 6. (pp 270-277) Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1996) Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and
Invention. (pp. 107-126 & 343-372) New York: Harper Perennial.

Hunt, S. Learning and Cognitive Styles
Availble: http://www.scribd.com/doc/18239492/Aspects-of-Cognitive-Style-and-Programming

Tool Kit on Universal Design for Learning
Availble: http://osepideasthatwork.org/udl/pdf/intro.pdf

Siegler, R. (1991) Children’s Thinking, edition 2. (pp 309-331) Englewood Cliffs,
NJ: Prentice Hall.

Pinker, S. (1997) How the Mind Works. (pp 338-342) New York: W.W. Norton

Williams, P. and Young, A. (1992) Teaching Science as Inquiry. In Agriculture and
the Undergraduate. (pp 204-207) Washington, D.C.: The National Academy of
Sciences.
Availble here: http://www.nap.edu/openbook/0309046823/html

Lehrer, R., Carpenter, S., Schauble, L., & Putz, A. (2000) Designing classrooms
that support inquiry, In J. Minstrell & E.H. van Zee (eds.) Inquiring into Inquiry
Learning and Teaching in Science (pp 80-99) American Association for the
Advancement of Science.

Watson, B. and Kopnicek, R. (1990) Teaching for conceptual change: Confronting
children’s experience. Phi Delta Kappan, 680-684.

Byrnes, J. (2001) Cognitive Development and Learning in Instructional Contexts,
edition 2. (200-207) Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
posted by Pontifex at 9:05 PM on January 24, 2012


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