Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Practicalizing piaget at the asep guidelines conference 1970

  • Published:
Research in Science Education Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

‘To understand is to invent’ (Piaget, 1968). This paper examines the attempt of Les Dale, the Assistant Director of the Australian Science Education Project, to apply Piagetian theory to describing a theory of instruction for the Project. The historiographical method consists in examining and comparing instances of curriculum invention in science education in Australia starting with contemporary and retrospective accounts of the key figures (Fawns 1988a). This paper is a case record (Stenhouse, 1978) which synthesises public and personal material in the files collected by the author. It has been subjected to review by Dale and others including those to whom it was presented at A.S.E.R.A. It accompanies an earlier paper (Fawns, 1989) which assessed the social context of the Debate at the Guidelines Conference 20 years on.

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

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • AUSTRALIAN SCIENCE EDUCATION PROJECT (1974)A guide to ASEP

  • BLAKE, A. (1973). Psychological theory and Science seaching practiceAustralian Science Teachers Journal 19, (4), 73 - 79

    Google Scholar 

  • COHEN, D. & FRASER, B. (1987).The processes of curriculum development and Evaluation CDC.

  • DALE, L. (1970).Analysis of a problem solving task Unpublished M.Ed., Melbourne University.

  • DALE, L. (1975).A neo-Piagetian investigation of some factors affecting success on Piaget’s flexibility of the rods problem. Unpublished PhD, Latrobe University.

  • DALE, L. (1975). Some implications from the work of Jean Piaget in P.L. Gardner (Ed)The structure of science education Hawthorn, Longman.

  • FAWNS, R. (1988a).The maintenance and transformation of school science Unpublished PhD, Monash University.

  • FAWNS, R. (1988b). The cultural roots of school biology in Australia — from vitalism and mechanism to dialectic MaterialismResearch in Science Education 18, 268–276.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • FAWNS, R. (1989). “Coping with the modern world” The context of the debate at the ASEP guidelines conference 1970Research in Science Education 19, 74–85.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • FENSHAM, P. (1970). Implications from other curriculum development projects for curriculum development in AustraliaLab Talk 14, (7), 2–4.

    Google Scholar 

  • FENSHAM, P. (1972). Prior knowledge: a source of negative factors for subsequent learningResearch 1972.

  • FENSHAM, P. (1975). Science curriculum and the organization of secondary schooling in P.L. Gardner (Ed)The structure of science education Hawthorn, Longman.

  • ISCS (INTERMEDIATE SCIENCE CURRICULUM STUDY) (1970).Probing the Natural World Silver Burdett.

  • JSSP (JUNIOR SECONDARY SCIENCE PROJECT) (1968). Unit 5Chemicals in solution Cheshire.

  • LUCAS, A. (1968). The effect of BSCS type biology on some scientific reasoning skillsLab Talk 12, (9), 14.

    Google Scholar 

  • LUCAS, A. (1969). The effect of teaching content free objectives in BSCS type biologyAustralian Science Teachers Journal 15,(1), 51–57.

    Google Scholar 

  • McCULLAGH, W. (1974). Australian Science Education ProjectLab Talk 18, (1), 15–30.

    Google Scholar 

  • MUNBY, H. (1983). Change as a curriculum conceptJournal of Curriculum Theorising 5, 2, 112–123.

    Google Scholar 

  • PIAGET, J. (1968).Structuralism Routledge-Kegan Paul.

  • PIAGET, J. (1971).Biology and knowledge Edinburgh University Press.

  • ROWELL J. & DAWSON, C. (1977).Piaget, "optimal matching" and the Australian science education project in practice. In B. Fraser (Ed)Review of research on Australia Science Education Project CDC. 1980.

  • ROWELL, J. (1984). Many paths to knowledge: Piaget and science educationStudies in Science Education 11, 1–25.

    Google Scholar 

  • SCHWAB, J. (1958). On the corruption of education by psychologySchool Review 66, 4, 85–99.

    Google Scholar 

  • STENHOUSE, L. (1978). Case study and case records towards a history of educationBritish Educational Research Journal 4, (2), 118–142.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • TISHER, R. & DALE, L. (1975)Understanding in science test ACER.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Education, University of Melbourne, 3052, Parkville

    Rod Fawns (Senior Lecturer)

Authors
  1. Rod Fawns
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

Specializations: studies in twentieth century science education in Australia, teacher education.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Fawns, R. Practicalizing piaget at the asep guidelines conference 1970. Research in Science Education 20, 75–84 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02620482

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02620482

Keywords

Search

Navigation