Learning Sites

Human learning, reasoning and thinking, and the different sites in which these activities take place, are the focus of this book. It presents the results of research into the nature of learning and the influence of different contexts and factors within the context of learning, the constraints that contexts place on reasoning and learning, and the nature of learning when using the tools and artefacts. It also addresses the nature of the influence of technology on learning, focusing especially on information technology and how it can influence any type of learning situation.

The book begins by asking whether the context determines the nature of the knowledge to be learned, such that different sets of contextual practices related to the knowledge in question need to be acquired in order for learning to be successful. Next, it describes the forms of reasoning and learning in social and physical contexts, including but not limiting itself to logical reasoning, and asks how particular types of context constrain or activate different forms of reasoning and learning. It then looks at people learning with computers, examining how IT resources enhance or hinder learning. Finally, it compares human learning with learning done by machines in specific contexts

One of the outcomes of the interdisciplinary and international research program Learning in Humans and Machines, funded by the European Science Foundation, and centered around a series of workshops and conferences from 1994 to 1997. Contributors from education, psychology, and related fields discuss learning and the influence of different types of learning contexts and learning factors, addressing the two general issues of the constraints that context places on reasoning and learning, and the changing learning situation when using tools and artifacts such as information technology. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR