Kantian architectonics: a theory of the systematic, constructivist organization of relations in cognition and higher education¶

Theory · All theories
Evidence · 2 claims (2 for) · 1 study (1 theoretical), q1 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 2 claims rest on one study

Description¶

Architectonics is defined in the article as "the constructive role of cognition in perception" and as "the 'art of systems'" — the unity of manifold cognition under one idea. Kant applies it both to the mind, where diverse modes of knowledge must form a system rather than a rhapsody, and to higher education, whose faculty structure mirrors his model of cognition. The article treats architectonics as the trope at the center of Kantian thought and as an early articulation of constructivism.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Requires accepting Kant's premise that cognition actively constructs perceptions and that knowledge forms a unified system

Constraints¶

• The article notes Kant's model reproduces social divisions and leaves a legacy of disciplinary fragmentation in higher education

Target Learners¶

• college and university students in higher education

Target Learning Objectives¶

• understanding how knowledge is organized and integrated across disciplines

Claims¶

• Kantian architectonics is an early articulation of constructivism, with knowledge constructed into a system [+W]
• Connectivism is an iteration of architectonic/constructivist thought rather than a new theory of learning [+W]

Related Theories¶

• Peircean architectonics as an interdisciplinary paradigm organized by triadic logic
• Architectonics: the philosophical tradition of building and relating meaning, knowledge, and experience
• Dialogism: Bakhtin's dialogic reconceptualization of architectonics as a philosophy of interrelations mediated by language and texts
• Dialogism, intertextuality, and hypertextuality: the language-centered genealogy leading to connectivism
• The Kantian Effect: a metaphor and paradigm linking intertextuality and interdisciplinarity through four dialogic principles
• Constructivist prescriptive principles for learning environments
• Dialogism: the relation of one utterance to other utterances as the context informing all writing

Examples¶

• Four architectonic guiding principles for integrating teaching, learning, and technology

Key Sources¶

• Dennis, J. K. (2020). The Kantian Effect: Reconceiving the Integration of Knowledge in Interdisciplinary Theory. JIS Journal of Interdisciplinary Sciences, 4(2). https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED608667