Mastering as an Inferentialist Alternative to the Acquisition and Participation Metaphors for Learning

Samuel D. Taylor*, Ruben Noorloos, Arthur Bakker

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

A tension has been identified between the acquisition and participation metaphors for learning, and it is generally agreed that this tension has still not been adequately resolved. In this paper, we offer an alternative to the acquisition and participation metaphors for learning: the metaphor of mastering. Our claim is that the mastering metaphor, as grounded in inferentialism, allows one to treat both the acquisition and participation dimensions of learning as complementary and mutually constitutive. Inferentialism is a semantic theory which explains concept formation in terms of the inferences individuals make in the context of an intersubjective practice of acknowledging, attributing, and challenging one another's commitments. We first introduce the key concepts of inferentialism and consider the perspective on learning that inferentialism inspires. Then, we condense the lessons of the inferentialist concepts into a single mastering metaphor for learning and argue that learning consists in the process by which learners come to master concepts and practices. We conclude by discussing how the mastering metaphor could be put to work in a theoretical reconciliation of the cognitive and sociocultural dimensions of learning.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)769-784
Number of pages16
JournalJournal of Philosophy of Education
Volume51
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Nov 2017

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