ABSTRACT
Recent trends in mathematics education indicate a shift toward a view of mathematics learning as an inherently social and cultural activity (Brown, Collins, & Duguid, 1989; Cobb & Yackel, 1996; Greeno, 1991; Schoenfeld, 1987; Sfard, 1994). This shift has implications for theories of instructional design, the majority of which have a primarily individualistic focus. For example, constructivism offers an orienting framework within which to address pedagogical and design issues. However, as a psychological theory, it does not support designers' efforts to envision the social setting within which students might be acting (cf. Bransford et al., chap. 8, this volume). The task for the instructional designer, in our view, is to create sequences of instructional activities that take account of both the evolving mathematical practices of the classroom community and the development of individual students as they participate in those practices.
