This project was designed to address gender issues in mathematics education. The author's findings led her to conclude that students construct their own understanding and knowledge as a result of activities in the classroom. Constructivism, a theory of knowledge based on the idea that people construct their own realities by interacting with the…

Children's informal and invented mathematics contains on an implicit level many of the mathematical ideas that teachers want to promote on a formal and explicit level. Elaborates on how teachers can use these ideas as a foundation on which to construct a significant portion of classroom pedagogy. (Contains 31 references.) (Author/ASK)

Explores the use of a constructivist approach to enable students to examine what causes the seasons. Describes an activity based on a multiple choice question and includes a summary organized using a learning cycle. (DDR)

Advocates a constructivist approach to learning mathematics in which children are given ample time to think and reflect about numbers and exchange ideas with peers. Teachers should construct a classroom environment in which children invent methods to solve problems. Every child's thinking must be assessed in order to guide each to a higher level…

Describes a method for teaching multiplication of fractions based on Piaget's constructivism. Instead of teaching the algorithm of multiplying the numerators and denominators, students are presented with many problems and ask to invent their own ways of solving them. (DDR)

Discusses the role of chemical-equation problem solving in helping students predict reaction products. Methods for helping students learn this process must be taught to students and future teachers by using pedagogical skills within the content of chemistry. Emphasizes that solving chemical reactions should involve creative cognition where…

Presents a historical overview of learning theories in mathematics education applied to the teaching of integers. Theories discussed are meaning vs. rote learning; direct vs. incidental; discovery vs. exposition; concrete vs. abstract; and construction vs. transmission. Includes a reproducible activity sheet and 19 references. (MKR)

Argues that the unit operations laboratory provides an ideal setting to help chemical engineering students become better engineering practitioners. Describes a summer program at the Colorado School of Mines that incorporates experience into a unit operations laboratory. (DDR)

This paper looks at the ideas of R. Skemp which emphasize fostering "intelligent learning" in the teaching of mathematics. Skemp posits that schematic learning takes place when new concepts are constructed by the learner. Three modes of building such internal schema are proposed. Teachers are urged to ensure that at every stage the new…

Identifies and discusses different ways in which teachers using constructivist and other approaches might teach a lesson on the Lexington Green incident of April 1775. In that incident British soldiers opened fire on colonial farmers, killing eight of them. Includes excerpts from eyewitness documents and other background material. (MJP)