The new representations enabled by the educational computer game the "Juggler" can place vectors in a central role both for controlling and measuring the behaviours of objects in a virtual environment simulating motion in three-dimensional spaces. The mathematical meanings constructed by 13 year-old students in relation to vectors as…

During a kayaking expedition in 1983, the author was sucked into an underwater tunnel in Mexico's Rio Urique. He miraculously emerged unharmed, but this near-death experience awakened in him a primal awareness that had been coddled to sleep by his so-called civilized perceptions. He gained intuitive insights from this awakening that enabled him to…

Attempts to provide an intuitive understanding of steady state kinetics. Discusses the meaning of steady state and uses free energy profiles to illustrate and follow complex kinetic and thermodynamic relationships. Provides examples with explanations. (MVL)

In this essay the practical functions of the arts and crafts, in general, have been furnished as empty places into which specific practices can be put. The essay unfolds as two interlocking narratives. The first is the story of epistemological ambiguity inherent in the representation of knowledge. The second is the tale of political exclusion of…

This article discusses the potentially important implications of neuroscience or brain research, the newest "breakthrough" in education, for educators and the importance of sorting out claims on brain-based programs. It is obvious that brain research is not the elusive silver bullet that will answer all education problems. However, the new…

Because most schools do not have courses in formal logic, teachers must teach this topic as it comes up naturally through class discussions in algebra, geometry, or general mathematics. This article shows how teachers can capitalize on students' ways of thinking to lead them to a greater understanding of logical relationships. (PK)

Many courts refuse to protect the siblings of an incest victim even when faced with unmistakable evidence that they are at risk, arguing that no one can predict what will happen. For instance, some courts believe that a parent who molests his stepchild is unlikely to victimize biological offspring, while others believe that a father who violates a…

This paper addresses the accumulating knowledge of prospective teachers of secondary school mathematics and their acquired proficiency during the course "Psychological aspects of mathematics education," in which we discussed theoretical models including the intuitive rules theory. Participants' performances are examined by means of an extensive…

Urges the inclusion of comparative psychology in the undergraduate curriculum. Defines zoological or comparative psychology as a field that explores the behavior patterns and minds of many animal species and the genesis, control, and consequences of a range of behavioral patterns. Traces the history and development of the discipline. Discusses…

Modeling caring behavior, role playing, and creating and enforcing classroom and school rules are all time-honored strategies used by teachers to create classroom environments that foster safety, empathy, a sense of belonging, and respect for self, others, and property. During times of crises in children's lives, these strategies are heightened in…

Combining both the Western perspective of creativity as productivity and the Eastern perspective of creativity as enlightenment, a Program for Enlightened and Productive Creativity (PEPC) for teaching inquiry was devised. The PEPC describes stages through which a student is guided to solve a problem using increasingly complex observation, inquiry,…

The learning difficulties that students experience with fractions begin immediately when they are shown fraction symbols with one numeral written above the other and told that the "top number" is called the numerator and the "bottom number" is called the denominator. This introduction to fractions will usually include a few visual diagrams to help…

While some textbooks still teach students that there is one scientific process that must be rigidly followed, this stagnant portrayal of the process of science can lead students to think that science and scientists are quite boring. Through integrating visual art and microscopy, students learn about the creativity of scientists and begin to…

With respect to the innovative roles of technology within the educational realm, an important task of educational research is the investigation of how school children accommodate themselves to innovative computer-based learning environments. This paper describes the strategies and techniques employed and extended by above-average second- through…