In early childhood education and care, Nordic social pedagogy approach is challenged by a learning orientation that often results in unproductive "either/or" thinking. Therefore, based on the two approaches and by analysing several dimensions of Froebel's ideas and prevailing social-historical activity (play) theory, the author deduces…

Two studies examined how 3-6-year-olds understand the process of learning. In study 1 examined how children spontaneously talk about learning via a CHILDES language analysis. Talk about the learning process increased between the ages of 3-5. Talk specifically about learning in terms of desire decreased during this period. This suggests the…

A study investigated whether or not second language (L2) learners who are exposed to naturalistic and/or mixed contexts (i.e., living and studying the language where it is the dominant language in use) appropriate nonverbal forms of communication, and specifically whether gestures are reconceptualized in the L2. Subjects were two…

Reports results of a study investigating effects of social interaction on utilization of categorical concepts by upper and lower class children. Describes an experimental guessing game with individual subjects and pairs of subjects. Concludes that the experimental setup was beneficial for all subjects regardless of social background or kind of…

An analysis of a 10-minute episode in which 7-year-old students (n=3) engage in collaborative small group activity is presented to explore the relationship between individual learning and group development. Students learned as they interactively constituted situations for justification or validation, yielding an institutionalized solution method.…

Describes the use and rationale of "Silent Teaching," a teaching technique in which the teacher remains silent as students generate and evaluate hypotheses while trying to understand an as-yet undiscovered concept. (MDH)

Discussion about and reflection upon observations which produce cognitive conflict have frequently been promoted as a strategy to enhance conceptual development in science classrooms. As part of the Practical Mechanics in Primary Mathematics project, teachers were urged to elicit children's views and attempt to establish what is now called…