This book analyses the nexus between ideology, the state, and education reforms worldwide. The research evinces the neo-liberal ideological imperatives of current education and policy reforms and illustrates the way these shifts in the relationship between the state and education policy are affecting current trends in education reforms and…

This book focuses on discourses of effective learning environments globally for reducing discrimination in schools. It offers innovative ideas concerning the future directions that education and policy reforms could take, in order to promote equality, social justice, and access to quality of education for all. The chapters offer a timely analysis…

In this paper we describe an action-research project that our research team proposed to a group of teachers working in a special education school. The main idea was to introduce new methods to teach reading and writing in their school, mainly constructivist-based ones on teaching the function of writing text. In this paper we focus on the process…

Describes a mathematics teacher's experience and change from a traditional behaviorist dispenser of knowledge to a constructivist facilitator of meaning during professional development. Compares the stages of teacher development metaphorically to the stages of a butterfly. Contains 11 references. (ASK)

Discusses the need for reform in teacher evaluation, current practice, implementing the Professional Teaching Standards of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, and the relationship between teacher evaluation and constructivist views of learning. (MKR)

The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics' (NCTM) Curriculum and Evaluation Standards and Professional Standards for Teaching Mathematics grew out of the Council's vision for developing a confident command of mathematics in all students. This booklet provides a brief overview of the NCTM Standards--the important components, the underlying…

In this article, the authors use qualitative and quantitative research to identify the performance of social actors whose decisions impact students and teachers, elucidate a set of measurements for their performance, and offer both a theoretical and research justification for these measurements. The work challenges two faulty assumptions behind…

Since assessment is intimately linked with instruction, it too is changing under the wave of numerous efforts at reforming mathematics and science education. From this new perspective, the learner actively constructs personal meaning from information and experiences by linking new information with his or her pre-existing knowledge and…

Discusses the need for college faculty and staff to become involved in precollege science education reform. Provides some of the implications that reforms may have on college science, especially in introductory courses. (ZWH)

This book sets out a constructivist, inquiry-based approach to instruction. The approach builds on clear understandings of children's current levels of knowledge, where their learning should progress to, and the means by which children learn early numeracy topics. The methods presented in this book have been used extensively by practitioners in…

Presents suggestions for the implementation of constructivist teaching-learning strategies. Discusses the following topics: teacher's role; classroom management; planning; pedagogic skills, including negotiation and group work; and assessment. (JRH)

This research brief examines the potential of technology to further the goals of restructuring U.S. schools. Strategies are presented for restructuring schools with technology. Although restructuring means different things to different people, the restructuring movement has generally focused on reorganizing school processes, taking a…

Discusses the mathematical pedagogy changes that reflect the constructivist approach exemplified in the National Council of Teachers of Mathematic's "Professional Standards for Teaching Mathematics." As part of the change process, recommends that teachers (1) reflect on their present practices, (2) risk making changes in classroom…

The Iowa-Scope, Sequence, and Coordination (SS&C) Program assists schools with reform of their entire middle school programs, grades 6-8, and features the science, technology, and society (STS) instructional approach. This reform translates to the creation of new frameworks for the school program and aims to produce "constructivist"…

A comprehensive reform of the science curriculum and the methods of teaching and assessing science instruction is underway. This booklet shares ideas drawn from research and promising practices in science education. These ideas are addressed specifically to educators, but are important to anybody concerned with science education in elementary,…