The system for measuring the quality of education (SIMCE) is a standardised evaluation that provides results on the academic achievement of Chilean students, while also including indicators of personal and social development. Through a mixed analysis of variables extracted from these indicators, the purpose of this research study is to build a…

Recent studies in learning programming have largely focused on high school and college students; less is known about how young children learn to program. From video data of 20 students using a graphical programming interface, we identified ideas that were shared and evolved through an elementary school classroom. In mapping these ideas and their…

This paper discusses the move from learning theories from the industrial society to learning theories from and for dialogic societies. While in the past intrapsychological elements, such as mental schemata of prior knowledge, were the key to explain learning, today's theories point to interaction and dialogue as the main means for achieving deep…

Interactive tabletops are gaining increased attention from CSCL researchers. This paper analyses the relation between this technology and teaching and learning processes. At a global level, one could argue that tabletops convey a socio-constructivist flavor: they support small teams that solve problems by exploring multiple solutions. The…

Many teachers see major difficulties in maintaining academic standards in today's larger and more diversified classes. The problem becomes more tractable if learning outcomes are seen as more a function of students' activities than of their fixed characteristics. The teacher's job is then to organise the teaching/learning context so that all…

Describes a primary classroom in which students are permitted to work independently in a constructivist, predominantly child-driven environment. Includes a short interview with the classroom teacher elaborating on this active learning atmostphere. (HTH)

Discusses appropriate methodologies for investigating how learning occurs in the laboratory. Presents two techniques, concept mapping and V-diagramming, which can be effective research tools in probing students' understanding of chemical principles. These techniques can also be effective instructional tools that help students integrate lecture…

Describes a science enrichment program for 5- to 8-year- olds that used constructivist theory to create a social learning environment conducive to science learning. Considers the strategic actions and roles the teacher adopted to achieve theoretical objectives. Presents evidence that the children engaged in knowledge generation and critical…

Presents a view of the interplay among the various factors of personal experience, language, and socialization in the process of learning science in classrooms. Discusses the problematic relations among scientific knowledge, the learning of science, and pedagogy. (GLR)

Argues that science investigation by young children should not be constrained by rigid curriculum frameworks, but be prompted by natural curiosity, as in the constructivist approach. Maintains that cognitive abilities in science and investigative skills will develop if children are encouraged to test their observations, questions, and hypotheses…

This study explores the views on learning, technology and classroom practices of both students and teachers in a technology-enriched classroom environment. It examined the characteristics and uniqueness of 4th-6th grade students' views and the changes in their teachers' views as result of longitudinal experiences of an innovative approach to…

Sociocultural theory has challenged existing notions of cognitive development by suggesting that psychological functioning is specific to its social context and is dependent on the mastery of culturally defined modes of speaking, thinking, and acting. This book provides a representative sample of work on the social and cultural foundations of…

Compares the whole-child approach to early childhood education and Howard Gardner's concept of multiple intelligences. Provides activities and ideas to address each of the seven intelligences, and lists specific suggestions for parent/child experiences, field trip experiences, and constructivist experiences. Stresses individual child potential.…

The paper describes the rationale and 10-day implementation in a 5th-grade classroom (n=19) of an experimental ratio-and-proportion instructional design. In this constructivist-phenomenological design, coming from our theoretical perspective, design research, and domain analysis, students: (1) link "real-world" and "mathematical" objects…

Describes the Reggio Emilia (Italy) model for preschool education. Addresses the perceived difficulties of transferring the program to U.S. schools, focusing on differences in patterns of thinking, educational attitudes, and cultural conventions between the two cultures. Provides perspectives for change and adaptation. (SD)