Standardized tests have been selected as a key assessment factor in expanding the academic achievement of the national student population. However, these tests position immigrant students at the risk of academic failure, leading education experts to search for new strategies and teaching models. The "Handbook of Research on Assessment…

This article compares two educational approaches, intensive-explicit instruction and constructivist instruction, considering how both can affect instruction for students with disabilities. It concludes by urging the integration of these two approaches, possibly by using models focused on the transformation of explicit knowledge into tacit…

Teacher dialogs are a powerful staff development tool, involving a few teachers who meet during school hours on a regular basis to discuss instructional issues using a constructivist approach. The article examines ways to schedule time to maximize teacher learning and presents a model of staff development based on constructivist thinking. (SM)

"Mental modeling" refers to a student's ability to visualize or comprehend the information research process. This article reviews 50 years of changing conceptions of how we learn: behaviorist, cognitivist, and constructivist perspective; describes the application of three "mental models" to interactive technology; and discusses…

The brain works by making patterns, and this process can be visualized through a medium called visual tools. The book discusses three types of visual tools: brainstorming webs, task-specific organizers, and thinking-process maps. Sample lessons, assessments, and descriptions of visual tools in action are included. Emphasis is placed on the…

The paper discusses the need to restructure traditional approaches to classroom management in preservice teacher education, focusing on constructivist principles. A model for integrating constructivist principles at precollege and teacher education levels consists of four components (modeling, reflecting, actively involving students, and…

Argues that an adaptive-generative development framework, based on constructivist learning principles and knowledge of organizational dynamics, can be helpful in managing the introduction of academic change in higher education institutions. A strength of the model is its capacity to help decision makers identify concerns and engage academics in…

This report examines the necessity for holistic learning--the integration of intellectual, social, and emotional aspects of learning at the undergraduate level. It reviews and evaluates research findings, theoretical models, and the relationship and interdependency of these developmental areas. An introductory chapter considers the increasing…