The purpose of this study was to describe and interpret teacher decision-making with ethnically diverse students. A new paradigmatic theoretical framework formed through the confluence of constructivism, multiculturalism, the teacher-as-decision-maker, and semiology guided the research. The research site was a suburban middle school located in the…

This annual publication contains 43 research papers on a variety of issues related to science education. Topics include the following: mature-age students; teacher professional development; spreadsheets and science instruction; the Learning in Science Project and putting it into practice; science discipline knowledge in primary teacher education;…

Different kinds of discussion methods have been developed to help students achieve different kinds of instructional objectives. The following discussion methods are analyzed from the perspective of the role demands that they make of students and teachers: (1) cooperative learning discussions; (2) the subject mastery discussion method; and (3)…

This article reports on a classroom-based case study of a group of six Year 10 students, within a class of 23 students. The study implemented constructivist-informed teaching and learning approaches within a classroom setting in the topic of optics and documented any changes in the conceptual understanding students had about seven central concepts…

This paper's charge is to lay out the central ideas about learning and teaching that run throughout contemporary educational discourse. It details nine concepts of learning, knowledge, and teaching that have formed the basis for recent education reform. Specifically, this report explores the nine concepts that emphasize "active construction of…

This report synthesizes research on helping at-risk students meet academic standards. The studies chosen had to be published after 1984, be implemented in the United States, relate to K-12 students, directly assess students' academic achievement, address strategies that could be implemented in the regular classroom, and use strategies targeting…

This paper asserts that the tenets of a constructivist educational philosophy best meet the needs of special needs students (e.g., those who are limited English speaking, bilingual, low income, and homeless). The first section presents the tenets of a constructivist teaching philosophy. The second section discusses the implementation of best…

A five-year U.S. Department of Education Technology Innovation Challenge Grant, the NatureShift! Linking Learning to Life project was awarded in 1997 to the partnership of Dakota Science Center and the Grand Forks Public Schools (North Dakota). It was designed with partners from the Sahnish Cultural Society and the University of North Dakota to…

The use of hypermedia in education is supported by cognitive flexibility theory which indicates transfer of knowledge to real-world settings is improved when that material is learned in a case-based, associative network emphasizing complexity and links to related information. Hypermedia is further assumed to benefit education, because it resembles…

The science education reform movement is difficult for parents to understand because the new constructivist paradigm is far afield from science education as parents experienced it themselves. Educators in a New England middle school developed a new science curriculum without inviting general parental input. The problem addressed by this study was…

Although there are many different approaches, statements of aims, and definitions of multicultural education, an examination of literature by specialists in the field indicates that there is a high level of consensus about its aims and goals. A major goal, as recognized by specialists in the field, is the reform of schools and other educational…

This document is comprised of the two 1999 issues of a biannually-published journal featuring research studies, theoretical essays, and classroom practice articles about the development and education of kindergarten children as well as occasional articles concerning preschool and the early primary grades. The spring 1999 issue contains the…

This paper describes the subjectivist teaching paradigm, which has been introduced into a mathematics education course at the University of the South Pacific. Subjectivism integrates such aspects of current teaching philosophy as lifelong learning through student empowered, self-directed learning. Subjectivism, which is student centered,…

This paper reviews current trends in the training of teachers, particularly in the areas of content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge, pedagogical reasoning, training, and beliefs. Content knowledge consists of the key facts, concepts, principles, and explanatory framework in the discipline, in this case mathematics. Pedagogical content…

Research findings related to constructivism have been applied to development of the Equipped for the Future (EFF) Framework and Continuum of Performance, a multi-dimensional developmental description of performance serving as a foundation for EFF-based instruction and assessment of learner progress. Acquiring expertise is a complex developmental…