This report describes a program for improving bilingual students' learning and thinking skills using the constructivist theory. It targeted bilingual high school students in a middle class, suburban Illinois high school. Students' learning and thinking behaviors were documented using methods that showed when and how they employed new learning and…

Project REAL (Rural Education Aligned for Learning) aims to improve mathematics and science education in grades 5-8 in five rural Ohio school districts identified as in "academic emergency" or on "academic watch." Program goals are to reform curricula to teach skills and concepts, rather than facts; improve students' math and…

The current agenda in science education calls for science instruction that enhances student understanding of the nature of scientific enterprise, enables students to critically analyze scientific information as well as apply it in real-life situations, and sets them on a path of lifelong learning in science. In order to prepare teachers who can…

This report provides baseline information from the six schools in Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, rural Texas, and urban Texas participating in the Applying Technology to Restructuring and Learning (ATRL) project, which seeks to create replicable models of constructivist learning environments supported by technology. The information in…

These four newsletter issues provide information on current research and practice to early childhood professionals teaching in the primary grades in Colorado, focusing on education reform and developmentally appropriate practice. The first issue notes research supporting developmentally appropriate practice, describes Kentucky's primary school…

New learning technologies present many challenges for adult educators. They have great potential for achieving many underlying goals of adult education; however, like any tool, they must be used reflectively and viewed through a critical lens. The challenge is to use learning technologies in ways that support learning and respond to the needs of…

Noting the challenges presented for kindergarten teachers by current demands for accountability based on standardized measures that ignore diversity, this book presents ideas for implementing a developmentally-appropriate kindergarten curriculum within the constraints of American public schools. Following introductory remarks, the book is…

A new South African testing approach designed to assess potential university students' ability to cope with English-medium academic education is also designed to take into account the effects of educational disadvantagement and minimize reliance on students' content-based secondary school experiences. The approach incorporates principles from…

Presents data from an eight-year longitudinal study of the development of teachers' thinking about behavior, development, learning, and teaching. The case discussed illustrates thinking at Level five, "integrated constructivism," in which learning is problem solving and teaching is guiding thinking. Suggestions for encouraging continued…

Describes how technology was integral to the redesign of an undergraduate secondary mathematics education class. The article reviews fundamental concepts important for construct theory, including a description of the way technology was used to restructure the course. It draws implications for technology support of construct theory, learning, and…

A 4-year case study examined how two second-career teachers' prior experiences, beliefs about knowledge, and schooling contexts influenced their ability to implement culturally relevant, constructivist classroom curricula. Interviews and observations highlighted important relationships between teachers' personal belief systems for teaching and…

Describes the development of the use of information and communication technology (ICT) in the Israeli educational system. Discusses a behaviorist approach to computer assisted instruction; open-ended courseware; constructivist approaches to multimedia, including simulations, modeling, and virtual reality; technology-based distance learning; and…

Discussion of models of information skills focuses on an evaluation of the use of the PLUS (Purpose, Location, Use, and Self-Evaluation) model in a secondary school physics class in England. Topics include constructivism; mental models; brainstorming; concept-mapping; student opinions; teacher opinions; and the school librarian's perspective.…

Describes three computer-based lessons using constructivist learning principles. Includes a telecommunications lesson using an online vendor, an interactive video lesson on van Gogh's paintings, and a CD-ROM lesson on ancient lands. Includes figures depicting screens from all three lessons. (CFR)

Bilingual students' language and literacy skills were compared across three classroom events (varying in degree of formality) in a special classroom for students with language learning disabilities. Results showed that certain contextual features (usually holistic-constructivist in nature) were associated with enhanced student performance, whereas…