This paper presents a framework of approaches to sharing meaningful knowledge of assessment standards amongst an academic community, particularly students. Presented as a nested hierarchy, these approaches encompass: a "laissez faire" approach in which students' knowledge of standards is acquired in ad hoc and serendipitous ways; an…

This article reviews a range of literature of computer games and learning theories and attempts to establish a link between them by proposing a typology of games which we use as a new usability measure for the development of guidelines for game-based learning. First, we examine game literature in order to understand the key elements that…

This study examined the relationship between university faculty members' perspectives on students with special learning needs and their views on providing accommodations. Findings demonstrate that professors who view students with disabilities from a conventional, deficit perspective feel ill-equipped to provide necessary accommodations.…

In many U.S. prisons an overuse of individualized instruction silences literacy learners and reinforces oppressive notions about what knowledge is and whose knowledge counts. In these classrooms, methods that invite learners to tap their background knowledge, reflect on their worlds, and dialogue with others to construct meaning--commonplace in…

Originally, blogs served as personal journaling tools. Recently, blogs have facilitated the formation of online communities and have thus expanded to more extensive uses in education. Little has been learned about using blogs as a collaboration tool in educational contexts. In this article, the authors share their experiences with using blogs to…

The prototype of a guided practice application was developed to instruct year 13 biology students in the process of DNA replication. The application uses a high degree of interaction to engage the student in a guided exploration and problem solving exercise. An evaluation revealed that the students showed considerable enthusiasm and significant…

Perkins, a professor of Education at Harvard University, promoted the use of constructivism in conjunction with information processing technologies to facilitate students' understanding and active use of knowledge and skills. He identified five facets of a learning environment including: information banks, symbol pads, construction kits,…

In this article the development and validation of the Beliefs about Primary Education Scale (BPES) are described. The BPES is an 18-item scale for assessing primary school teachers' beliefs toward the nature of good education, subdivided in a transmissive dimension (TD) and a developmental dimension (DD). Both dimensions assess beliefs toward the…

The 1% of US students with labels of severe disabilities including mental retardation have been historically excluded from "inclusive" education, and from the important epistemological, political, pedagogical, and pragmatic currents in systemic education reform. They have been also been excluded from the design of, and participation in, the…

It is not advisable to discuss Instructional Design (ID) problems without having previously clarified the paradigm issue. After a reconstruction of the "objectivist" and "constructivist" points of view, reasons for preferring a realistic position are outlined. On that basis the theoretical status of ID statements is elaborated as either…

Explores what a return to a more theory-based scientific approach to education might mean for the study and practice of educational technology. Topics include science, technology, and constructivism; knowledge construction; how to deal with complexity; and roles of educational technology, including creating virtual learning environments and…

This theoretical paper uses cybernetic-based approaches and communications theory to advance knowledge of constructivist learning. Explores a cyber-constructivist perspective (CCP) as a tool for increasing awareness of factors that may contribute to effective constructivist educational design within learning communities, and discusses advantages…

This article is a response to the case study presented by M. C. Rehfuss (2003) regarding a client, Sue, who is experiencing discord in her career as a mediator. A conceptualization of the client and additional areas for client exploration are presented. Five steps of a constructivist career counseling approach are applied to the case to assist…

Examines the involvement of two teacher organizations in state or provincial educational reform in the 1990s through the perspective of constructivism and organizational evolution. The two unions adopted a complex mix of reactive and proactive incremental and discontinuous orientations to change. (Contains 28 references.) (Author/PKP)

Discusses electronic learning via the Internet, suggests that simply presenting information to learners may not be the best way for learning to occur, and proposes a social constructivist approach based on Vygotskian theories of learning and situated cognition. Highlights include constructivist learning; constructivist models; and an example of…