Five key changes have taken place in distance education: (1) shift from multimedia-based to online education; (2) shift from transmission to constructivist models; (3) growing acceptance and expansion of distance education; (4) distance methods adapted across education; and (5) evolution from modernist/bureaucratic forms to postmodern, focusing on…

Looks at the author's growth and development as a classroom teacher between his third to sixth years as a teacher. Uses Habermas's theory of knowledge and human interests and a number of forms of constructivism to describe that growth. Contains 26 references. (JRH)

Examines the reasoning behind views of atoms and molecules held by students (n=48) and investigates how mental models may assist or hamper further instruction in chemistry. Reports that students prefer models of atoms and molecules that depict them as discrete, concrete structures. Recommends that teachers develop student modeling skills and…

Using a Vygotskian framework it is claimed that social practices influence mental functions, and thus vocational knowledge is shaped by history, community, and ontogeny. Key elements of practice are shaped by context, so there is no guarantee that transfer to another setting will occur. (SK)

Presents case study of a child trying to represent and understand the water wheel as an example of knowledge construction from the constructivism perspective. Focuses on how his understanding of physical perspective taking advances through conflicts in the use of different media (telling, drawing, paper, clay, or wood model) and how the Reggio…

Examines practice play, symbolic play, games with rules, and constructions and their relation to Piaget's active education, the intentional social process of constructing understanding involving interest, experimentation, and cooperation within the play context. Recommendations for identifying the type of knowledge being constructed (physical,…

When participants in professional development create their own practice-based case studies for use in training, the result is more accurate, realistic, and applicable material. The process aligns with constructivism and adult learning, accommodates varying levels of expertise, and enables the sharing of multiple perspectives. (SK)

Offers a resolution to the debate between constructivists and realists regarding the epistemological status of human knowledge. Presents evidence in the form of three case studies and one experimental study. Concludes that knowledge acquisition involves a pattern idea generation and test that, when cast in the form of a verbal argument, follows an…

Reports on a 15-month study of attempted innovation in school science. The teachers in an Australian secondary school were attempting to introduce a constructivist approach to their teaching of science. Uses a method of analysis in which the school science system is mapped against an ecosystem. (Author/MM)

Reviews current literature on communities of practice and their potential development using networked technology and remote collaboration, specifically the World Wide Web. Highlights include a definition of communities of practice; constructivism; community knowledge; facilitation; virtual communities; case studies; and suggestions for further…

Discusses the development and evaluation of an instrument to measure secondary students' understanding of scientific models. Involves (n=228) secondary science students and identifies five themes of students' understanding of scientific models including scientific models as multiple representations, models as exact replicas, models as explanatory…

Conceptualizes learning within experiential and constructivist perspectives as a complex interplay of orientation, elaboration, and integration. Illustrates the model with the case of a training program aimed at organizational change. Identifies tensions between the three components and the trainer's role. (Contains 26 references.) (SK)

Explains the inquiry teaching strategy and how the learning process occurs with inquiry-based instruction. Discusses how teachers can facilitate the development of science understanding and maintain inquiry-oriented classrooms. (Contains 31 references.) (YDS)

Reframing is a therapeutic technique that assists individuals in broadening restricted perspectives. Its theoretical underpinnings are clarified in terms of systemic and solution-focused therapies, and Social Constructivism. Application of reframing technique in group counseling is discussed in terms of when to use, how to formulate, and…

Describes year two of an ongoing Goals 2000 Preservice Technology Infusion Project that prepared higher education faculty, K-12 teachers, and preservice teachers to integrate technology in their instruction to facilitate a constructivist vision of technology integration. Results indicated that project activities facilitated increased proficiency…