This paper seeks to explain learning by examining five theories of learning--conceptual analysis, behavioural, constructivist, computational and connectionist. The first two are found wanting and rejected. Piaget's constructivist theory offers a general explanatory framework (assimilation and accommodation) but fails to provide an adequate account…

Constructivist theory must choose between the hypothesis that felt perturbation drives cognitive development (the priority of felt perturbation) and the hypothesis that the particular process that eventually produces new cognitive structures first produces felt perturbation (the continuity of process). There is ambivalence in Piagetian theory…

Instructional designers are expected to be familiar with the epistemological underpinnings of several theories and their consequences on the process of instruction. Constructivism is the dominant theory of the last decade and supports construction of knowledge by the individual. This paper discusses the basic principles underlying constructivism,…

The article explores how using constructivist techniques can make teachers more effective. When teachers use illustrative methods to introduce new material, students are better able to make the concepts their own. Several activities and their possible application across disciplines are discussed.

The individualization of curriculum is a challenge for the teacher education system in India. Curricula are prescribed by Universities for all the affiliated colleges, and these undergo revision only every few years. The curriculum innovation described in this report is a response to this challenge. The study explores a unique case of the…

Change and development in work settings for better working practice through projects has become essential. And, in this context, learning through working practice is constructed by participatory action research. This work-based research has a significant role to contribute innovative practice of Distance Education Institute at Eastern…

This article investigated the impact of using e-learning models' with the principles of constructivism to enhance the critical thinking skills of students in higher education institutions. The study examines the effectiveness of e-learning model in enhancing critical thinking of students at university level. This effectiveness is measured by a…

Vocational education by its nature has a need for delivery methods that place a strong focus on the relationship between school and work and seeks to deliver instruction in a manner that bridges the two as seamlessly as possible. This paper presents a curriculum and constructivist-based instructional delivery approach, designed to emphasize a…

The purpose of the study was to describe the development and application of an instrument to identify various dimensions of the learning environment, as perceived by elementary and middle school students in Taiwan. The instrument, the New Constructivist Learning Environment Scales, includes four dimensions: attitude concerning instruction,…

This article discusses the "BASICS" or "Building Accuracy and Speed In Core Skills" Mathematics Intervention Program which has been designed to enable students who are either low-achievers or have some form of learning disability, to attain real improvement and make the successful transition to core mathematics. The "BASICS" Intervention Program…

This study was conducted in the Faculty of Creative Multimedia, Multimedia University, Malaysia and investigated students' perceptions while working on a multimedia project that was embedded within a constructivist-based learning environment. We studied the impact of using multimedia on students who have little experience with working in a…

Innovation Education (IE) is a new subject area in Icelandic schools. The aim of the subject is to train students to identify the needs and problems in their environment and to develop solutions: a process of ideation. This activity has been classroom based but now a Virtual Reality Learning Environment technology (VRLE) has been designed to…

Teacher educators are often challenged to demonstrate the same kinds of constructivist educational practices in their own teaching they so often recommend for public school educators. We report here on our efforts to reconstruct our university teaching practice through experiments with artmaking as a pedagogical strategy. Two case illustrations…

"Models of Teaching: Connecting Student Learning with Standards" features classic and contemporary models of teaching appropriate to elementary and secondary settings. Authors Jeanine M. Dell'Olio and Tony Donk use detailed case studies to discuss 10 models of teaching and demonstrate how the models can incorporate state content standards and…

This article discusses a project established at the New Vic Borderlines by Sue Moffat in 1999 titled "Making Amends." It is an example of interventionist theatre undertaken with young offenders. The article draws on theories of restorative justice as well as ideas of learning development found in social constructivism in order to…