Discusses the need to initiate intrinsic motivation in Japanese students in online higher education. Presents an overview of the online education process with constructivist learning theory, including various learning interactions; and describes sub-types of personal intrinsic motivation including challenge, fantasy, and curiosity. (Contains 62…

This overview of articles in this special issue introduces the constructivist approach to educating students with learning disabilities. Catalysts for constructivism, the constructivist philosophy, and the whole language approach are discussed. The need for coherent integrated instruction in learning communities that is educationally purposeful,…

Presents salient features of workshop discussion examining good educational practice related to creative thinking and problem solving. Describes constructivist teaching, incorporating examples of classroom learning opportunities that use different forms of scaffolding and vignettes that illustrate constructive educational interactions. Explores…

Discusses appropriate methodologies for investigating how learning occurs in the laboratory. Presents two techniques, concept mapping and V-diagramming, which can be effective research tools in probing students' understanding of chemical principles. These techniques can also be effective instructional tools that help students integrate lecture…

Examines and identifies students' mental models of an abstract mathematical concept regarding intuition. Observes how students think reflectively on their mental models in a whole-class discussion in terms of logical thinking. (DDR)

In 1996, the Scottish Consultative Council on the Curriculum set out principles for effective science education focused on the overall goal of "scientific capability." Five aspects of capability (scientific curiosity, competence, understanding, creativity, and sensitivity) are examined from theoretical and empirical perspectives,…

Examines one teacher's constructivist practice in a preservice teacher education mathematics class in order to unearth a deeper understanding of "constructing meaning" within the context of power-laden discourse. Examines how the teacher undertook an inquiry into poststructuralist theory of knowledge, asserting that it may provide new…

Supports the thesis that constructivism and self controlled learning in adult education should be considered reactions to imperatives of modernization. Recognizes that concepts of self-directed learning are accompanied by a change in the forms of organization as well as the logic and structure of action in adult education. (CAJ)

Describes an experimental study of preservice teachers who developed an instructional plan for a case study within the Multiple Intelligent Mentors Instructing Collaboratively (MIMIC) computer-based environment. Discusses systematic instructional planning (instructivist agent); constructivist agent; metacognitive awareness; attitude; and…

Proposes that collaborative, constructivist, and problem-based learning are powerful conceptual antidotes to pedagogy as transmission and knowledge as parceled facts and objects. Notes that as more texts become available in digital form, users access information in different ways that have profound ramifications for reading and writing. Contends…

Describes the Constructural Multi-Modalities Model for MST (math, science, and technology) Inquiry Units. The MST Model uses an interdisciplinary and constructivist approach and allows teachers to create lesson plans that: integrate MST in tandem; adhere to local, state, and national standards; and actively engage students' differentiated learning…

Describes the experiences of one kindergarten teacher implementing the Reggio Emilia approach at a new, private school in Canada. Includes descriptions of children's projects, struggles with documentation, the educational environment, and contributions of an early childhood university student who had been immersed in a program similar to Reggio…

Reports research that examines children's models of seed. Explores the conceptions held by children (N=75) of germination and seed formation. Concludes that children hold a restricted meaning for the term 'seed'. (DDR)

Features of a web-based learning environment for physicians included the following: balance between content richness and bandwidth; shared knowledge and interaction using actual cases; constructivist approach to develop basic cases into advanced cases for reflection and interaction. Evaluation of the program showed comparable participation rates…

Begins with a brief overview of the origins of constructivist thinking among the philosophers and the major forms of constructivism. Continues with definitions and descriptions of models of constructivist classrooms and teams. And concludes with a comparison of constructivist and traditional approaches to learning. (Contains 27 references.) (WFA)