Recommends a constructivist approach to physics laboratory activities to make laboratories a place for personal maturation and cognitive growth. Describes class design in which ideas and techniques are exchanged which allow students the opportunity to initiate investigations based on early conceptual assumptions, and extend the investigation…

Constructs the philosophical background and underpinnings of the Science Education Portfolio Instruction and Assessment (SEPIA) project. Explains that students must develop skills in order to participate in epistemic interchanges. They must also be provided opportunities and materials to develop those skills. Contains 29 references. (DDR)

Distinguishes between psychological constructivist and social constructivist groups. Explains the reasons for the growing acrimony in debates between the two groups. Discusses social constructivist accounts of the causes of belief in science. Contains 43 references. (DDR)

This discussion of service learning locates the notions of community and justice within the philosophies of liberalism and communitarianism. It examines constructivist models advanced by two authors, and argues that, despite debates surrounding communitarianism and liberalism, both philosophies share similar founding assumptions (consensual…

Presents three studies that demonstrate the efficiency of the kinesthetic conflict in promoting the understanding of three scientific concepts among children aged 5-12. Results support Piaget's theory which determines the origins of scientific thinking. Contains 26 references. (DDR)

Two Northfield (Minnesota) high school English teachers taught their students to lead discussions using Paideia seminars. They found that students created quality discussion questions, participated more frequently and with less anxiety in discussions, found meaning in their readings by sharing ideas in small groups, and took control of their own…

Examines some of the potential and some of the problems inherent in using computerized simulations in science and science studies classes by applying lessons from the epistemology of science. While computer simulations are useful pedagogical tools, they are not experiments and thus are of only limited utility as substitutes for actual…

Provides a comprehensive review of literature regarding misconceptions that are held by secondary students in chemistry. Makes some recommendations based on the research. Contains 77 references. (DDR)

Discusses how learning occurs and the role of the learning environment as a source of information. Argues that the culture of the learner has a central role in the learning of science using the traditional world view of African students as an example. Contains 124 references. (DDR)

Examines student perceptions of the changing nature of a classroom as a result of the implementation of constructivist approaches. Results indicate that students are appreciative of the opportunity to use their own ideas and knowledge. Contains 31 references. (DDR)

Argues that "Borderlands" discourse has served, and continues to serve, as a theoretical framework to advance educational theory by accounting for multiple subjectivity and difference. Provides historical background of Chicana/o Studies and its contribution to Borderlands theories. Analyzes critical pedagogy in relation to Borderlands…

An interview with American Indian educator Karen Gayton Swisher explores the learning styles of American Indian children and the application of ideas about these learning styles in the programs at Haskell Indian Nations University. Native American children should be taught from a constructivist, rather than a deficit, point of view. (SLD)

Discusses the process of designing a series of case-based interactive videodiscs to be used within a constructivist learning environment for elementary school science. Topics include assumptions about learners and learning; implications for learning materials; and implications for the instructional design process, including process-based versus…

Introduces the "Pet and Me" project, a thematic unit that explores the relationships among humans, other animals, and nature. Provides the definition of thematic units by focusing on three levels of thinking: facts and information, topics, and themes. Concludes that the thematic unit is applicable to other areas of curriculum. (MOK)

After a brief critique of behaviorist pedagogical assumptions that learning is something done to learners, constructivist learning theory is presented as a framework for understanding experiential education, in that learning is a process involving the active engagement of learners, who adapt the educative event to fit, and expand, their individual…