In recent years there has been a rapid growth of interest in the sociological study of childhood. Drawing on a large body of contemporary sociological and anthropological research, this book develops key links between the study of childhood and social theory, exploring its historical, political, and cultural dimensions. Through a consideration of…

This paper argues that in teaching educational psychology, different experts often compartmentalize theories in substantially different ways, and there is considerable disagreement within the field regarding the dividing lines that separate various "isms." The four main "isms" (behaviorism, information processing theory, constructivism, and social…

Constructivism is a theory about knowledge, whereas reflective practice is a professional development strategy with roots in the constructivist paradigm. A way to integrate these two conceptual frameworks within the context of professional development for prospective administrators is offered here. Constructivism and reflective practice share…

In 1988, a school district implemented a reform which was promoted as originating both in research and in the practice of teaching. The reform policy was designed to improve the teaching of young children by mandating a constructivist, child-centered, and developmentally appropriate approach. Since the philosophy and practices mandated in the…

This use of the term "student's misconceptions" reflects a knowledge transmission view of teaching rather than a constructivist view. Among science educators there has been an undue emphasis on changing student views into views accepted by the scientific community. This overemphasis mirrors the preoccupation with transmitting the "right answer"…

Specific mechanisms of classroom interactions by which teachers and students conjecture, criticize, explain, test, and refine ideas and procedures is what is referred to as "negotiation of meaning in the mathematics classroom." Elaboration of the form these mechanisms take in practice, and hence investigation of classroom constructions…

This paper is about one of the central dilemmas of e-Learning: can we separate content and context, and how should we manage the relationship between the two? Or to put it another way, are Learning Objects just commoditised learning? With the growth of e-Learning over the past few years, learning objects have come into their own. They are the…

The implementation of inquiry-based teaching is a major theme in national science education reform documents such as "Project 2061: Science for All Americans" (Rutherford & Alhgren, 1990) and the "National Science Education Standards" (NRC, 1996). These reports argue that inquiry needs to be a central strategy of all…

The rapid growth of instructional technologies has provided college faculty with a vast array of educational resources and learning opportunities (Grasha, 2000; Kagima & Hausafus, 2001). As described in the relevant literature addressing this issue, there are several potential advantages in utilizing instructional technologies to enrich the…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of scaffolding in helping students understand a complex problem. Seventy-nine 10th-grade students (15 to 16 years old) from an urban public school participated in this study. The ethnic breakdown of the students at this school was: 39.4% White, 18% Black, 22.4% Hispanic, and 20.3 %…

The impact of surface and reflective teaching and learning on students' academic success was studied with 178 students in grades 6 through 8 at a middle school in Tennessee. Students were surveyed to determine their experiences in the classroom with regard to surface or reflective teaching in their Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social…

This call for fundamental changes in the university makes the case that the modern university actively participates in the breakdown of human communities and the destruction of the natural world. The book suggests the way a new kind of university can strengthen human communities and repair the natural world. The chapters are: (1) "A Social History…

This paper presents a study investigating the effects of the Water Education Training (WET) program on students' performance in science. The WET Program is an after school program using an interdisciplinary approach which has three main objectives: improving science concept knowledge, writing performance, and attitudes toward science and writing.…

This book reports on young students' strategies, the ways they construct knowledge, and how to support such development over time. Focus is placed on how to develop an understanding of multiplication and division in grades 3-5. The book describes and illustrates what it means to do and learn mathematics, provides strategies to help teachers turn…

Asserting that the significance of Project work in the early childhood curriculum may not be just intellectual but, more importantly, may be related to dispositional development, this paper discusses why the Project Approach is important in early childhood education. The paper explores the intellectual and social benefits of the Project Approach…