This paper describes the experience of a group of student-teachers in an initial teacher education program in Hong Kong. In preparing the student-teachers to teach science, the program introduced a module on science teaching that included a discussion of the various approaches to teach science and in particular, teaching science based on a…

Doctoral-level students in a mass communication pedagogy class conducted a quasi-experimental study based entirely on constructivism. The students (n=6) became equal partners with the professor by practicing collaborative learning, ownership, and authenticity. Constructivists see knowledge as actively constructed by learners, not passively…

This paper is a report on the findings of an action research project conducted during an undergraduate "Technology in Education" class for preservice teachers at Southern Utah University. The course was structured using a constructivist approach and designed to incorporate principles of brain-based and engaged learning. A five-step…

This paper reports on a three-year study of a model that uses the tenets of constructionism to integrate technology into a constructivist curriculum. The model has been used in regular face-to-face courses, in interactive instructional television courses, and in an online course. The following three significant themes emerged from analysis of the…

This report examines issues of politicization in elementary and secondary school science and science teaching. An introductory section introduces the issue of purposeful intrusion of politics into education theories, standards, and curricula. It focuses on the point of entry of politics into science education; the technology of truth; whether or…

Focuses on the interactive science center and its history over the last four decades. Traces the original idea to Francis Bacon. Recommends the use of cross-site studies to develop a model of learning in this setting. Contains 141 references. (DDR)

A study of five undergraduates in an introductory course on Greek culture identified novice problem-solving patterns and cognitive processes when using Perseus, a Greek culture database. Discusses the Reading-Linking-to-Writing Model developed to capture procedural and systemic processes used in problem-solving tasks with hypermedia applications.…

Examines New York State's draft social studies curriculum framework as a case of constructivist thinking in curriculum policy. Elaborates constructivist thought and practice, chronicles the framework's development, and analyzes it on three dimensions: learning, teaching, and subject matter. The tension between constructivist and traditional…

Reports on a study that used high school students to test the assumptions of the multiple hypothesis theory posited by Lawson to explain the essence of scientific reasoning. Contains 19 references. (DDR)

Describes the constructivist approach and how it can be implemented in a science activity on calcium carbonate, hard water, and the polyphenols extracted from boiling tea bags. (DKM)

Discusses the use of multimedia software and the need to apply constructivist theories so students become more involved with the software, progressing from simply watching presentations to creating simulations. A project-based learning environment that uses MicroWorlds software is described that focuses on marine biology and oceanography. (LRW)

Many have tried to define the concept of visual literacy (VL), but so far there is no consensus. Reviews the literature to develop a definition of VL and explores the parameters of VL, the movement and its aims, its educational significance, and the potential benefits of teaching VL. (PEN)

Analysis of episodes from a mathematics course for prospective elementary teachers run as a whole-class constructivist teaching experiment provides a detailed look at how classroom norms for mathematical justification were established given the prospective teachers' traditional expectations of school mathematics and the teacher's reform-oriented…

Presents an activity that explores the derivation of Pi. Involves students taking a constructivist role by collecting data, making conjectures, and using the data to construct graphs and tables and discourse about appropriate algebraic representations. Uses the computer as an instructional aid to enable students to view the data in a variety of…

Understanding situated learning requires bridging sociocultural and cognitive theories. The reconciliation of cognitive and sociocultural theories provides a basis for accounting for ways situations influence the coconstruction of knowledge. The proposed framework accounts for the complementarily of the two perspectives and shows how arrangements…