Two elements of constructivist pedagogy warrant attention with respect to second language (L2) learning: collaborative dialogue and learner decision-making. These two elements in instruction bring about experiential and task oriented classrooms. The constructivist approach to the L2 classroom foregrounds conceptual development focused on…

This study sought to promote increased understanding of teachers' personal beliefs and philosophies about teaching and learning and the impact of these beliefs and philosophies on action in the classroom. Subjects were 17 elementary school regular and special education teachers who participated in an inservice course, videotaped themselves…

This is an age of backlash, as illustrated by many developments in the field of education. Backlash against performance assessment is very evident, but it must be remembered that backlash has its uses. It forces advocates to rethink, reformulate, and restate why they put so much faith in the program under attack. Events have pushed advocates to…

In this book, it is argued that the so-called crisis in education is really a crisis in childhood and that the unit of change is not the school but rather the larger community. Schools inherited from the industrial age are structured to develop a mass of students who, at best, are equipped with basic skills and the ability to follow orders. The…

This volume brings award-winning literature to all areas of the science curriculum. The lesson plan format includes the four stages of engagement, elaboration, exploration, and connection. Each story is followed by activities that make connections between literature, science, and the arts. Chapters include: (1) "Frog Went A-Courtin',"…

Net-a-Morphosis in Teacher Education is a component of the ThinkQuest for Tomorrow's Teachers grant designed to prepare teachers who are proficient in technology use in the classroom and able to effectively infuse it across subject areas and grade levels to enhance learning. This study examined the results of teacher education faculty and…

This paper explains why knowledge utilization has become so important and why so many perspectives on knowledge utilization exist. The field of research on knowledge utilization is immense and continues to grow rapidly. The reason for this, according to the paper, is that developed nations around the world are now in the so-called Knowledge Age.…

This paper describes the Full-Hypermedia Educational Systems Development Model (FHESDM) for designing hypermedia systems that takes advantage (in terms of cognition and learning) of non-linear navigable structures and multimedia. The model is based on constructivist principles, including the subjectivity of the learning process, and assimilation…

This study investigated whether there was a significant relationship between the predominant teaching approach to which an individual had been exposed during school life and: (1) level of communication apprehension (CA); and (2) preferred teaching approach if the individual became a teacher. A sample of 61 student teachers in the middle of their…

This paper presents an inquiry into teaching and learning practices in a Year 11 mathematics class at a private college for girls in Western Australia, studying a topic on vectors. The focus is on learning through problem-solving, where students used graphics calculators as a matter of routine. Constructivist and sociocultural theories were…

After participating in a graduate level Science, Technology, and Society course, a third grade teacher utilized constructivist approaches with her students to foster life-long learning. The focus of this paper is how students searched for patterns while participating in collaborative discussions focused on current events in science. The tools in…

The Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve (JC NERR) program has successfully capitalized on human fascination with the ocean by using the marine environment to develop interest and capability in science. The Institute of Marine & Coastal Sciences, as the managing agency of the JC NERR, makes its faculty, staff resources, and…

This study examined what 16 female family and consumer sciences (FCS) preservice teachers learned given 1 instructional environment. Participants were enrolled in three FCS teaching methods and curriculum courses. A 2-hour lesson on classroom management using small group theory was selected. On the first day of class, participants completed…

Med-Start is a 5-week program that encourages rural, minority, and economically disadvantaged high school seniors throughout Arizona to pursue careers in the health professions. In order to assist these students in making the transition from high school to college and then to professional school, Med-Start provides academic coursework and seeks to…

The purpose of this paper is to examine how the epistemology of a discipline is interactionally accomplished, acknowledged, and appropriated in a university oceanography course. Drawing from sociological and anthropological studies of scientific communities, this study uses an ethnographic perspective to explore how teachers and students came to…