Examines student values and process-based, constructivist courses in environmental education. Results suggest that most education majors hold pro-environmental values but frequently do not act upon them. Argues that, to remove this inconsistency between values and practice, courses in environmental education and education for sustainability should…

Describes design considerations that were made for a software prototype called the Virtual Library that were framed by cognitive research and learning theory. When completed, the software will assist preservice teachers in learning about educational psychology and instructional design. Topics include constructivism, exploratory learning, authentic…

Introduces an issue that details a complex study of a science-teacher-education program whose goal was to graduate teachers who held conceptual change conceptions of teaching science and were disposed to put them into practice. Presents a conceptual framework for science-teacher education, and describes the context and major questions of the…

Reports on the Iowa Project, a broad effort in 20 school districts where a Science-Technology-Society (STS) approach was emphasized through a constructivist philosophy of teaching and learning. Results indicate the project's success in four areas: strengthening teacher confidence and knowledge base, encouraging teachers' use of innovative…

Outlines major research findings in cognitive-discourse-processing research on learning from text. Describes general characteristics of classrooms based on constructivist principles of learning and that support critical thinking, problem solving, and collaborative learning. Argues that such classrooms raise a number of new issues for…

Compared students' acquisition and use of reading strategies and reading attitudes in skills-based and whole-language settings. Participants were low-income first graders. Students completed a common reading task. Researchers coded literacy strategies for self-correction and substitutions and conducted classroom observations. Children in the…

Describes a professional development program using interactive multimedia workshops to develop teachers' understanding of a constructivist epistemology in science education. Discusses teachers' perceptions; how they changed their classroom practices; software and database development; and the development of a new survey to assess reactions to…

Discusses the use of constructivist frameworks to develop effective and successful learning environments, including educational software. Topics include technology supporting reform; virtuality and multimedia; attributes of interactive multimedia and virtual reality; and examples of context and learner active participation. (Contains 35…

Indicates the importance of preparing prospective teachers who will be elementary science teachers with different methods. Presents the theoretical and practical rationale for developing a constructivist-based elementary science methods course. Discusses the impact student knowledge and understanding of science and student attitudes has on…

Considers the possibilities and limitations of constructivist practice in preservice mathematics pedagogy using examples from an action research analysis. Results suggested that the intended supportive environment reinforced common sense conservative assumptions of teaching as usual, and alternative pedagogical strategies are needed if the context…

Mainstream practice in industrial arts is a study of skills needed to perform a trade, rather than a study of the relationship of industry to society. This article provides an overview industrial arts curricula (1870-present) and a review of contemporary research, highlighting positivism, resistance to change, constructivism, curriculum…

Data collected for this study (n=88) of fourth- and fifth-grade students targeted the status of relationships among sociocognitive factors (confidence in writing, metacognition, academic motivation, and self-efficacy) with selected group dynamic features of task structure preference and audience awareness. Study and discussion of results are…

Argues that science investigation by young children should not be constrained by rigid curriculum frameworks, but be prompted by natural curiosity, as in the constructivist approach. Maintains that cognitive abilities in science and investigative skills will develop if children are encouraged to test their observations, questions, and hypotheses…

The very mixed results of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study are difficult for most U.S. students and teachers to believe. Educators must change their beliefs about how children learn mathematics and how these subjects should be taught. Agreement about what constitutes effective teaching is needed. (Contains 24 references.) (MLH)

Examines classroom practice in Ireland and Japan, comparing the development of Vygotsky's notion of social constructivism to that of communal constructivism (which reflects the opportunities created by information and communications technology to share and develop knowledge as a central and moral commitment in the development of learning…