Presents the findings of a qualitative study carried out in a poor and problematic area of Brazil to investigate whether constructivist teaching practices are evident in the daily lessons in state elementary schools. Some teachers were found to employ genuinely constructivist methods. Analyzes the theoretical background, methodology, and…

Presents a critical review of research on student conceptions of the Earth and its place in the universe with regard to epistemological, historical, and cognitive aspects. The Copernican model drives the research questioning about the position of the Earth in the universe with little correlation of the model with the empirical level of…

Offers a practical explanation of constructivism to help teachers view it as a viable framework for instructional strategies. Presents a comparison of models and examples of how a unit on weathering and erosion would be taught in a traditional versus a constructivist classroom. (JRH)

Discusses some of the conceptual difficulties encountered by undergraduate students in learning certain aspects of chemical equilibrium and thermodynamics. Discusses teaching strategies for dealing with these difficulties. (JRH)

Case studies of two students detail contrasting passive and active learning behaviors. Examples of strategic learning behaviors illustrate that having students involved in activities such as discussions, question answering, and seatwork problems does not automatically guarantee successful knowledge construction. The nature of a student's…

Discusses how to teach instructional planning in preservice teacher education and describes two methods to facilitate self-regulation: the Instructional Planning Self-Reflective Tool and the Constructivist Planning Self-Reflective Tool. Highlights include recommendations for use based on empirical research; objectives, including audience; roles of…

Discusses supporting factors necessary for teacher professional growth and issues of concern that are evident during one primary teacher's implementation of a unit that used constructivist pedagogical strategies. Support factors for teacher growth are found to be an appropriate program of professional development, teacher understanding of the…

This article compares two educational approaches, intensive-explicit instruction and constructivist instruction, considering how both can affect instruction for students with disabilities. It concludes by urging the integration of these two approaches, possibly by using models focused on the transformation of explicit knowledge into tacit…

Dutch 7th grade teachers were trained to apply either cognitive apprenticeship or direct instruction models in reading comprehension lessons. They received teaching guides with adaptations of their current reading curriculum. Control group teachers used the same curriculum with no teaching guides or training. In both experimental conditions,…

Reports on the use of a non-traditional approach to constructing a geological timeline that allows students to manipulate data, explore their understanding, and confront misconceptions. Lists possible steps to use in engaging students in this constructivist activity. (DDR)

Discusses the movement in teacher education from a behaviorist approach to a constructivist approach. Describes the role of teachers and teacher education programs in the behaviorist tradition (teacher transmits knowledge) and in the contructivist tradition (teacher mediates ideas, constructs meaning and knowledge, and acts upon them). (CR)

Examines the perceived conflict some scientists feel about the philosophy of science becoming a part of the education of scientists worldwide, including physiologists. Contends that the perceived conflict is due mainly to misunderstanding and some flawed reasoning in a few constructivist approaches, and that there is no fundamental conflict that…

Discusses problems in creating the information retrieval mechanisms used in constructivist computer-based learning environments to support knowledge discovery: (1) subject can not always be pre-specified and the learner may not know what to seek; (2) retrieval strategies differ considerably from conventional ones, with the search including data,…

Argues for learning communities as a fruitful milieu for cognitive development and knowledge construction. Provides a metaphor of a constructivist learning community organization grounded on French scientist and philosopher Pierre Teilhard de Chardin's theory of evolution. Asserts that Teilhardian thought is useful for conceptualizing a…

Reviews the Lakoff and Nunez's book, "Where Mathematics Comes From: How the Embodied Mind Brings Mathematics into Being (2000)," which provided many mathematics education researchers with a novel and startling perspective on mathematical thinking. Suggests that several of the book's flaws can be addressed through a more rigorous establishment of…