A view of situated instructional development (ID) is presented which incorporates a constructivist, situated view of learning and expertise, while at the same time viewing the ID process itself in situated terms. The purposes of this paper are to offer several reflections about the relationship between design and implementation of learning…

In most classrooms science has been presented as an inert body of knowledge to be assimilated rather than a process of inquiry and a way to make sense of our world. This traditional approach has allowed teachers to cover a great many topics but the quality of learning that it has yielded has proven disappointing. This article outlines some major…

After a brief introduction to cognitive psychology, this paper provides a set of principles from cognitive psychology, information processing theory, and constructivist psychology; outlines examples of the existence and often longtime, conscious use of contemporary cognitive psychology assumptions and conceptions in the social and behavioral…

Powerful learning is the premise that the type of education provided for gifted children works well for all children. This long-range study examined the usefulness of elements from a more aggressive approach to powerful learning than the one implicit in the accelerated schools model--specifically a teacher checklist, collegial coaching, reflective…

The purpose of this study was to develop and try out an activity in a group of 10 inservice teachers enrolled in a professional development program. A science methods instructor designed an activity based on a learning cycle teaching approach. In the activity, the teachers experienced the social constructing of knowledge and were promoted to a…

This volume contains 41 papers and 6 abstracts/research notes. Titles include: "What makes lessons different? A comparison of a student's behaviour in two science lessons"; "Is achievement in Australian chemistry gender based?"; "Towards becoming a reflective practitioner: what to know and where to find it";…

This volume contains 41 papers, 10 abstracts/research notes, and an after-dinner speech "The Book of Genesis and the Chronicles of the People of ASERA (Australasian Science Education Research Association). Paper titles include: "Improving students' understanding of carbohydrate metabolism in first-year Biochemistry at tertiary…

This 62-item annotated bibliography presents books, journal articles, and book chapters on the general topic of reading research published between 1932 and 1992. In addition to reading research, topics covered by the bibliography include: schema theory, strategic reading, cognitive psychology, whole language, the psycholinguistic view of reading,…

The effects of a constructivist-oriented curriculum on the beliefs and motivations of students and parents toward being successful in mathematics were examined. Specifically, the question of the influence of constructivist activity on individual beliefs in and motivations toward task-orientation rather than ego- or work-avoidance-orientation was…

Traditionally, philosophers have viewed critical thinking as a reasoning tool for guiding and helping people arrive at truth and certainty. Recent feminist theory suggests that critical thinking involves not just doubt but also believing. This paper examines: (1) the traditional views of critical thinking (methodological doubt); and (2) historical…

The concept of diffusion may seem easy enough for many teachers to understand, but when and what do students really understand about diffusion and osmosis? In order to answer these two questions, 116 students (46.6% in the tenth grade, 30.2% in the eleventh grade, and 23.2% in the twelfth grade) enrolled in biology classes were administered tests…

Philosopher and historian R. G. Collingwood developed and elaborated a theory and approach to reconstructing knowledge about the past that relies on the historical imagination. This paper argues that Collingwood's theory offers teachers sound reasons for using constructivist approaches in their classrooms and that his methodological approach can…

This article constitutes a critique from the inside of constructivist pedagogy. It begins with a short history of constructivist pedagogy and its relationship to constructivist learning theory. It then addresses four issues in the ways in which constructivist pedagogy are being approached in research and practice. The first issue recommends more…

In this paper, the author considers the role of teaching values in science education as part of a move from teacher-centred pedagogy to student-centred pedagogy. Taking a constructivist-inspired position, he argues that, as part of their study of the use of scientific knowledge by society, students need to be given opportunities to make value…

This study investigated whether a standards-based portfolio experience could exist harmoniously within a teacher education program that supports constructivism. Student and faculty interviews were conducted over a 2-year period with the results being used for continuous improvement of the portfolio assessment. The portfolio assessment uses…