This book highlights and discusses the contributions of Robert M. Gagne to the field of instructional technology. Section One presents the core concepts of Gagne's theory and contains reprints of the following five journal articles by Gagne: "Contributions of Learning to Human Development,""Learning Hierarchies,""Domains…

High stakes testing is a given in many public school districts in the United States. This paper reports the chilling effect high stakes testing had on the pedagogy of one teacher. The study took place in a large Midwestern urban district where a university consultant observed a fifth-grade classroom. This researcher was able to observe and…

This research reports on a constructivist approach that was used in a unit of work with a final year high school biology class. The aim of the intervention was to promote students' awareness and communication of the biological, social, and ethnical issues associated with cancer. Students were encouraged to use an inquiry approach. They were also…

During the 1998-99 academic year, five teacher education institutions participated in the first year of a study to determine the impact of teacher preparation programs on beginning teachers. This collaboration, known as the Teacher Research Network (TRN), met several times during the academic year and the following summer to investigate recent…

This book presents a case for the development of classrooms in which students are encouraged to construct deep understandings of important concepts. The book contains 3 parts with 10 chapters. Part 1, "The Call for Constructivism," includes (1) "Honoring the Learning Process," (2) "Considering the Possibilities," and (3) "Coming to Know One's…

Since the popularization of networked computing that began in 1993, many excited educators have employed networked computers to improve motivation and learning in the classroom. Computers have also become a focal point for the improvement of instruction through the introduction of teaching methods that better support constructivist learning. While…

This paper describes a study that took place within the context of the Science: Parents, Activities, and Literature (Science PALs) project. Particularly, the study sought to determine answers to the following questions: (1) What are the internal consistencies and substantive, external, and structural validities of students' perceptions, teachers'…

This study examined the relationship between teachers' beliefs and instructional practices and the mathematics achievement of their students. Data from the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) were used to examine whether behaviorist and constructivist teachers had different beliefs about student learning and whether teachers…

This book describes effective ways for principals and teachers to work together for the teachers' growth and the ultimate benefit of students' learning. It provides a solid philosophical foundation for changes in teacher evaluation and staff development, and it analyzes past and current methods and trends in teacher evaluation. The book spells out…

Explores a way to analyze and describe learning derived from both constructivist theoretical considerations and classroom practice. Presents a model describing possible student responses during science lessons. Provides a rationale on the basis of both constructivist theory and tests of the model in middle school science classes. Contains 42…

Draws from studies in the sociology of scientific knowledge to create a new perspective for understanding school science. Merges ethnography and discourse analysis to study science-in-the-making in a physics classroom. Investigates local conceptual ecologies. Contains 55 references. (DDR)

Explores the interaction of gender, sex-typed toys, and the construction of the mathematical topic of fractions as it is taught in schools. (MKR)

Describes an activity designed to make the abstract concept of atomic structure somewhat concrete for students. (JRH)

First-year students (n=369) at an engineering institute were divided into experimental and control groups and given pre- and post-tests. Experimental groups were taught force concepts in mechanics in a constructivist way. Results found the new method helped students understand the interaction idea of the force concept. (MKR)

Argues against a rule-based, algorithmic approach to measurement in introductory chemistry courses. Describes a learning activity that leads students to understand the need for rules and the application of those rules in measurement. (DDR)