There is widespread agreement that theories of teaching, learning, and assessment should be consistent with a certain theory of learning, whether it be constructivism or some other theory. This paper describes the creation and development of the working draft of the assessment standards for school mathematics published by the National Council of…

Since assessment is intimately linked with instruction, it too is changing under the wave of numerous efforts at reforming mathematics and science education. From this new perspective, the learner actively constructs personal meaning from information and experiences by linking new information with his or her pre-existing knowledge and…

Recent research has focused on the use of reflection to examine teaching practices of preservice and inservice teachers. Limited research, however, has been done by university science educators on their own practice. This study involved two university science educators collaboratively participating in such an activity with an inservice teacher. It…

The essence of the computer revolution is yet to come, for computers are essentially generators of realities. Virtual reality (VR) is the next step in the evolutionary path; the user is placed inside the image and becomes a participant within the computational space. A VR computer generates a direct experience of the computational environment. The…

This paper reports on a study that consists of the analysis of the discourse of mother-child dyads (N=32) as they interacted during the performance of three science activities that increased in difficulty. Partial dialogues of three high achieving dyads during the solution of the task are presented and examined for evidence of semiotic uptake. The…

This Digest discusses Problem-Based Learning (PBL), a method developed by H.S. Barrows (1986), and originally created to prepare medical students for real-world problems by letting them solve medical problems based on real cases. The Digest contends that PBL can situate language learning in the real world by posing problems like those found in…

A study examined students' reactions to the Student-Directed Discussion technique (an attempt to develop a class "text" from the students' joint construction of meaning) as used in a methods course on language development. The students (25 of 27 were present the day of the survey) responded anonymously concerning whether they thought the…

An action research project described a program for teaching spelling strategies to increase the application of spelling skills in students' writing. The first half of the targeted population consisted of gifted first grade students from numerous, stable, upper-middle-class communities in a large Midwestern city and the surrounding suburbs. The…

Constructivism has received considerable attention in educational scholarship, practitioner preparation, and policy formation. This Digest identifies major forms of constructivism, considering issues and challenges that surface when implementing constructivist approaches to preservice and inservice teacher education. Constructivism is an…

This paper explores the effects of infusing writing-to-learn strategies into an inquiry-oriented science unit on simple machines, inventions and inventors. This study used an intact group pretest and posttest design to capture the ecological validity of a classroom of grade 4 students and teacher. The design incorporated quantitative research…

This script, which portrays a discussion by a five-person committee about whether to grant tenure to a faculty member, is a vehicle for discussing the meanings of scholarship and standards, the nature of truth and realism, and the constructivist view of learning. The argument about the quality of the faculty member's scholarship leads into a…

In today's competitive global economy characterized by knowledge acquisition, the concept of knowledge management has become increasingly prevalent in academic and business practices. Knowledge creation is an important factor and remains a source of competitive advantage over knowledge management. Information technology facilitates knowledge…

Like all models, the new model is also based on a theoretical foundation; constructivism, which emphasis is placed on the learner or the student rather than the teacher or the instructor. Students learn by fitting new information together with what they already know. People learn best when they actively construct their own understanding. The new…

This study reports the cognitive processing of a Year 8 female student (Kerri) during a test, and during her subsequent homework as she consolidated as part of abstracting; a topic of recent research interest. This case adds to the body of knowledge about how constructing and consolidating can occur simultaneously. The analysis captured the…

One school district, the Ipswich (MA) Public Schools, has adopted a culture of collaborative leadership that recognizes the strengths of teamwork and commitment. This article looks at some of the history and philosophy, followed by the application of those two elements, and provides a snapshot of a district operating in a unique and innovative…