Contextual teaching and learning (CTL), which is still being designed and implemented, is a conception of teaching and learning that helps teachers relate subject matter content to real-world situation, and motivates students to make connections between knowledge and its applications to their lives as family members, citizens, and workers.…

A qualitative interpretivist study analyzed interrelationships among professional practice, knowledge gained in continuing professional education (CPE) programs, and context of employment. Eighty semi-structured, tape-recorded interviews were conducted with social workers, lawyers, adult educators, and nurses who had attended continuing education…

Reflecting upon and learning from one's working experiences in order to inform future practice is a mark of any professional. The dynamic structure of the early childhood classroom with its focus on the child within the broader context of the family and community makes the reflective process essential for all staff. This paper reports the outcomes…

Explicates a multicultural approach to art education that enhances critical thinking. Grounds this approach in the philosophical principles of constructivism that emphasize the student's construction of meaning rather than the passive transmission of knowledge from a teacher. Discusses the possibility of multicultural reasoning and its…

Examines how constructivist endeavors in teacher education have increased experiential opportunities for preservice teachers. The paper highlights a Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages teacher preparation program where constructivist practices have increased students' opportunities for immersion in fieldwork, interdisciplinary…

The goal of the Teacher Education Program Consortium is to develop a network of preservice and inservice teacher education programs that share an experiential/constructivist learning philosophy. A survey of 84 selected teacher education programs examined program scope, structure, and financial resources; educational philosophy; and program…

American Indian students have had inadequate opportunities for success in school, particularly in mathematics and science, because of how they are typically taught. The article identifies sources of the problem, discussing education reform, assumptions about mathematics and science, culture-based variations in ways of knowing, and methods of…

Describes a study that evaluated implementing a constructivist process approach to learning information skills in school library media programs. Training institutes for media specialists, a longitudinal case study, and the identification of inhibitors and enablers of successful programs are discussed. (Contains 13 references.) (EAM)

Examples from related case studies illustrate possible consequences of a social constructivist approach to learning and teaching mathematics. Discusses student tasks that promote flexibility in mathematizing subject matter; constructive versus Euclidean geometry approaches; working with real-life mathematics problems; and product versus process…

Examined Australian year-10 students (n=110) for the effects of an instructional sequence in physics on their subsequent physics achievement and their perceived value of instruction aimed at conceptual change in year 11. An appendix outlines the year-10 instruction. (Contains 24 references.) (MDH)

Presents a concise introduction and overview of "constructivism." Constructivists assert that knowledge is constructed by individuals; constructivists advocate classroom procedures that encourage students to identify the subjectivity and biases of existing interpretations and to arrive at their own conclusions. Examines four hypothetical teacher…

Interviews with 39 rural North Carolina students with, or at risk for, behavioral disorders found that they responded to social isolation by creating their own school subculture that reinforced their marginalization and negatively affected academic competence. Educators must consider the relationship between social interaction and learning.…

The relationships among student achievement, student culture, and educational practitioners' attitudes and expectations were investigated for 20 Mexican-American middle school students with the assistance of 12 teachers and 2 administrators. Findings indicate that these students, whether high or low achieving, perceived themselves, and were…

Describes action research on the efficacy of problem-based learning using a hermeneutic dialectic methodology. Focuses on the emergence of students' critical-thinking skills, the relevance of science concepts taught, the interdisciplinary nature of the problems addressed, and the changing roles of the teacher and students. Reports that the course…

Describes KID DESIGNER, a project that emphasizes play as a lifelong learning process by teaching elementary school students how to design their own educational computer games that embed content from subjects studied in the classroom. Topics include constructivism; cooperative learning; project-based activities; prior learning; group dynamics; and…