The typical approach to curriculum in the English language arts fits well with the traditional, content-centered approach to instruction. Such an approach to curriculum, however, is appropriate to a pedagogy that construes knowledge as fixed and transmittable but inappropriate to a pedagogy that views learning as constructed by the learner rather…

What if…..? What if there was a kingdom in which the ordinary was perceived as extraordinary and mediocrity was the standard of excellence? In what ways might this society mold the mindset of its subjects? How might a creative and innovative newcomer respond to the intellectually numbing environment? Would she have the courage to defy conformity…

The main purpose of this article is to introduce a critical curriculum design approach for bringing curriculum change for Blended Learning in higher education. Furthermore, the strategies, principles and challenges of this approach are also presented. This paper provides a perspective on such serious concerns as whether curriculum change should…

This short paper is designed to serve as a kind of primer for professors interested in thinking through ways to build a rural dimension into mathematics education courses in the interest of squarely addressing the vision and mission of ACCLAIM. Few words, therefore, will be deployed in the interest of establishing an intellectual warrant for the…

A discrepant event is a happening contrary to our current beliefs. Discrepant events are said to be useful in clarifying concepts. This is one of the interesting features of current theories of constructivism. The story of Mpemba's ice cream is quite well known, but it is the educational aspects of the experiment that are of interest in this…

Reforming the traditional teaching mode and practicing a student-centered interactive teaching mode is the trend of development of the university. Interactive teaching can not only inspire the students' enthusiasm to learn and make them obtain better results on study, but also improve their analytical ability, practical ability and creative…

The main purpose of this article is to introduce a critical curriculum design approach for bringing curriculum change for Blended Learning in higher education. Furthermore, the strategies, principles and challenges of this approach are also presented. This paper provides a perspective on such serious concerns as whether curriculum change should…

The validity and use of a new form of the existing Constructivist Learning Environment Survey (CLES) were studied. The comparative student version (CLES-CS) was developed to evaluate the impact of an innovative teacher development program based on the Integrated Science Learning Environment (ISLE) in public and private school classrooms. The…

Constructivism refers to a collection of educational practices that are student-focused, meaning-based, process-oriented, interactive, and responsive to student personal interests and needs. In contrast, instructionism refers to a collection of educational practices that are teacher-focused, skill-based, product-oriented, non-interactive, and…

This volume presents a collection of practical strategies for enhancing communication between couples and families. Experts in the field outline proven techniques from cognitive and constructivist/constructionist frameworks, structural and strategic orientations, and couple/family play therapy. Chapters are: (1) "Letter for a Change: Using Letter…

For all students, the ability to write, to use a word-processing program, and to unite the two skills in a synergistic blend of form and content has become a key factor in achieving academic success. This book presents teachers with a framework for helping them help students achieve this success. Divided into two parts, the book provides teachers…

The author of this paper submits that humans have a natural inquisitiveness; hence, mathematicians (as well as other humans) must be active in learning. Thus, we must commit to conjecture and prove or disprove said conjecture. Ergo, the purpose of the paper is to submit the thesis that learning requires doing; only through inquiry is learning…

Seventeen papers that relate to the use of cooperative learning activities in undergraduate mathematics courses are contained within this collection. Papers were selected by the staff of Project CLUME (Cooperative Learning in Undergraduate Mathematics Education) and organized into categories pertaining to constructivism and the teachers' role,…

A traditional introductory college astronomy course was restructured along constructivist lines to better foster a key component of science literacy: critical thinking about problems in science. The restructured course was lecture-free, problem-centered, and collaborative in structure. The Reflective Judgment Framework was used to better…

At the University of Central Florida student portfolios have been required in the College of Education for many years. Student journals are reviewed and graded by faculty. All departments require students to submit portfolios before their senior teaching internship. The portfolios illustrate who the student is now and how he or she wants to be as…