Describes the implementation of the Scope Sequence and Coordination (SS&C) program in Iowa. A key factor in this reform is bridging middle and high school programs through developing, testing, and improving local frameworks to serve as a basis for a science experience that is developmentally appropriate, spaced, and ever-expanding. (JRH)

Introduces the idea of using computer microworlds--interactive software for exploration of specific concepts--for mathematics education, the theme of this issue's articles. Discusses their development and the advantages of their use. Suggests that they can be successfully used for interactive teaching or for interpreting mathematics textbooks,…

Describes studies of children involved in cognitive play activities using discrete and continuous computer microworlds and their transformation of these activities into independent mathematical activity. (Contains 22 references.) (MKR)

Examines the impact of using the Macintosh-based knowledge organization tool, SemNet, with prospective elementary and middle school teachers enrolled in an upper division biology course. (ZWH)

Provides background on constructivist theory and describes practical applications. The article explains a children's thinking project that was part of a master's level early childhood education course, reporting what was learned about gaining access to children's ideas and insights into their thought processes. Implications for teacher education…

This paper discusses the historical context of communication and language intervention and critiques three widely used interventions. It advocates a cross-paradigmatic approach because its inherent flexibility fits with what is known about language acquisition, the nature of different intervention approaches, and human development. This approach…

In the development of word recognition skills, self-discovery may not be the most efficacious mode of learning, and it may be useful to isolate or fractionate cognitive components. Successful intervention directed at word recognition involves exogenous constructivism, in which explicit instruction and teacher-directed strategy teaching are not…

This article examines constructivism in terms of the learner, the content, teacher-student interactions, motivation, and assessment; evaluates mathematics standards and their sensitivity to students with mild/moderate disabilities; and identifies 19 instructional components derived from constructivism, focusing on teacher behaviors, teacher…

Describes four main components of a constructivist science lesson or unit. A review of commonly used environmental education materials from six environmental education projects was conducted to look for these components. Parallels between teaching strategies used in environmental education and constructivist methods are discussed. (Contains 27…

Discusses constructivist uses of production rule expert systems that may be used to support learning for secondary and higher education. Highlights include locus of control; and objectivist and constructivist applications of expert systems as intelligent tutoring systems, as feedback systems, as personal knowledge representation tools, and for…

Science teachers implementing educational research findings must choose between instructional prescriptions from Piaget's theory of cognitive development and from alternative conceptual frameworks theory. Contextual teaching using large context problems or science stories addresses both. The paper outlines a program that designs historically based…

Reviews four hypotheses about learning: Comenius's transmission-reception theory, information processing theory, Gestalt theory, and Piagetian theory. Uses the categories preunderstanding, conceptual change, and learning processes to classify and assess investigations on learning processes. (PR)

A 14-year-old Brazilian boy in the fourth grade was given 170 problems orally, each asking for the sum of 2 2-digit numbers. Responses indicated he had invented his own algorithm for addition, similar to the school one, based largely on his experiences with money. (Contains 13 references.) (JAF)

Used open-response written instruments (n=33) and interviews (n=8) to investigate understanding of connectedness within and between procedural and conceptual knowledge in division and knowledge of units. Found knowledge of symbols and algorithms was good but conceptual knowledge was weak. Concerns about individual differences emerged. (GW)

Provides findings of a study designed to explore ways in which changes in students' conceptual knowledge of photosynthesis are related to their study strategies and achievement and to course content. The authors ask teachers to consider these results and implications when facilitating students' learning. (ZWH)