This yearbook contains essays that examine the construction of knowledge. The 10 articles, which are called "opinions," are divided into 5 sections, most of which examine the construction of scientific knowledge. An editor's introduction begins each section. Section 1, "Constructivism as an Epistemology and Philosophy of…

This study posits that instructional representations are viable assessment tools of subject matter knowledge within the context of lesson study. Evidence is provided and validated, suggesting that representations provide valuable insights into the depth and accuracy of the knowledge prospective teachers bring to instructional settings. It is…

This book presents a story of the history of gravity, the glue of the universe, and is based on two premises: (1) an understanding of mathematics is not required to grasp the concepts and implications of relativity; and (2) relativity has altered forever the perceptions of gravity, space, time, and how the universe works. A narrative text section…

In order to name an animal they see, children must use their existing mental models to provide the animal with a name. In this study, pupils between the ages of 4 and 14 are presented with preserved specimens of 6 different animals and asked a series of questions about them. The results indicate that pupils of all ages mainly recognize and use…

The purpose of this paper is to derive optimal rules for variable-length mastery tests in case three mastery classification decisions (nonmastery, partial mastery, and mastery) are distinguished. In a variable-length or adaptive mastery test, the decision is to classify a subject as a master, a partial master, a nonmaster, or continuing sampling…

This publication is a collection of 13 hands-on activities that focus on earth science-related activities and involve students in learning about growing crystals, tectonics, fossils, rock and minerals, modeling Ohio geology, geologic time, determining true north, and constructing scale-models of the Earth-moon system. Each activity contains…

Judgmental standard setting approaches rely on the perceptions of experts about examinee performance on a test. Traditional standard setting methods ask panelists to predict the probability that a randomly selected, hypothetical minimally competent candidate (MCC) will correctly answer test questions. Item performance predictions are difficult for…

This report opens with a review of how two structured interview protocols that identify the nature and scope of children's science-related activities outside of school were developed. The interview procedures are known as Community and Home Activities Related To Technology and Science (CHARTS) with the preschool version known as CHARTS/PS and…

This document contains the full text of the following papers on educational agent from ICCE/ICCAI 2000 (International Conference on Computers in Education/International Conference on Computer-Assisted Instruction): (1) "An Agent-Based Intelligent Tutoring System" (C.M. Bruff and M.A. Williams); (2) "Design of Systematic Concept…

The Wilderness Curriculum is designed to provide classroom teachers, land managers, and outdoor educators with an interactive resource to promote awareness and appreciation of the cultural, environmental, and experiential values of wilderness. The curriculum is divided into three grade levels (Primary, K-2; Elementary, 3-5; and Middle, 6-8); each…

This book shows educators how to rethink teaching by challenging their beliefs about knowledge and learning. It helps teachers organize for student learning rather than plan for teacher telling by applying constructivist learning theory in the classroom. It presents a constructivist perspective on how to arrange classroom events for student…

Probably no other concept comes closer to encompassing the core of personality psychology than the concept of the self. This teaching activity provides instructors with a self-contained teaching module--including lecture material, an in-class activity, suggestions for in-class discussion, and supporting references--on the topic of identity…

Since weather plays an important role in many ways in our everyday life, the study of meteorological phenomena by school children becomes of great importance in enhancing their scientific literacy. This necessity becomes even more important today, as these phenomena are connected to serious environmental problems such as climate change and air…

This study investigates the changes in junior high school (JHS) students' conceptions of the structure of matter as they study the subject of "materials" using a new curriculum in Science and Technology. The new instructional method is based on a student-centered constructivistic model and on a "spiral" approach to the learning…

This book presents the findings of 12 years of research. The data gathered and analyzed from almost 700 samples of children's' graphics show how powerful patterns of cognition (schema) in the early years of development gradually evolves into recognizable forms of writing and mathematics. The goal was to chart the progress of children's thinking…