Focuses on a method for teaching cascading natural selection that engages students in reading selections from popular and scientific literature aloud in class. An example is given of the use of one such selection about the Machupo virus. (DDR)

Presents a study designed to explore whether a student's use of the graphing calculator during instruction will affect their concept of function, how students' participation in a conceptual change assignment affects their concept of function, and how the graphing calculator and the conceptual change assignment interact with one another to…

Two studies examined middle- and lower-class Brazilian children's concepts of personal choice and social regulation. Found that subjects maintained a heterogeneous orientation to rules and authority which includes personal choice. Class differences indicated that hierarchical social structures affect children's sense of autonomy. However,…

Introduces students to the study of dynamical systems through a number of learning activities that explore functions in general and linear and exponential functions in particular. Students use calculators to interpret graphs, find patterns in tables of data, and also use algebra. (DDR)

Three studies used computer graphics and/or verbal questioning to examine beliefs among children and adults that vision involves input to the eyes (intromission) or emissions from the eye (extramission). Results showed decreases in extramission and increases in intromission beliefs across age. There were more extramission interpretations with…

Explains why Evald Ilyenkov (1924-79) is a serious cultural philosopher whose ideas are of enduring significance. Argues that Ilyenkov offers an intriguing vision of the relation of mind and world, which has radical implications for conceptions of thought, language, and human communication. Attempts to show that one thinker in the Soviet tradition…

Describes a study that investigated probabilistic intuitions held by students (N=98) from grade 7 through college through the use of a questionnaire. Of the misconceptions that were investigated, availability was the only one that was stable across age groups. Contains 20 references. (DDR)

Understanding of the cardinality principle in children with Williams Syndrome (WS) was compared to that of typically developing children. Findings indicated that such understanding was extremely delayed in WS children and only at the level predicted by their visuo-spatial mental age. Findings suggested that visuo-spatial ability played a greater…

Describes an investigation of polygons and their properties in which students apply very basic understandings of geometric properties. (KHR)

Studied personal context and continuity in the thinking of 23 Swedish students from grade 2 through grade 8 using data from a longitudinal study of conceptualizations of ecological processes. While there was substantial conceptual development, there was also a strong element of personal continuity for these students. (SLD)

Focuses on the role of tools, provided by a computer microworld (C.AR.ME), on the strategies developed by 14-year-old students regarding the concept of conservation of area of a non-convex polygon. Indicates that the nature of the tools used affected the nature of solution strategies that students constructed. (Author/KHR)

Explores ways in which various technologies can be integrated to teach the transformation of graphs in an interactive and dynamic way. Discusses how the use of graphic calculators, a spreadsheet, graph plotter, presentation package, and an interactive whiteboard can be combined to give students the opportunity to investigate, understand, and have…

Discusses issues in conceptualising the education of poor and marginalized adults in Latin America. Notes that education is key to sustainable development, peace, and stability. Argues that reconceptualization of adult education, informed by an understanding of everyday work practices, helps to understand ways in which education contributes to…

Examines the idea that the development of moral ability shares similarities with Lev Vygotsky's theory of concept formation. Argues that understanding moral ability as a present-centered aptitude for creating meaning is significant for educators. Concludes it is useful for understanding the learning process to think and act in the present. (CAJ)

Details the use of tabletop models that demonstrate concepts in direct current electrical resistivity, self-potential, and electromagnetic geophysical models. Explains how data profiles of the models are obtained. (DDR)