We are studying two groups of preservice teachers' conceptions, progression and especially the concept of function in connection to y=x+5 when they are taking a course in algebra or one in calculus in their third and sixth term, respectively, in a teacher preparation program. There is a similar development in that they use to a higher degree a…

This paper provides materials for a teacher workshop on the application of scientific processes across the curriculum. The approach is based on Taba's Inductive Model, and these materials contain sections on the purposes of Taba's model, teaching strategies used in Taba's model, the concept formation process, interpretation of data, application of…

This book brings a philosophical perspective to the topic of children's thinking. It attempts to answer the questions of what it is to think and understand, and how children do so. The book provides an introduction to the philosophy of education as it relates to children's understanding, and is careful not to assume any previous philosophical…

Students (n=45) in an introductory course in hydrology used a Vee map to guide their laboratory investigation. The Vee mapping technique was utilized by groups of students working together during the investigation and was graded with a scoring rubric developed by the instructor. At the end of the investigation, students completed a survey…

This paper explores a framework for research on the development of the angle concept based on theories of abstraction. The framework suggests that children initially acquire a body of disconnected angle knowledge situated in everyday experiences, group the situations to form angle contexts, and then form an abstract angle concept. The framework is…

This paper reports on a study, which is part of a broader set of studies, designed to evaluate a violence prevention program entitled Expect Respect conducted in Austin, Texas elementary schools. The qualitative study was conducted to determine whether students in schools who received the Expect Respect curriculum conceptualized bullying…

The REPRESENTATION Project, 1998-2000, carried out research within elementary schools in six European countries: Denmark, France, Greece, the Netherlands, Spain, and England. Altogether, 31 schools participated, ranging from large inner city schools in Paris and Amsterdam, to a 20-student school in a Greek village. In each school, one class of…

This paper identifies five types of learning experiences which are relevant to understanding students' grasp of concepts and principles. These include exploring existing concepts, honing and clustering concepts, developing analytical and reasoning skills, developing problem solving skills, and structuring knowledge in memory. Each of these…

This document features the experiences of three science teachers who video and audiotaped classroom proceedings in order to go back over what was said in classroom events, to explore the intentions and ideas that were perhaps not fully understood at the time. Mary DiSchino, who teaches 3rd and 4th graders, teaches a science curriculum which she…

The results of this study are consistent with a two-stage model of learning chemistry, a multi-dimensional subject, in which students accumulate knowledge in stage one, and then restructure their knowledge in stage two. When cognitive, metacognitive and achievement variables were subjected to a predictive discriminant analysis (PDA) procedure,…

In an attempt to understand, holistically, how teachers make sense of their classrooms and how they use assessment to facilitate learning, this paper explores the use of a metaphor, "responsive choreography," to examine instruction in one classroom. "Responsive choreography" describes the subtle interplay or "dance" between the learner and the…

A study addressed the questions of what teachers and students do with background-concept questions in historical study, and how these questions are connected (or not) to the teaching of foreground concepts. If teachers borrow and teach reading-language arts research strategies (strategic knowledge) and integrate them into historical study, does…

In science education, it is well understood that teachers' scientific conceptions can influence students' learning, but the extent to which students' knowledge influences teachers' ideas is not known. This paper describes a study of the mutual interaction of ideas between two second grade teachers, one teacher intern, and their classrooms during…

Successful course reforms rely on the development of courses that support productive patterns of classroom interaction. Particularly in the case of inquiry-based classes, the ways that students talk to each other and how they interpret the instructor's actions can make great differences in their learning. This paper describes results of research…

This comparative case study investigated instructional methods that effectively enhance the development of students' critical thinking. Four institutions were selected for study; two at which students reported experiencing high degrees of growth in the ability to think critically, and two at which students reported experiencing low degrees of…