Forty-six students enrolled in a high school physics course participated in a study designed to portray student views on, and understanding of, collaborative concept mapping. Students demonstrated a good understanding of concept maps and emphasized their usefulness as a learning tool. (56 references) (ZWH)

Argues that mathematical learning should be viewed as a process of active individual construction and a process of enculturation into the mathematical practices of wider society. It further argues that the sociocultural perspective theorizes the conditions for the possibility of learning, whereas constructivist perspectives focus on what students…

Examines how problem solving in the domain of Mendelian genetics proceeds in situations where solvers' mental models are insufficient to solve problems at hand (model-revising problem solving). The study addressed the heuristics characteristic of successful model-revising problem solving and other aspects of student model use. (LZ)

This study reviews a representative sample of recent studies that dealt with the effectiveness of text-based or teacher-based analogies in learning science concepts. The purpose is to provide a synthesis of the findings and to present implications for teachers and researchers in science education. (LZ)

Introduces the concepts of object technology, discusses object technology's method of reusing software, and examines three main factors that influence software reuse: commonality, connectivity, and commitment. Presents steps that should be taken in the transition to object technology, and reviews present and future benefits for information…

Examined developmental changes in the use of distance-based and calendar-based approaches to estimate the recency of two events. Found that children's ability to discriminate temporal relationships between two events appears by four to five years of age. In contrast, use of calendar information and cognizance of annual patterns was found only in…

Examines the use of tasks with backward false belief explanation as an effective technique in gaining a complete picture of the development of understanding of the representational mind. Argues that traditional prediction tests of false belief cannot tell whether children's wrong answers show misunderstanding about false belief or seduction by the…

Examines the ideas secondary school students associate with the word "cycles" before instruction. Draws conclusions about the integrative role of this concept in teaching and learning about environmental issues. Possibilities for making use of the concept of cycles in lower and higher secondary environmental education are discussed. (LZ)

Discusses children's place-value understanding, including initial learning interference, vertical number lines, and planned discourse. Describes a learning activity that can guide children from a concrete to a symbolic understanding of place value. (11 references) (MKR)

This article is the last keynote address of the Algebra Working Group of the Seventh International Conference on Mathematical Education held in Quebec City, Canada in August 1992. Attempts to integrate, and react to, the broad range of issues raised by the Algebra Working Group. (35 references) (MKR)

Presents an exploratory experience that allows students an opportunity to practice science process skills and use all of their senses. Describes a fruit study activity, appropriate for grades three through six, that incorporates the learning cycle (exploration, concept development, and concept application) and cooperative learning strategies.…

Interviewed 99 first and second graders in the fall and spring. Results indicated that children needed to understand the concepts of either the irreversibility or inevitability of death before understanding the concepts of cessation of life functions and causes of death. Children's understanding of human and animal death developed differently. (BC)

Uses of Intermedia, computer software designed to help instructors express relationships between concepts in the sciences and humanities, are discussed. The kinds of educational problems Intermedia was intended to address are described, some materials created using it are surveyed, and experiences with Intermedia in various educational contexts…

Reviews the author's experiences in adult education over a quarter century; cites obstacles to adult education's role in social change and the lag in theoretical development. Depicts the future of adult education in response to three challenges: internationalization of the market, ecological awareness, and the theoretical and intellectual…

Offers a game for helping first-grade students develop locational skills and geographic concepts. Calls upon students to (1) locate rooms within a school; (2) identify the rooms' purposes; (3) understand written instructions; (4) understand directional concepts; and (5) develop skills of cooperation. (DK)