Presents a historical and pedagogical overview of various types of schools (for example, Montessori, laboratory schools, traditional). Attempts to classify these schools according to types of consciousness (for example, mythological, scientific, workshop) and types of social communities and activities. Considers the interrelation between the…

Maintains that student-centered curriculum embodies the progressive and constructivist principles of active, participatory learning. Advocates emphasizing the importance of context as part of a constructivist approach. Includes instructional examples of connecting contextual information about artworks to constructivist activities. (MJP)

Investigates the construction of understanding of the motion of an object down an inclined plane which takes place through the process of model building in an integrated algebra, trigonometry, and physics class. Discusses four major themes related to student learning through modeling that emerged from the results. Discusses implications for…

Investigates the characteristics of oral and written communication in a German third-grade mathematics class and theorizes how this knowledge might be applied to improve instruction. Develops several lessons incorporating communication skills into activities that illustrate fundamental mathematical concepts. Includes lesson transcripts, writing…

Examined effects of negative group stereotypes on reasoning about peer retribution (child hits another child in response to name calling) among 2,604 Arab and Jewish adolescents in Israel. Found evidence that Arab and Jewish students hold stereotypes about one another and that in-group bias affected approval and reasoning about peer retribution…

Discusses changes in student attitudes, beliefs, behavior, and the nature and quality of mathematics activity in the classroom resulting from a constructivist-oriented inservice program for teachers (K-12). Although instruction focused more on conceptual understanding, student scores on standardized tests were maintained. Appendix includes…

Excerpts chapter five from Ele Monoszon's "The Establishment and Development of Soviet Pedagogy." Defines didactics from a Marxist-Leninist perspective, identifying principles and problems in content, methods, and organization of instruction. Reviews teachers' participation in research and development of Soviet pedagogy. (CH)

Reports on a study of 12 U.S. and Russian elementary students working with a mathematics computer software program. Finds that students working together learned the program's concepts faster. Discusses implications of the findings and the significance of sociohistorical frameworks on cognitive processes. (CFR)

To test whether gains in cognitive development can be accelerated, an intervention model was used to give pupils special lessons in science, using ideas of cognitive conflict, metacognition, and bridging in the context of formal operations. Found that intervention led to substantial and long-lasting increased achievement in science, mathematics,…

The paper presents the results of an evaluation research that studied the impact of a nationwide home intervention program, the Mother-Child Education Program, on both children and mothers immediately after the termination of the program and at the end of the children's first year of formal schooling. A pre/post control group quasiexperimental…

This study investigated the effects of learning communities on the educational development of first-year college students at a large, urban, highly selective, research university. These communities, known as "clusters," comprised a year long sequence of theme-oriented courses that were team taught and that included interdisciplinary lectures and…

In Hawaii, state agencies and foundations are poised to support readiness efforts to improve educational outcomes for children. Developing a shared understanding of the construct of readiness is key to these efforts. The purposes of this research were to (a) discover the perceptions and beliefs held by Hawaii parents, teachers and administrators…

Using a comparative-cultural perspective, this collection of essays examines the co-constructivist nature of human development in culturally organized environments. The contributions also cover a large age span--infancy to adulthood. Chapters in part 1 cover two different directions in the study of early adult-infant interaction from a comparative…

This packet contains six briefs developed specifically for Spanish-speaking parents of Mexican origin, and English translations of the briefs. In plain language, these briefs state what researchers and practitioners have learned about various ways parents can help their children do well in school. Titles of the briefs are (1) "Apoyando el…

Home environments have been linked to cognitive development and academic performance, with suggestions that family factors exert more influence on language and literacy learning than on mathematics achievement. This study's purpose was to learn how selected family factors might be differentially related to primary grade achievement in reading and…