Introduction: The nations which have the aim to create democratic societies should also realize the same ideals in educational practices. Related literature declare that learning environments based on constructivist approach is assumed to be democratic. In line with this frame, the aim of this study is to determine the perceptions of prospective…

Practitioners are often faced with the national legislation's influence at the school-based curricular level. In the United States, the federal government No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 mandates reading instruction at the early primary grade levels. The position of "literacy coach" was created to support this curriculum change by…

In a quasi-experimental study (N = 60), grade 7/8 teachers students were taught to write arguments in content-area subjects. After instruction, students drew on document portfolios to write on a new topic: "Do the continents drift?" In a MANCOVA, students who participated in argument instruction scored significantly higher than a control…

This article looks at a process of integrating real-life data investigation in a course on descriptive statistics. Referring to constructivist perspectives, this article suggests a look at the potential of inculcating alternative teaching methods that encourage students to take a more active role in their own learning and participate in the…

Education has moved from teacher to student-centred practices. Increasing emphasis is placed on "life-long" learning in the context of a rapidly changing knowledge base. Self-evaluation is seen as one strategy to facilitate student-centred continuous professional development. The literature, however, suggests that learners' ability to…

The purpose of this research study was to examine the differences in beliefs and perceptions about the implementation of constructivist principles into instruction, in support of the National Science Education Standards, for science teachers who adopt constructivist principles and those who do not. The study also examined correlations between a…

The central theme of this dissertation is the transformational learning journey with Pepperdine The central theme of this dissertation is the transformational learning journey with Pepperdine University utilizing the research method of autoethnography personal narratives. Autoethnography is bold, yet vulnerable, genuine and authentic. It provides…

Educational incongruence exists in classrooms today. Formal schooling is often incongruent and disconnected with the natural learning of children. This can result in educational experiences that fail to meet personal and societal needs. I believe we need greater congruence between learning and teaching in order to improve current and future social…

This article addresses the learning paradox, which obliges researchers to explain how cognition can advance from a lower level of reasoning to a higher one. Although the question is at least as old as Plato, two major flaws have inhibited progress in developing solutions: the assumption that learning is an inductive process, and the conflation of…

Fifty-six children, aged between 4 and 11 years, in seven groups, were videoed playing with, being questioned about and sorting a collection of toys in order to identify what skills of observation looked like in young children, how observations influenced other scientific skills and what supported the skill of observation. Children's skills of…

Induction programs, including mentorship, serve to bridge the transition from preservice to in-service teaching. This study explored the mentorship experiences of Saskatchewan beginning teachers. Analysis of interviews identified three themes: assigned/unassigned mentors, engaged/disengaged mentors, and single/multiple mentors. One moderating…

Helping children to refine and coordinate old ways of thinking is based on constructivist teaching, which promotes children's introspection skills. Several Japanese early childhood teaching practices align with constructivism, and Muto (2002) recommends that teachers reflect on their teaching methods and on their assessment of children by focusing…

This article explores "Second Life"[TM] (SL) from an educator's perspective. As instructional designers transform instruction from real world to SL, understanding how more traditional forms of teaching and learning transfer to the immersive spaces of virtual life may be critical. This article identifies principles of instruction for virtual worlds…

This article describes an initial attempt to find out students' perceptions of class visits to natural history museums, with regard to the museum's role as a place for intellectual and social experience. The study followed up approximately 500 Grades 6-8 students who visited four museums of different sizes, locations and foci. Data sources…

Many have proposed the creation of a practitioner knowledge base as a foundation for the continuous improvement of teaching. In this article, we discuss the promise, and the challenges, involved in the creation and use of such a knowledge base. We begin by reflecting on the difficulties of changing teaching, a cultural and contextual activity. We…