Argues that educators should reconsider their current commitment to problem solving as the way to promote constructionist teaching and learning and should focus on teaching important ideas developed within the disciplines. This idea-based social constructivism focuses on the possibilities of a given situation. (SLD)

Assessed developments in the theory of mind suggested by changes in the organization of cognitive verb extensions during elementary school years. Found three major changes with development: increased understanding of the role of memory in input functions, increased interrelatedness of memory- and comprehension-related verbs, and increased…

Reports on two types of resistance by preservice science teachers--resistance to ideological change and resistance to pedagogical change. Suggests a sociotransformative constructivist orientation as a vehicle to link multicultural and socioconstructivist theoretical frameworks. Contains 90 references. (DDR)

Examines three case studies of educators (teachers, administrators, and paraprofessionals) who came together initially during a summer professional development experience. Through a two-week immersion, educators and facilitators engaged in challenging their assumptions and practice through the lens of constructivist pedagogy. The immersion evolved…

Describes a study of Indian and Fijian pre-service primary teachers that reveals how many hold alternative conceptions of fundamental scientific concepts. Focuses on conservation of matter. (DDR)

Describes the learning-cycle inquiry model and applies it to a history lesson on the problems and conflicts leading to World War I. Describes how students tackle a teacher-created problematic situation by conceptualizing questions, constructing hypotheses, and reaching consensus on solutions; debate their proposed solutions with the class; and…

Constructivist-based discussions in the science classroom were elicited through the application of an intervention model for effective whole-class discussion based on the "Philosophy for Children" program. Pre- and post-test measures indicate that the experimental class experienced significantly greater gains in scientific reasoning than…

Outlines character education from the constructivist perspective, discussing Piaget's research on children's reasoning about moral rules, which offers a framework for examining education. Examines parallel teacher/child relationships, which affect moral development, and presents examples of how teachers can create cooperative interpersonal…

Offers a constructivist perspective in considering strategies for managing student behavior, such as severe behavior problems, in elementary school classrooms which include children with special needs. This approach capitalizes on the social context and group problem solving to teach children how to manage their own behavior. Examples are…

Discusses issues related to the integration of technology into today's classrooms, focusing on issues for traditional and constructivist pedagogies: changing classroom environments; computers as part of the classroom and curriculum; dynamic student products involving technology; expanding teaching and learning environments; constructivist…

Examines the complex interplay among 11 preservice secondary math teachers' instructional approaches and existing sociomathematical classroom norms. Findings suggest that existing norms (traditional or constructivist) in classrooms profoundly affected preservice teachers' instructional methods and their interactions with cooperating teachers. (16…

Studies the co-emergence of teaching and children's construction of specific conceptions that support the generation of improper fractions in a constructivist teaching experiment with two fourth-grade students posing and solving tasks in a computer microworld. Reports that examination of the teacher's adaptation of learning situations (tasks) and…

Describes the conversational rhythm in an elementary class in order to understand when and how teacher and students succeed in developing shared understandings, and when and how they encounter difficulties. Uses the two contrasting concepts of "intermingling" and "bumpiness" to catch the phenomenological aspects of time in the…

Presents an action-research study of student scientific literacy that is analyzed by two metaphors of learning: students working in science as if they follow recipes, and students working in science as if they devise recipes. Considers the usefulness of the metaphors as a framework to provide common ground for otherwise divergent views on…

Describes a conceptual typology of models to help teachers select models appropriate to the cognitive ability of their students. Presents an example of how the systematic presentation of analogical models enhanced an 11th-grade chemistry student's understanding of atoms and molecules. Makes recommendations for teachers. Contains 28 references.…