Studied how efforts to change public examination of secondary students toward a more constructive approach would influence teaching in Hong Kong schools, investigating teachers' perspectives of the change in relation to teaching situations and classroom practices. Classroom observation and interview data indicated that class activities changed,…

Reports a case study in a Singapore school where a group of at-risk secondary students were given a series of linked computer-based projects. Describes the conceptual framework based on constructivism and situated learning and discusses benefits in academic performance, student motivation, language development, cooperation and stress management,…

Discusses Web-based distance-educational opportunities in post-secondary education, reviews traditional models for instructional design along with available educational technology, and suggests a derivative framework based upon environmental factors and circumstance. Examines constructivism, computer-mediated communication, communication…

Research and two teaching experiences support the notion that social location influences the way students learn; therefore, a place-based, Appalachian-based curriculum in the region's colleges and universities would enhance student learning. Appalachian studies should be integrated throughout the college curriculum, but that requires a well…

Develops a taxonomy of styles for teaching general chemistry laboratory courses. Differentiates between expository instruction, inquiry instruction, discovery instruction, and problem-based instruction in the laboratory. Reviews research on the effectiveness of the various types of instruction. Contains 68 references. (WRM)

Examines a professional-development center established by a consortium of Seattle school districts that integrates technology into constructivist classrooms. Interviews with participants and program directors and observations of teachers participating in seminars and interacting with students and teachers provided data on four elements deemed…

Presents results from empirical studies of physics learning for different age groups using a situated cognition perspective to construct detailed understandings of how individual learning processes unfold. Contains 35 references. (PVD)

Learning differences or disabilities can be best understood and addressed within the holistic/constructivist theory of knowledge construction and the reciprocal evolution of cognitive structures. Learning differences manifest themselves in the spirals of mental structuring activity that guide relational thinking. Such a perspective focuses on…

Educators should jettison organization-theory definitions of technology as "neutral." Technology helps steer institutions' organizational assumptions, and should be co-opted to educational ends. Outlining specific strategies, a case study suggests how a professional-development unit might provide leadership in a "knowledge…

Examines some limitations of online course delivery and management systems in terms of the range of pedagogies they support, and explores the effects of a distance learning pedagogy that emphasizes alternative forms of knowledge representation, authentic forms of assessment, and use of distributed tools on students outcomes and student perceptions…

Examined discourse components, interaction patterns, and reasoning complexity of eighth-graders in two science classrooms as they constructed mental models of the nature of matter. Found that teacher-guided discussions were more efficient for attaining higher reasoning levels and higher quality explanations, but peer discussions were more…

This article describes program strategies and adult practices that can build youth-adult partnerships. In particular, it focuses on strategies to empower girls in all-female after-school programs. The Young Women's Leadership Alliance has involved 164 girl leaders and five adult women leaders over three years. To build the partnerships, adults…

We present 4 key arguments: (1) knowledge translation requires tacit and explicit knowledge that must be introduced into the organization as well as simply acquired by individuals; (2) educating for knowledge translation must go beyond conveying facts and developing capability; (3) a constructivist and collaborative approach to education can…

Traditional student evaluations of teaching do not adequately assess the essential constructivist-based practices that have been recommended for effective online instruction. There is a need for student evaluation of teaching instruments that are specifically designed to provide online instructors with valid feedback about the effectiveness of…

The authors of this article present a synopsis of one simultaneous reform effort of a teacher preparation program and a partner urban elementary school. We have attempted to blend the realities of urban teaching and teacher preparation without compromising our beliefs in constructivist theories of learning, cooperative learning, and inclusion. We…