A comprehensive approach for integrating technology into a TESOL teacher preparation program is described. Ten specific ways to assure constructivist technology use in teacher education are highlighted. These techniques have been synthesized into a compact model with three pillars: (a) electronic assessment system (e-portfolios for individual…

Background: The introduction of a new National Curriculum in post-apartheid South Africa heralded a different approach in education. This curriculum not only advocated the development of knowledge and skills, but also emphasised education for democracy and citizenship. It seeks to balance central control (and a single curriculum) with local…

The number of games, simulations, and multi-user virtual environments designed to promote learning, engagement with subject matter, or intended to contextualize learning has been steadily increasing over the past decade. While the use of these digital designs in educational settings has begun to show promise for improving learning, motivation, and…

The purpose of this study was to determine pre-service physics teachers' attitudes towards assessment. It was also aimed to examine the factors affecting their attitudes. Two factors were considered. The first was difficulties that pre-service teachers experienced relating to assessment. The second factor was teachers' self-efficacy regarding…

The No Child Left Behind education act mandates that school districts develop supplemental educational service programs for students not demonstrating mathematical proficiency on state standardized math assessments. Yet there is limited understanding of issues related to supplemental educational service math programs. The purpose of this…

The purpose of this Executive Position Paper (EPP) is to develop a model for improving the online training modules utilized by a mid-Atlantic Residence Life department. The complexity of the Residence Life staff positions, coupled with demands from other university departments and the need to provide as much information as possible, resulted in an…

Background/Context: New technologies have been largely absent in arts education curriculum even though they offer opportunities to address arts integration, equity, and the technological prerequisites of an increasingly digital age. This paper draws upon the emerging professional field of "media arts" and the ways in which youth use new…

This lesson plan uses group activity and manipulative materials to teach English-speaking students (ages 15-16) of diverse ethnic backgrounds an operatonal understanding of the Pythagorean Theorem. It is based on theories of constructivism and holism and includes teacher instructions, discussion questions, a retrospective vision, and an ancillary…

This paper presents evidence about the emergence of a research community in mathematics education by contrasting work in the field in the 1960s with current work with regard to six features of such communities. Based on this contrast, the claim that a research community in mathematics education has emerged is only partially supported. (a) Today,…

In a conceptual-analytical study using a deductive classificatory content analysis method ten constructivist instructional design models were selected, and learning/teaching approaches within each model were appraised. Using the original writings of the originators of each design model, the learning and teaching approaches employed or permitted to…

Instructors must be steadfast in their intent to alter conventional transmission models of instruction and to embed reading and writing fully in subject area learning so that avid reading and writing become a natural part of all classroom activity. One instructional model offering engagement of students with material is the constructivist…

Examines guessing as a heuristic for problem-solving presented in a taped lesson by George Polya. Analogical models transformed a complex problem to a simpler one and maintained problem identification. Instructional explanations fulfilled two goals simultaneously: (1) teach students how to use guessing as a problem-solving strategy to solve the…

Examines which of the warrants of authority, coherence, and empirical evidence were invoked by grade 8 science classroom participants in their daily interactions, and whether these were linked to particular teaching referents. Results indicate that when the teacher embraced a context exposure referent at the expense of constructivism, the warrant…

In interviews, 8 novice and 10 experienced extension educators discussed problem situations. Results supported Schon's theory that reflective practitioners use constructivist problem solving, nonreflective practitioners an instrumentalist approach. Whether novices or experts, reflective practitioners develop expertise through reflection-in-action…

Presents a model lesson that demonstrates how teachers can provide experiences to close the conceptual gaps for deaf students and provide a common base before launching into new concepts. Discusses the constructivist paradigm, misconceptions, the Learning Cycle, strategies for teaching deaf students, and assessment of learning for students who are…