Discusses the social role of the computer and the use of computers to facilitate learning through language. Highlights include computer use in education; learning as a communicative, social process; social cultural theory; interaction and learning; didactic/communicative pedagogy; social interaction and higher-order learning; facilitating learning…

Identifies and discusses different ways in which teachers using constructivist and other approaches might teach a lesson on the Lexington Green incident of April 1775. In that incident British soldiers opened fire on colonial farmers, killing eight of them. Includes excerpts from eyewitness documents and other background material. (MJP)

Outlines a series of simulation activities using historical incidents to illustrate the importance of the decision-making process. Students act out historical roles as the leaders of Austria-Hungary, Germany, and Russia in the days leading up to World War I and as the Tsar of Russia after the Bloody Sunday massacre. (MJP)

Introduces the constructivist theory of mathematical learning, and illustrates its application in a curriculum focusing on fundamental concepts. How knowledge is constructed, how concepts mature, and what it means to learn and to know mathematics are presented. Pedagogical implications of adopting a constructivist perspective on knowledge and…

Over the past decade, the concept of "community" has been at the center of reform in literacy education. Most literacy educators agree that community-oriented environments are critical for students' literacy learning, yet many have difficulty building these communities in multicultural and multilingual classrooms. In this article we draw upon the…

Drawing on data gathered during a seven-month study of the literacy practices of a group of White, working-class girls who have successfully navigated their high school's English curriculum, this ethnography investigates (1) how gender and class influenced the girls' uses of literacy in the classroom and (2) how the girls used texts from English…

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) can be integrated in the classroom processes in different ways. This study reveals ICT, as a mediating artefact in project work can contribute to the learning processes in the classroom. When ICT is used as an artefact to make a film, planning and decision making becomes natural and necessary…

The current study investigated six teachers, three in second grade and three in fourth grade, and their beliefs about learning, instruction, and technology. The first significant finding was that the teachers who held objectivist notions about learning and instruction also held objectivist views concerning technology, and the teachers who…

A multi-site case study of three Swedish schools examined the dimensions of trust, responsibility, shared power (democracy), and global workforce competence as required by a decade-old national education reforms. A key finding was the existence of progressive educational practices including constructivist epistemology, evidenced by the schools'…

There continues to be a severe under-representation of African Americans in the fields of information technology (IT) and computer science. The author contends that this is attributable, at least in part, to inappropriate assumptions about the nature of thinking, knowing, teaching and learning. He contends that attention given to these assumptions…

The purpose of this study was to analyze the reform efforts in the education system of Turkey and identify missing points of the reform process that was introduced in 2004. An overview of the Turkish educational system is briefly described, followed by the analysis of the reform's rational. This new curriculum is evaluated in terms of its missing…

The conditions, processes and consequences of technology implementation were explored in order to develop a holistic view of technology use in a typical elementary school (ages 6-11 years). This qualitative case study employed a symbolic interactionist conceptual framework, an interpretivist research paradigm and analytic induction strategies.…

An online writing center developed at the University of Antwerp, Belgium, called Calliope, provides a modular platform aimed at enhancing learners' professional writing skills in five different languages: Dutch, English, French, German, and Spanish. It supports courses in business and technical communication. The current version includes modules…

Sociocultural theory has challenged existing notions of cognitive development by suggesting that psychological functioning is specific to its social context and is dependent on the mastery of culturally defined modes of speaking, thinking, and acting. This book provides a representative sample of work on the social and cultural foundations of…

The Queensland (Australia) Department of Education s "Corporate Plan 1994-98" identifies student learning and teaching as a key issue and includes effective learning and teaching as a corporate value. This document provides information on five guiding principles that have been formulated for the development and implementation of quality…