Teaching ecological concepts in schools is important in promoting natural science and environmental education for young learners. Developing educational programs is difficult, however, because of complicated ecological processes operating on multiple levels, the unlimited nature of potential system interactions (given the openness of systems), and…

Author attempted to clarify the concept of "creativity" so that students might become more creative and teachers might realize more effective methods for stimulating student development. (RK)

This paper explores a form of classroom discourse, organized around student argumentation, that brings into focus an alternative view of science and science education as socially and culturally constituted, meaning-making activities. To elaborate the differences between this emerging discourse practice and conventional practice, two examples are…

AN ENDEAVOR TO PULL TOGETHER FINDINGS FROM VARIOUS SOURCES ON THE NATURE OF THINKING, CREATING FROM THESE A HYPOTHESIS ON THE TEACHING OF THINKING AND THEN TESTING TO WHAT EXTENT IT IS VALID IN THE CLASSROOM, IS PRESENTED. A DEFINITION OF METHOD IN EDUCATION IS GIVEN. THE SPECIFIC ASPECT OF METHOD PROBED HERE IS THE EXTENT TO WHICH DIFFERENT…

Discusses research findings that relate to teaching fractions for conceptual understanding. Gives teacher/student dialogues that illustrate the thought processes of students as they form part-whole and improper fraction concepts. (MDH)

Presents the results of research into language acquisition in technology-based environments, discusses how these results allow second-language educators to develop conceptual bases for second-language learning and teaching, and demonstrates the framework of optimal learning environments that has served as a model for a college…

Although research from a developmental/psychological perspective indicates that many children do not have a scientific understanding of living things, even by the age of 10 years, little research has been conducted about how students learn this science topic in the classroom. This exploratory research used a case-study design and qualitative…

Researchers in medicine, education, and related fields continue to make new discoveries about how the brain functions or malfunctions. The implications of studies of how young children learn compare favorably with those of educators such as Maria Montessori, Jerome Bruner, and Jean Piaget. These researchers saw growth and development as a series…

The research findings of Siegel, Wohlwill, Goodman, and others suggest that reading is a thinking skill which may be facilitated by the instruction of transferable problem-solving skills. In order to maximize learning in young children, it is important to provide opportunities which allow the exchange of information and concepts from one activity…

Presents a view of the interplay among the various factors of personal experience, language, and socialization in the process of learning science in classrooms. Discusses the problematic relations among scientific knowledge, the learning of science, and pedagogy. (GLR)

Examines ways in which classroom practices create a press for conceptual mathematical thinking and how teachers can promote student participation in a classroom community where conceptual understandings are valued and developed. Details four important sociomathematical norms characterizing a high press for conceptual thinking. Concludes that a…

This collection of essays illustrates various aspects of the recent trend to situate accounts of cognitive development. The essays examine contextual sensitivity in relation to ecological theories of perception and cognition, and contrast intuitive reasoning in mathematical and other scientific domains with the child's difficulty with reasoning in…

Proposed is a model for basic preconditions for "the design of effective programs in developmental learning." Such a program should include (1) a continuous psychocognitive diagnosis and assessment of each child; (2) a structured, coherent, sequential approach to content area; (3) a focus on symbolic manipulation and the essentials of a concept;…

THE 16 CLASSROOM EPISODES PRESENTED IN THIS REPORT WERE SELECTED BECAUSE (1) THEY RELATE CLOSELY TO IMPORTANT PRINCIPLES AND CONCEPTS OF LEARNING AND (2) THEY HAVE HIGH INSTRUCTIONAL VALUE FOR PROSPECTIVE TEACHERS. IN DEVELOPING THE EPISODE MATERIALS, THE INVESTIGATORS PHOTOGRAPHED AND TAPE RECORDED WIDE VARIETIES OF CLASSROOM EVENTS FROM ONGOING…

Insights gained from experience and research on language minority students' academic success are reviewed as background for presentation of a curriculum that is bilingual and content-based and uses cooperative learning techniques. First, findings on three elements of success (interest and motivation, intelligence and development, and psychosocial…