Discusses an activity-based, exploratory-centered model of instruction based on the Piagetian theory of developmental learning that bridges the gap between the expected and actual levels of student reasoning. Applies the method to learning the mathematical concepts of circumference, area and volume, and division by zero. (22 references) (MDH)

Proposed is a scheme for concept development in teaching the topic of energy. Levels within the scheme are described, as well as their interrelationships and their relation to the student's own world. (KR)

Examines the research literature in science education to determine how appropriate it is for teaching science to young children 3-5 years of age. In the context of this discussion, a model for the teaching of science in early childhood is presented. For clarity and continuity, the example of teaching electricity is used throughout. (PR)

Describes the assessment of elementary-education majors' understanding of the learning cycle. Students displayed a high frequency of alternative conceptions even though the assessment was administered after they had received instruction and extensive modeling of the learning cycle. The data provided by the test can be used to improve instruction…

Describes the difficulties that high school and university students have in thinking about force, identifying forces, and drawing force diagrams. Finds that students using a computer tutoring program made limited progress in learning to construct free-body diagrams because of their alternative conceptions and faulty teaching methods. Offers…

This paper describes a two-week cross-cultural immersion experience in the United States for preservice teachers attending a small liberal arts college in the Southeast. This immersion occurs early in their teacher training and is designed to positively affect preservice teachers' attitudes toward Latino students who do not speak English well. As…

The purpose of this study was to determine the beliefs about biological evolution held by college freshman students in one Catholic university in the Philippines. After 4 weeks of constructivist-inspired instruction, interviews and journal entries revealed that the students have diverse beliefs about the theory of evolution. They posited…

Debate over the link between student learning styles and effective teaching has a long tradition, made more interesting by Karns's recent article "Learning Style Differences in the Perceived Effectiveness of Learning Activities." Fundamentally he asserts, in critiquing Morrison et al. (2003), that marketing educators should not adopt "a high…

Studies show that misconceptions about psychology are pervasive. This study examined how the strength of prior beliefs and the sources of misinformation relate to conceptual change following an introductory psychology course. Ninety introductory psychology students completed a 36-item "Psychological Information" questionnaire. Testing during the…

As a post-9/11 society in the United States, people live in a complex and pluralistic world that pushes to rethink how to approach education. People want to know what is right and good, but how to discern this in a world where consensual understandings of meaning are missing, even within the nation's borders? Those in the northern, and…

The purpose of this research study was to examine the effectiveness of problem-based learning (PBL) on eleventh grade students' understanding of "The effects of temperature, concentration and pressure on cell potential" and also their social skills. Stratified randomly selected control and experimental groups with 20 students each were used in…

Several studies have shown the difficulties students encounter in making sense of situations involving rate of change. This study concerns how students discover errors and refine their knowledge when working with rate of change. The part of the study reported here concerns the responses of four precalculus students to a task which asked them to…

Any number of successful teaching strategies use a mixture of methods rich in language use to enhance conceptual learning. Not all language-rich teaching leads to equivalent conceptual gain. A year-long study was conducted in three high school physics classes to provide empirical support for the existence of effects of varying level of…

This study examined three teams of teachers at three high schools (in a relatively large midwestern school district) as they designed and implemented a teaming project for interdisciplinary teaching entitled the Partners Program. The study focused on two findings related to the demise of this innovation: misconceptions by participating teachers…

The theme of the material contained in this annotated resource list is the relationship between teaching and learning mathematics in the specific content area of graphing functions. The list contains 30 articles, papers, and unpublished manuscripts written from 1979 through 1989. The articles treat various aspects of concept formation,…