The complexity of urban contexts is often subsumed into generalizations and deficit assumptions of urban communities and its members by those unfamiliar with urban culture. This is especially true for teachers seeking work in urban schools. This article addresses the complex interpretations of urban through the lens of a White male graduate…

This paper shows how the knowledge structures and traditions of the amalgamated multi-discipline of social studies at once help and hinder the use of constructivist instructional models. I interpret the planning process of two "Fostering a Community of Learners" units and examine how these two units are implemented by four teachers, given their…

This paper discusses the lessons learned from applying a theoretical framework for the professional development of teachers. This framework draws three interrelated theoretical areas constructivism, situated and distributed cognition, and communities of practice. We first present the theoretical ideas on which this framework is based and discuss…

The last decade of research in text processing has been marked by a debate between opposing views of comprehension: One side emphasizes discourse processing from the bottom-up, the other from the top-down. A central focus of the debate has been the principle of "search after meaning," posited by the top-down, constructionist approach (Graesser,…

In this article, I present a model of instructional design that has evolved from analysis and reflection on the process of designing materials for constructivist learning environments. I observed how we addressed the critical questions for instructional design, comparing the process to traditional instructional design models and to my emerging…

The research examined the effect of a teaching strategy emphasizing on instructional congruence on students' interests towards learning science. This study was conducted in three "low performing" secondary schools in Penang, Malaysia. There were 214 students involved in this study. A questionnaire was utilized to collect data on…

The purpose of this case study was to examine students' perceptions of their learning experiences while working on a real world instructional design project in a performance oriented team in the context of a situated and problem-based learning environment. Participants were 11 graduate students enrolled in a learning-by-doing instructional design…

Student performance on critical-thinking applications on standardized tests in a southwestern U.S. state has been low for several years. The purpose of this instrumental case study was to explore how one school district prepared students for critical-thinking applications on standardized tests. The study was informed by cognitivism and…

The purpose of this study was to explore outcomes of a GIS/GPS integration process: to (a) examine student responses to GIS and GPS inclusion in their curriculum, (b) determine whether a relationship exists between inclusion of GIS into existing K-12 curriculum and student achievement, (c) examine the effectiveness of GIS professional development…

Career academies, schools within schools that concentrate on career fields, require the intentional efforts of teachers working collaboratively and sharing best practices to increase students' achievement and employability. Little is known of the perceptions of career academies' teachers, however, as they attempt to make changes in practice. The…

The purpose of this paper is to describe and present results from the fourth year of a five-year collaborative research project between an interactive science center and a local college. The purpose of the project is not only to recruit and train approximately 50 highly qualified science teachers who will teach in New York City public schools, but…

Teacher educators need tools to help them think about teacher learning, to design activities and programs that foster it, and to assess the results of their work with preservice and in-service teachers. In this article, in order to improve the conceptual tools available for the design and study of teacher education, the author teases apart…

As proposed by social constructive theorists, meaningful learning and individual development were achieved through social interaction. To foster social interaction among students, this study formed an online learning community in which they played multiple roles as writers, editors and commentators. In playing different roles, they read peers'…

This paper examines the effectiveness of three different online writing activities in formal university education: forums, blogs, and wikis. Constructivism--reflective and collaborative learning fostered by scaffolding--provides a main support for their use in education. Prior research regarding the use of blogs and wikis, especially in language…

In this paper, we critically analyze how the concept of negative knowledge contributes to the understanding of professionals' expert practice and learning. Negative knowledge is experientially acquired knowledge about what is wrong and what is to be avoided during performance in a given work situation. In terms of its theoretical foundation, the…