In past issues of "The Educational Forum," David Elkind (2004; 2005) and Jamin Carson (2005) have engaged in a dialogue about constructivism and objectivism as viable philosophies of education. In this issue, yet another author joins in the discussion by questioning the role of science and religion in objectivism.

As part of the larger project to revision vocational psychology for a new era, a process referred to as the emergence of new intentions in subjective experience is defined and described. It is proposed that this process is central to the ongoing construction and reconstruction of lives in the changing landscape of the times. Following an…

This article provides a series of readings of a young man's career--a career that was shared in the context of a research project. Although similar, each reading is qualitatively different in the sense that new material is introduced on each occasion. This, in turn, highlights the limitations of the word as a form of representation. The article…

The suggestion that new courses can be constructed from existing learning objects appears technically self-evident but remains unproven. Despite increasing evidence that learning objects can provide a suitable structure for constructing courses most evidence is based on creating learning objects, either through restructuring existing materials or…

Qualitative career assessments are theoretically based interventions that are grounded in constructivism. Constructivism is a departure from the traditional logical positive worldview that has influenced the development of many traditional career assessments. A central concept to constructivism is the importance of meaning, which can only be…

Many e-learning materials lack pedagogical principles and theoretical foundations. The great potential of activating learners and thus enriching learning experience is often unused in instructional software and online courses. Pedagogical theories like constructivist and action-orientated approaches should rather underlie the creation of new…

Over the previous two decades the emergence of post-modernist thought (i.e., radical constructivism, social constructivism, deconstructivism, post-structuralism, and the like) on the American intellectual landscape has presented a number of challenges to various fields of intellectual endeavor (i.e., literature, natural science, and social…

Image studies, or imagology, was traditionally subsumed under the uncritical notion of "national character", which was itself replaced by the constructivist term "national stereotype". Since its origins in comparative literature, the field has moved beyond the narrow disciplinary confines of the humanities, with their predominantly qualitative…

The Systems Theory Framework (STF) of career development represents a metatheoretical account of career development that is consistent with the constructivist worldview. Presented as a framework of influences, the STF clearly illustrates the content and process of career development. The STF has provided the stimulus for the development of a…

There is one account in the literature of the application of a solution-focused approach to individual teaching development at university level (Devlin, 2003). The solution-focused approach is based on solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT). The current paper elaborates on the existing account, further outlining and illustrating the techniques that…

A constructivist approach to teaching encourages students to seek answers for themselves, while the instructor acts as a guide and facilitator as students pursue information gathering and knowledge construction. In a large class, it is difficult to use a constructivist model of education simply because of the number of students involved. This…

Innovation Education (IE) is a new subject area in Icelandic schools. The aim of the subject is to train students to identify the needs and problems in their environment and to develop solutions: a process of ideation. This activity has been classroom based but now a Virtual Reality Learning Environment technology (VRLE) has been designed to…

Teacher educators are often challenged to demonstrate the same kinds of constructivist educational practices in their own teaching they so often recommend for public school educators. We report here on our efforts to reconstruct our university teaching practice through experiments with artmaking as a pedagogical strategy. Two case illustrations…

"Models of Teaching: Connecting Student Learning with Standards" features classic and contemporary models of teaching appropriate to elementary and secondary settings. Authors Jeanine M. Dell'Olio and Tony Donk use detailed case studies to discuss 10 models of teaching and demonstrate how the models can incorporate state content standards and…

This article discusses a project established at the New Vic Borderlines by Sue Moffat in 1999 titled "Making Amends." It is an example of interventionist theatre undertaken with young offenders. The article draws on theories of restorative justice as well as ideas of learning development found in social constructivism in order to…