This issue of "Unicorn," the journal of the Australian College of Education (ACE), contains extracts and summaries of 13 presentations given at the international ACE conference, "Education 2000: Priorities for the New Millennium." The papers not only address the five themes of the conference (priorities for learning, priorities for supporting…

This paper reports on the first stage of a research project still in progress aiming at identifying undergraduate students' difficulties and errors in solving linear algebra problems. Some students' difficulties related to very basic notions of vector space theory are shown and discussed with respect to both Balacheff's theory of conceptions and…

The andragogical model of adult learning and education developed by Malcolm Knowles. the basis for much of "adult learning theory", is summarized and reviewed in terms of its assumptions, principles and recommended practices. By recasting the model as a theory with attendant hypotheses, it is then critiqued in terms of its theoretical adequacy and…

The study discusses some major adult learning theories and practices and their application to the functionality of synchronous learning tools in order to better support the needs and satisfaction of stakeholders while interacting in a web-based environment. It examines how best to provide guidelines for them in choosing the synchronous learning…

This proceedings of the annual conference of the North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education includes the following papers: "Affective Representation and Mathematical Problem Solving" (Goldin); "Cognitive Readiness and Process-Oriented Instruction in Secondary School Mathematics" (Harrison); "An…

This paper addresses the contributions that brain research makes to education. Topics pertaining to typical brain research findings and their educational significance, caution in the application of findings to explain differences by population, and the types of research that could be potentially helpful to educators are discussed. Among the…

This research examines some of the factors that influence the learning process in an informal science education setting such as the Explora Science Center. Goals of the study include the completion of a qualitative as well as quantitative study on adult learning in an informal, hands on setting, observing and determining the learner…

This research report identifies conditions and methods that focus on the daily classroom events of experienced teachers whose equity pedagogy results in effective teaching of students from diverse racial, ethnic, and social class groups. The research suggests that such methods elicit the kinds of dialogue that enrich the knowledge of all those who…

This document provides an examination of criticism directed towards developmental education. Ten common myths regarding the impact and effectiveness of developmental education are addressed and refuted. Some of the myths reviewed include the history of developmental education; theory-based developmental education programs; faculty training;…

The goal of this paper is to demonstrate how Constructivism in education has failed to address criticisms by re-directing or misdirecting the focus of the debate over whether or not Constructivism is able to give support to a viable theory of instruction. In response, support is given to Constructivism by drawing on rational, moral, and…

Stemming from a 1998 Columbia University conference on transformative learning, this 3-part book contains 12 articles that examine the concept of how adults learn to change ("transform") their frames of reference. The following are included in Part One: Developing Concepts of Transformative Learning: "Learning To Think Like an Adult: Core Concepts…

As biological and socio-cultural beings, humans are encouraged and aspire to "see" not only what comes "within sight," but also what is not possible to see. Visualization is described as offering a method of seeing the unseen. These ideas are organized into sections that focus on seeing the unseen in data, seeing the unseen in…

This paper gives a brief introduction to a discipline called the cognitive science of mathematics. The theoretical background of the arguments is based on embodied cognition and findings in cognitive linguistics. It discusses Mathematical Idea Analysis, a set of techniques for studying implicit structures in mathematics. Particular attention is…

WebQuests have become a popular form of guided inquiry using Web resources. The goal of WebQuests is to help students think and reason at higher levels,and use information to solve problems. This paper presents modifications to the WebQuest model drawing on primarily on schema theory. It is believed that these changes will further enhance student…

This booklet provides a sampling of strategies that will help students with content literacy. It is based on the idea that reading is about understanding such that the words are transformed into meaningful thoughts within the reader's cognitive frame of reference. The booklet contains various learning theories, and the strategies suggested…