Graham Nuthall was drawn to social constructivist theories but relatively pessimistic about the feasibility of social constructivist approaches to teaching, except in rather narrowly specified situations. This article summarizes Nuthall's views on these issues and the research findings that shaped them, drawing in particular on a chapter in which…

This study examined the effects of a constructivist mathematics intervention for students with mild mental retardation, as compared to direct instruction, which is often recommended for these children. A total of 69 students from elementary schools for special education participated in the study, which focused on multiplication learning. They…

This explores the constructivist understanding that shared practitioner research in collaborative online spaces leads to deeper learning. The research was developed within the context of building the National College of School Leaderships (NCSLs) online learning communities. A community and a learning scale, both emerging through grounded…

Traditionally our UK higher education establishments have majored on a lecturer instructing a group of students. The focus has been very much on transferring a body of knowledge to a set of learners using a variety of teaching methods. The target in many establishments has been on the individual learner and their performance. Conversation, when…

The epistemological reflection model offers a constructivist theory of personal epistemology based on a 16-year longitudinal study. Participants' developmental journeys are intertwined with the researchers' journey to trace the evolution of the model and its implications for research and practice to promote personal epistemology.

The main purpose of this article is to discuss possibilities and concerns associated with building online communication into on-campus and online distance education courses. This article presents guidelines related to teaching strategies and procedures that maximize the integration of online communication in higher education. A sample of feedback…

The National Board of Professional Teaching Standards states that model teachers reflect on children's work to inform their practice. The study examines what that means for pre-service early childhood teachers. Six student teachers were asked to reflect on their practice by talking about their teaching when viewing children's work generated by the…

This paper examines the relationship among behaviorism, constructivism and Socratic pedagogy. Specifically, it asks if a Socratic educator can be a constructivist or a behaviorist. In the first part of the paper, each learning theory, as it relates to the Socratic project, is explained. In the last section, the question of whether or not a…

In the present study we attempt to incorporate the philosophical dialogue about physical reality into the instructional process of quantum mechanics. Taking into account that both scientific realism and constructivism represent, on the basis of a rather broad spectrum, prevalent philosophical currents in the domain of science education, the…

The theory of dialogism, developed by the Russian linguist Mikhail Bakhtin (1895-1975) with regard to literature and everyday communication, can be used to improve the teaching of science. Some of Bakhtin's conceptual instruments are helpful in analysing the teaching process, and it is interesting to compare them with former ideas about teaching…

This paper documents some of the "bad press" that Positivism has received in science education; it delineates the varied, and sometimes contradictory, ways in which educationalists characterize positivism; it indicates that Constructive shares the same philosophical commitments as the instrumentalist tradition in positivism; and it suggests that…

This study provides an in-depth analysis of children's use of a taught mental calculation strategy. Three children (aged eight to nine years) who demonstrated contrasting spontaneous calculation approaches, were interviewed following the direct instruction of a calculation strategy. Their responses are explored in relation to constructivist and…

Purpose: This paper aims to define the need for a route modelling language in e-learning, identifying requirements and candidate languages, before providing a recommended approach. Design/methodology/approach: Several sources of requirements are drawn from the literature then used to review available approaches to route modelling. The best…

In this article, the author clarifies formative learning and assessment for persons who are seeking additional ideas for courses, degree programs, or personal career goals. This scholarly review uses published literature to clarify differences between formative and summative assessment and to outline developmental issues that guide constructivist…

The "ISSS Annual Conference Proceedings" is a peer-reviewed professional publication published once a year following the annual conference. (Individual papers contain references.) [For the 2010 proceedings, see ED509647.]