Activities and lessons, based on the theory of active learning and designed for a course to promote student involvement, are discussed in this document. Each activity is described and followed by an evaluation that students completed immediately following the activity. Students were asked about how interesting, useful, and relevant each of the…

A movement of educational change in Portugal aimed at giving schools larger autonomy in curricular decisions is described. In reconceptualizing curriculum, the concepts of competence and innovation played a central role. An analysis of the curriculum development process is included and some suggestions are offered for future research and debate.…

This paper offers an argument for the return to a consideration of the basic issues in mathematics education research in order to better understand the mechanisms of mathematics learning. A return to these basic issues can also shed light on the difficulties students encounter in learning mathematics. In organizing the argument, three kinds of…

The goal of my multi-study research program has been to learn how to engage all students in learning science. Most learning theories applied to science pedagogy take either a psychological or a sociocultural perspective and hence ignore either sociocultural or motivational factors when considering classroom learning. Based on my own research…

This paper discusses two pitfalls in designing project work. The first is a tendency to design projects with little emphasis on how the subject matter might connect to future studies. The second involves processes and goals of project work: all too often the processes proposed for project work serve goals that are nonexistent, weak, or unrelated…

This paper discusses the theories of conceptual change and how they explain the difficulties in mathematics learning, especially in enlarging the number concept. Two studies are presented, one of which examines the research questions: What is the role of prior knowledge in students' answers to questions about the density of rational and real…

The Southwest Educational Developmental Laboratory identified, located, and annotated references to inform the work of the Promoting Instructional Coherence Project, which investigates problems teachers face in their efforts to make their practice more coherent or meaningful for students. The references included in this annotated bibliography are…

This document summarizes sound ideas for teaching science, including developing thematic units of study; integrating subject matter; conducting embedded, ongoing assessments; using student input constructively; and grounding instruction in reliable learning theories. Four philosophies of education are mentioned to help in designing a science…

A report on some pilot research which explores ways of investigating the mathematics used in two professional crafts: upholstery and gardening. The paper considers observations and conversations in the light of J. Lave and E. Wenger's theory of situated cognition. It describes a situation in which cognition had to be transferred because of a…

Constructivism is considered a driving force in mathematics education. The purpose of this paper is to describe how the social constructivist view of learning can be useful in the teaching of high school algebra and in the preparation of mathematics teachers. A brief summary of the social constructivist view as a philosophy of mathematics is…

Bacon production was the area of study used in evaluating the use of Cue-Motor Association Theory in determining and predicting the number of cycles for an operator to reach standard rating. The "Elemental Learning" method was superior to the "Whole-job" method. Part 1 appeared in the November issue (CE 500 241) (AG)

Studied the effectiveness of using a structured set of exercises to help sixth and eighth grade students in learning compensatory tasks. Concluded that students in the formal operations stage could benefit from training on logical operations. (CC)

The roles of both positive and negative instances in concept formation are discussed. Based on research results, the article stresses ideas that the classroom teacher could try in order to aid concept learning. Several specific examples, based on the concept of commutivity, are given. (LS)

Problems in trying to apply the laws of learning to educational situations derive both from the failure to take account of differences between humans and other animals, and from failure to take into account of important variables interacting with independent variables in natural educational settings. (Author/JM)

Attempts to distinguish between training and education are becoming somewhat petty. Training, although narrower in scope, is still concerned with human learning and follows the learning theory. Trainers should be aware of the needs of their adult students and the recognition they look for as adults. (DS)