A major goal of any teacher education program is to prepare prospective teachers to know what to do in a classroom of children and how to do it effectively. The purpose of this research study was to examine the level of first-year teachers' science content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, and pedagogical content knowledge in order to evaluate the…

This study examined California's new system of bilingual and cross cultural teacher preparation, its implementation, and teacher candidates' reception of it. The new system, referred to as (B)CLAD, consists of two credentials for preservice teachers and two certificates for inservice teachers: the Cross Cultural Language and Academic Development,…

Studies indicate that arts education improves math learning in early elementary years, promotes significant cognitive gains, supports discovery, and builds knowledge. This conference paper indicates the importance of the arts in early education curriculum and provides an innovative way for teachers to bring constructivism into the classroom. It…

This book is a collection of research papers and respected philosophical statements on how secondary school students learn science best. Taken together, these papers serve as the basis for the Project on Scope, Sequence, and Coordination of Secondary School Science (SS&C). This book explains where the learning ideas of the SS&C Content…

During the 1980s increasing attention was paid to writing-to-learn elementary school subjects outside of traditional language arts courses. The concept of writing-to-learn in science has much in common with the concept of a science learning community premised upon a social constructivist epistemology. This paper reports on research designed to…

The case study presented in this paper describes the thinking-in-action of a first grade teacher who, within the natural setting of her classroom, was constructing a new way of teaching language arts by changing to a whole language approach. In contrast to traditional implementation models, this study highlights the constitutive nature of…

Within the field of early childhood education, there is a strong tradition of integrated, emergent, and arts-oriented curriculum that must now respond to a growing and competing emphasis on literacy-based experiences. Considerably less priority (or teacher expertise) has been or currently is demonstrated in the areas of science, math, engineering,…

"Minority children" experience a lot of shifts in their cultural contexts. The author's work as a professional teacher in multicultural classes enabled her to focus on the research questions presented in this article. These questions concern the need for some minority children to achieve equal opportunities in the Norwegian educational…

A class of unmotivated inner city secondary school children were introduced to an innovative, new, dedicated physical environment where computers and multimedia software were seamlessly integrated and which was served by a socio constructivist learning pedagogy. In this environment they were taught English as prescribed in the UK national…

Teams of teachers from four middle/junior high schools, in collaboration with faculty from the University of New Hampshire and consultants from the New Hampshire State Department of Education, implemented systemic changes in the teaching of mathematics and science. The curriculum goal was to design, adapt, implement, and evaluate hands-on,…

This paper explores the effectiveness and efficiency of multimedia-computer-based text accompanied by illustrations, graphs, simulations, and animation in teaching chemistry. The paper cautions that although multimedia may be a means to more effective teaching, there is no assurance that it increases student learning. Studies suggest that…

Self-directed learning (SDL) is among the most productive areas of research in adult education. Malcolm S. Knowles is credited with a comprehensive synthesis of adult teaching and adult learning principles. Andragogy, the art and science of helping adults learn, lies at the heart of Knowles' work. Lucy M. Guglielmino theorized regarding the…

This book offers educators both background information and practical guidance for implementing the inclusion of students with special needs in their classrooms. Part 1 provides background information with chapters on what inclusion is, an historical perspective and the laws, the rationale for inclusion, definitions of specific disabilities, and…

This book examines the practical application of visual tools such as brainstorming webs, task-specific organizers, and thinking-process maps. Graphic overviews map the big picture for each chapter and synthesize the key information about each type of tool. Stories, quotes, and insights from parents, students, teachers, administrators, brain…

The Indiana Weather Project (IWP) investigated how the joint application of situated learning and constructivist theory might support elementary school students' understanding of weather systems. Results indicated significant cognitive gains during the multimedia weather unit. (SD)