The multisource approach to learning, based on the approach of F. C. Bartlett (1932), is discussed as an introduction to five articles on the approach. The assumptions of simplification by isolation and by integration; and the emphases on the various processes, as opposed to structures, of learning are discussed. (TJH)

Responds to Wallis Suchting's essay on the nature of scientific thought. Argues that there are obstacles to knowledge and that scientific thought, to be successful, must adapt itself to those obstacles. Concludes that the combination of imagination and formalization is universal throughout post-Galilean science. (JRH)

Explores and compares the assumptions and nature of four constructivist-related positions in mathematics education: information processing theory, trivial constructivism, radical constructivism, and social constructivism. (19 references) (Author/MKR)

Identifies structures, contents, and procedures necessary for operationalizing knowledge states and processes, arguing that most knowledge of scientific domains can be represented through four knowledge model structures. Demonstrates how to use knowledge modeling to profile learners' changing knowledge states about scientific phenomena, suggesting…

Discusses nature of professional identity, focusing on teachers and nurses, and articulates view of "professional" as "caught between an 'economy of performance' and various 'ecologies of practice'." Rejects over-simplified understanding of "professional" identity and advocates embracing "ambivalence and…

This book illustrates the breadth of theoretical and philosophical perspectives that can be brought to bear on mathematics and education. Part 1, "Constructivism and the Learning of Mathematics," contains the following chapters: (1) "A Radical Constructivist View of Basic Mathematical Concepts" (E. von Glasersfeld); (2) "Interaction and Children's…

Discusses social and intellectual factors in medieval Italian algebra; problems and methods, including operating on the unknown, quasi-equation problems, and giving-and-receiving problems; and the scope of algebraic methods. Considers implications for teaching. (43 references) (MKR)

Examines two concepts of the new philosophy of science, underdetermination and incommensurability, concluding that their applicability to educational research is limited and ambiguous. One unexplored view of indeterminacy is that it suggests greater relativism, a standard for, rather than an obstacle to, continued educational inquiry. (CJS)

Qualitative researchers engage in reflexivity because they have reason to believe that good data result. Reflexivity enables researchers to untangle personal and theoretical commitments and scrutinize ethics and epistemology. Researcher reflexivity and researcher writing form an important and close connection. Reflexivity produces good data and,…

Presents an analysis of the different meanings associated with randomness throughout its historical evolution as well as a summary of research concerning the subjective perception of randomness by children and adolescents. Some teaching suggestions are included to help students gradually understand the characteristics of random phenomena. Contains…

Reports on a study designed to: (a) understand the nature of science as progressive transitions in heuristic principles; and (b) provide a rationale for the inclusion of three more characteristics of the nature of science to the original five suggested by Smith and Scharmann. Concludes that nature of science manifests in different topics of the…

Responds to "Understanding Nature of Science as Progressive Transitions in Heuristic Principles" by Mansoor Niaz. Concludes that the historical vignettes provided by Niaz provide interesting insights into the nature of science but that the proposed characterizations do not help distinguish things that are more scientific from things that are less…

Discusses thinking about thinking and the generation of ideas. Makes the case that people are naturally creative and that consciously applying some key elements of creative thinking to their jobs every day can elevate their interpretive tools to a new level. (MM)

The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between constructivism and neural organization. Support is given for a constructivist epistemology in current brain theory. A brief description of constructivism is provided, followed by the implication of this set of beliefs for viewing humans as self-organizing systems. What has been…

This essay demonstrates how social cartography--the writing and reading of maps addressing questions of location in the social milieu--may enhance social research and move it forward in its struggles to distance itself from the positivistic restraints of modernism. Social cartography suggests an opening of dialogue among diverse social players,…