The present work has the purpose of showing the evolution of topics or mathematical concepts that are both relevant and with marked grades of abstraction. In this report is specifically described the utilization of metacognitive tools. These include concept maps, the Gowin heuristic vee, and the clinical interview. They are efficient in showing…

In a best-evidence synthesis of studies that examine change in teacher candidates' conceptions and practices during their teacher education course work, too few researchers provide evidence for the linkage between candidates' beliefs and their learning. To address this problem, a mixed-design study explored on the micro-level (i.e., a lesson) the…

An alternative method of measuring the knowledge of students is to use mental models, and specifically concept maps. Concept maps provide a visual representation of conceptual and relationship knowledge within a particular domain. This study builds on previous studies and attempts to reduce their methodological weaknesses. Students in several…

With the establishment of the Internet and World Wide Web as part of the digital revolution, there has been a trend in which synchronous and asynchronous distance education opportunities have been made available to a greater variety of learners. However, students are indiscriminately pursuing online learning opportunities for the sake of…

This study was designed to explore the validity of scores from a select-and-fill-in (SAFI) concept map assessment as a measure of 130 undergraduate students' connected understanding of introductory astronomy. Scores from SAFI maps created for this purpose possessed high internal consistency and showed large mean increases from the beginning to the…

This paper uses a theoretical framework for concept mapping as an instance of a learning environment - the knowledge arena - and examines it against an existing framework for active learning called REAL (Rich Environment for Active Learning). The paper is intended to help in the understanding of environments for learning. Section 1 defines a…

Describes how the technique of concept mapping can be useful for identifying gaps in preservice teachers' knowledge. Validity of the technique was tested using blind interviews with a representative sample of eight trainees. Has potential as a valuable self-diagnostic tool for teachers teaching outside their area of specialization. (DDR)

Describes an undergraduate chemistry curriculum that capitalizes on the strengths of mechanistic organic chemistry. Enables students to grasp the conceptual unity that allows professional chemists to understand unfamiliar results according to few well-defined principles. Describes some instructional strategies that evolved from efforts to connect…

Describes how student teachers can use stimulated recall and concept mapping to elicit experienced mentor teachers' practical knowledge, noting that systematically examining experienced teachers' practical knowledge offers insight into teachers' observable teaching and opportunities to relate these underlying thoughts to theoretical and more…

Discusses the use of Post-it Notes as effective teaching devices. Presents activities that use Post-it Notes including concept mapping, molecular modeling, group activities illustrating multi-step biological processes, and genetics activities. Highlights the use of the constructivist approach. (JRH)

Reviews five methods of representing cognitive structures: (1) free word association; (2) controlled word association; (3) tree construction; (4) concept map; and (5) flow map. Discusses the applications as well as the limitations of these methods by comparing the types of analysis that are generated. (Contains 37 references.) (Author/YDS)

Reports in detail on the results of a study indicating that physics students' prior understandings of key concepts are systematically related to the way they approach their studies, their perceptions of learning context, and the quality of the outcomes of their studies. Includes references. (CMK)

Concept maps, diagrams that show the relationships among concepts in a piece of writing, can help students travel through literature to destinations that they can identify and defend. The use of concept maps for Ernest Hemingway's "The Old Man and The Sea" and Albert Camus'"The Stranger" is described. (MLW)

Describes how constructing concept maps and writing accompanying interpretive essays can be used in a Calculus I course to improve students' understanding of important concepts and help teachers assess students' knowledge. This combined approach allows students to explicitly communicate their knowledge and a chance to view mathematics as a…

Differences in the status of ontological categories on the concept maps of secondary-, undergraduate- and graduate-level chemistry students were analyzed with the "Pathfinder" scaling algorithm and multidimensional scaling. Results indicate differences among groups in the structural significance of abstract process-related nodes and…