Expanding Our View of Teaching and Learning: Applying Constructivist Theory(s) to Teachers Education.
TITLE Expanding Our View of Teaching and Learning: Applying Constructivist Theory(s) to Teachers Education. PUB DATE 2003-00-00 NOTE 33p.; Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (New Orleans, LA, January 24-27, 2003). PUB TYPE Information Analyses (070) Speeches/Meeting Papers (150) EDRS PRICE EDRS Price MF01/PCO2 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Portfolio Assessment; Action Research; *Constructivism (Learning); Cooperative Learning; Educational Environment; Elementary Secondary Education; Field Experience Programs; Higher Education; *Inservice Teacher Education; Interpersonal Relationship; *Preservice Teacher Education; Problem Solving; Reflective Teaching; Student Attitudes; Student Participation; Teacher Attitudes IDENTIFIERS Authenticity; Learner Centered Instruction
Healing from Dry Bones: Creative Expression and Adult Learning in Diabetes Care
Because of the complexity and individuality of people, the nature of knowing and teaching in patient education cannot be reduced to “the kinds of recipes as used in the physical sciences” (William, 2002, p. 54). Neither can we assume that the recipe we are using is working for all, or even, at all. As health care educators, we need to be open to explore and to meet the needs of the patient learners. This is not going to happen in one way, or a “right” way. Alternative (creative) ways of knowing lead to other, multidimensional methods of inquiry to understand the teaching and learning process in patient education. The primary purpose of this action research study was to understand how adults make meaning of and experience diabetes, and to use multiple ways of knowing in the integration of diabetes care. The two research questions which formed the basis of this study were: “How do adults make meaning of their Type 1 diabetes?” and “What are the ways in which adults with diabetes could engage in creative expression to find greater meaning?” The action research was informed by a constructive postmodern and feminist poststructural perspective, where there is not one overriding, great Truth, but many truths as defined and experienced by the learners themselves (Foucault, 1980; St. Pierre, 2000; Tisdell, 1998). As they incorporate creative ways of knowing into their understanding of “their shifting selves,” learners experience opportunities for growth and development of their own identity and meaning. The qualitative model which informed this study was an action research design, held with a group of seven women (eight, including myself), who had insulin-dependent
Evaluating Cultural Authenticity in Multicultural Picture Books: A Collaborative Analysis for Diversity Education
This study examines cultural authenticity reflected in multicultural picture books. Specifically, this study attempts to reframe issues surrounding the topic of cultural authenticity based on a systematic and empirical analysis of picture books that represent three different ethnic groups: African Americans, Asian Americans, and Hispanic Americans. A total of forty-five systematically selected picture books that represent fifteen books per ethnic group were selected and evaluated by multiple reviewers who were insiders of the culture. A coding scheme was developed to evaluate each book in terms of profile of major and minor characters, settings of the story, stereotypical features, and cultural authenticity. An in-depth evaluation of all selected books was added by a team of three reviewers in order to validate the results of the coded analysis. This study aims to shed light on library youth services and diversity education in a society with increasing ethnic diversity.