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Making sense of the future
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
journal of computer assisted learning
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.583
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1365-2729
pISSN - 0266-4909
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2729.1990.tb00342.x
Subject(s) - mathematics education , computer science , educational technology , science education , work (physics) , engineering ethics , pedagogy , psychology , engineering , mechanical engineering
Since 1983, the Educational Technology Center has studied the uses of computers and other technologies to improve K‐12 instruction in science, mathematics and computing. Our collaborative research groups‐including scientists and mathematicians, practising teachers, learning theorists and software designers‐have focused on ‘targets of difficulty’, or curricular topics that are both crucial to students' further progress in these fields and widely recognized as difficult to teach and learn. More than fifteen research projects have studied the nature of students' difficulties, clarified the educational advantages that computer technology offers and designed experimental lessons that use computers as well as traditional materials to address these difficult topics. During the past year, three research groups tried out promising teaching units in five Massachusetts high schools to learn about their use in regular classrooms and schools. This essay summarizes the results of the Educational Technology Center's work and their implications for policymakers, school practitioners and others concerned about science and mathematics education. Neither a technical report nor a formal proposal with references, data tables and methodological detail, it is intended to stimulate discussion on this important topic.