Building Teachers: A Constructivist Approach to Introducing Education

BUILDING TEACHERS uses a constructivist framework to help future teachers create their own understanding of education. Martin and Loomis encourage students to develop their own understandings through connecting their prior knowledge, experiences, and biases with new experiences to which they will be exposed during the course. By interacting with the materials presented, rather than merely memorizing the text's content, readers learn what teaching is all about in an exploratory, inquiring, constructivist-based manner and, in turn, they can help the children in their classrooms learn meaningfully.

David Jerner Martin (Ph.D.) is Professor Emeritus of Early Childhood Education at Kennesaw State University. A gifted teacher and an outspoken advocate of constructivist-based teaching, he is best known as the author of the pioneering text, ELEMENTARY SCIENCE METHODS: A CONSTRUCTIVIST APPROACH, now in its Sixth Edition. Dr. Martin has consulted on constructivist teaching at home and abroad, and was technical consultant with The Weather Channel for The Weather Classroom. He has received several university awards for distinguished teaching and publications.

Kimberly S. Loomis (Ed.D.) is Professor of Science Education at Kennesaw State University where she teaches the introduction to education course as well as educational psychology and science methods courses. Currently, her work is focused on using inquiry teaching in the field of wolf education and in exploring the effective use of informal science education centers and national parks by science learners and teachers.