About two dozen teachers from both districts are taking part in the program in the 1996-97 academic year. Co-writers to the grants are River Falls School District curriculum director Lorraine Davis and Hudson School District director of instruction Charles Sambs. An advisory board of teachers, administrators, parents and business leaders from the Hudson and River Falls school districts and UW-RF faculty assisted with the grant's implementation. Goals 2000 calls for schools to help children develop the knowledge and skills necessary to compete in a global economy. For virtually every child in the United States, that means familiarity with computer technology.
Constructivism assumes an entirely different approach to learning.
In traditional classrooms, the teacher is the unquestioned leader who directs and controls the focus of the classroom discussion and curriculum. In the constructivist classroom, the teacher's role is more of a facilitator, with the students directing and assuming more control of their own learning. The basic premise to constructivism is that knowledge is not something only to be transmitted from one person to another, but also is a construction of personal meaning that students gain by interacting with people, information and objects in their world. In traditional classrooms, teachers often find it difficult to assess how well students are applying what they learned. Critics say traditional assessment practices such as multiple choice and true-false tests are not an adequate tool to measure achievement in constructivist classes.