Introduction : the central puzzles of learning -- Conceptualizing the development of the mind -- Initial learnings : constraints and possibilities -- Knowing the world through symbols -- The worlds of the preschooler : the emergence of intuitive understandings -- The values and traditions of education -- The institution called school -- The difficulties posed by school : misconceptions in the sciences -- More difficulties posed by school : stereotypes in the social sciences and the humanities -- The search for solutions : dead ends and promising means -- Education for understanding during the early years -- Education for understanding during the adolescent years -- Toward national and global understandings.