LEARN NC

K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

CEU courses open for enrollment

The Civil Rights Movement in Context
Investigate the precursors to the Civil Rights Movement, its leadership, its opposition, and its legacy, including lesser-studied events of the movement and primary sources.
Take this course: Begins February 2.

From the education reference

comprehensive sex education
Sex education programs that teach about abstinence and contraception. Comprehensive sex education includes discussions of human anatomy, reproduction, and sexually transmitted diseases.
aesthetics education
Teaching students to critically view art so as to become more reflective and discriminating in their opinions of various art forms.
aesthetic education
Education that recognizes the interconnectedness of body, mind, emotions, and spirit. Enabling students to express perceptions, feelings and ideas through reflective shaping of media including paint, clay, music, spoken or written words, and bodies in movement.
bilingual education
Classes taught in a combination of a students’ first language and English, geared toward helping student with limited English proficiency (LEP) become proficient in English as a second language (ESL). Students in bilingual programs receive part of their daily instruction in English and part in a second language. Significant portions of the school day are devoted to ESL instruction, in which each student receives intensive assistance in learning English.
gifted education
Educational programs designed to offer enriched opportunities for students identified as having the highest academic potential, including additional classes, programs, or services. Gifted students are considered to have the capacity to achieve beyond the norm based either on IQ scores, demonstrated ability in the classroom, or both.
multicultural education
Education philosophy and curriculum that expands traditional white Western European curricula, highlighting themes and subjects from diverse cultural, ethnic, racial, and gender perspectives. An important focus of multicultural education is to create equal educational opportunities so that all students can succeed in an increasingly diverse and pluralistic society.
distance education
Instructional delivery option that takes advantage of various space or technology resources. Distance education enhances options for students to access educational resources to overcome geographic, mobility, or time constraints.
experiential education
Instructional approach based on the idea that ideal learning occurs through experience. Learning tasks require the active participation of the student in hands-on opportunities and must connect content to the student's life.
abstinence-only education
Curriculum that teaches abstention from sexual activity until marriage.
special education
Programs serving students with mental and physical disabilities. Special education programs provide individualized education plans that detail services children will receive.
character education
Educational initiative that promotes integration of core moral and civic values in the curriculum.
banking model of education
Model of education in which teachers "deposit" information and skills into students. The emphasis is on memorization of basic facts rather than on understanding and critical thinking. The idea of the banking model was articulated and critiqued by Brazilian liberation theologist Paulo Freire in Pedagogy of the Oppressed (1970).
year-round education
Model of education in which students attend school throughout the year with regular short breaks.
comprehensive sex education
Sex education programs that teach about abstinence and contraception. Comprehensive sex education includes discussions of human anatomy, reproduction, and sexually transmitted diseases.
Brown versus Board of Education
Landmark decision of the U. S. Supreme Court (1954) that affirmed the constitutional guarantee of equal opportunity in education. Arguing that the doctrine of "separate but equal" facilities had no place in the American system of education, the court ruled that segregation in public schools was unconstitutional.
continuing education unit
Nationally recognized unit of measurement for participation in non-credit continuing education programs. One CEU is recognized as 10 contact hours of participation in a continuing education experience under responsible sponsorship.
Individualized Education Plan
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, IDEA, mandates that each student with a disability who is enrolled in the Exceptional Children's (EC) program have an Individualized Education Plan (IEP). The goal of IDEA is to educate students with disabilities in the least restrictive environment possible. IEPs describe how the school plans to educate each EC student while accommodating the student's disability. IEPs often specify modifications to be provided by teachers.
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
1975 federal law (amended in 1997) under which schools must guarantee that all children with disabilities receive "free, appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment." The statute requires that children with disabilities be educated with children who are not disabled, and that removal from the regular classroom may occur only when the nature or severity of the disability interferes with the successful delivery of aid and services.

Didn't find what you were looking for?

Writing for the Web
How teachers can more effectively communicate information and ideas via the World Wide Web, to students, parents, colleagues, administrators, and the world.
Format: series (multiple pages)
Education glossaries on the web
Can't find what you're looking for in LEARN NC's education glossary and reference? Here are some additional references.
Format: bibliography
DESTINY Traveling Science Learning Program
The DESTINY (Delivering Edge-Cutting Science Technology and Internet Across North Carolina for Years to Come) Traveling Science Learning Program is Morehead Planetarium and Science Center’s formal science education initiative serving pre-college teachers and students across North Carolina.
Format: article/field trip opportunity
Sea Grant North Carolina
With a variety of research and outreach programs, this organization provides several educational opportunities for marine science educators including workshops, marine science and environmental education curriculum development, research opportunities and grants, and field trips.
Format: article/field trip opportunity
Long Branch Environmental Education Center
This educational center teaches students the importance of recycling, resource conservation, ecological issues, and more.
Format: article/field trip opportunity
Using handheld technologies in schools
Originally marketed as a personal organizer for on-the-go business executives and ardent technophiles, personal digital assistants (PDAs) have evolved into handheld computing devices and have become one of the most ubiquitous electronic devices. Can these computing devices also be used to help fulfill the promise of educational computing? This series of articles from SEIRTEC is devoted to exploring the possibilities of handheld computing in K-12 schools.
Improving your technology utilization
A quick review can help you determine whether your school is making the most of its technology budget.
By Chris Hitch.
About RSS
RSS -- or Real Simple Syndication -- feeds are being used increasingly by newspapers, weblogs, and education web sites to help you get their information delivered right to you. Getting started is fairly simple, especially because you may already be using a web browser or email client that can also serve as your RSS reader.
Format: article/help
That was then, this is now
Students will explore various career topics and study technological changes over last 30 years.
Format: lesson plan (grade 9 Guidance)
By Cary Lane Cockrell.
LEARN NC goals and guiding principles
This document describes LEARN NC’s guiding principles and lists our short-term goals for 2009-2010.
Format: article/help
North Carolina Aviation Museum
The N.C. Aviation Museum is "dedicated to the restoration, preservation, and education of historic military aircraft."
Format: article/field trip opportunity
About the North Carolina Standard Course of Study
An explanation of the state curriculum and how LEARN NC aligns resources to it.
Format: article/help
North Carolina e-Learning for Educators
A description of the North Carolina e-Learning for Educators program, a series of high-quality, low-cost professional development courses.
Format: article/help
Integrating character education: A lesson on responsibility
Activity on the character trait of responsibility.
Format: lesson plan (grade K–5 Guidance)
By Cheryl Stafford.
Three Cool Kids
After reading Three Cool Kids by Rebecca Emberley, students will discuss literary elements: characters, setting, problem and solution. The teacher will record using the Inspiration software what students say, making a web that shows the different elements of the story.
Format: lesson plan (grade 1 English Language Arts)
By Genevieve Kiser.
Centennial Campus Center for Wildlife Education
This Center has an extensive list of programs for preschool age students through college with a focus on life science and technology.
Format: article/field trip opportunity
Lumbee learning
In Teaching about North Carolina American Indians, page 3.2
Introduction Education for the Lumbee tribe has always been important. After Reconstruction ended and the state of North Carolina began its journey to educate its people, no provisions were made for American Indians. Segregated schools provided education...
Format: lesson plan (grade 4 and 8 English Language Arts and Second Languages)
By Gazelia Carter.
North Carolina in the New South
Primary sources and readings explore North Carolina in the decades after the Civil War (1870–1900). Topics include changes in agriculture, the growth of cities and industry, the experiences of farmers and mill workers, education, cultural changes, politics and political activism, and the Wilmington Race Riot.
Format: book (multiple pages)
Frosty friends
Students will draw snowmen using various tools in the illustration component of their program. Our students use KidWorks2 by Davidson but others may be used instead. They will then write original stories to accompany their illustrations.
Format: lesson plan (grade K Computer/Technology Skills and English Language Arts)
By Linda Baker.
Demonstration
This education reference article explains the demonstration method of teaching.
Format: article
By Heather Coffey.