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

centers
Instructional and organizational strategy in which groups of students rotate through various work stations in the classroom, each with a different learning task or goal. Centers present students with a variety of activities and supply necessary resources and materials to meet the learning task. Centers may have a developmental or educational focus.
service learning
Intentional combination of community service objectives and learning opportunities that benefits both the recipient and provider of the service. Student service learning projects should be structured to link learning tasks to self-reflection so that they enrich learning, strengthen communities, and teach civic responsibility.
discovery learning
Learning that takes place, not through instruction, but through examination, analysis, or experimentation.
cooperative learning
Instructional method in which students work together in small, heterogeneous groups to complete a problem, project, or other instructional goal, while teachers act as guides or facilitators. This method works to reinforce a student’s own learning as well as the learning of his or her fellow group members.
collaborative learning
An umbrella term for the variety of approaches and models in education that involve the shared intellectual efforts by students working in small groups to accomplish a goal or complete a task.
learning contract
An agreement between a teacher and a student regarding how that student will achieve specified learning goals or objectives.
learning disability
A discrepancy between expected achievement and observed achievement, also known as "unexpected underachievement."
Dimensions of Learning model
Model of learning developed by Marzano et al (1988) that links content area knowledge, metacognition, and critical and creative thinking with a taxonomy of thinking skills and thinking processes.
project-based learning
Teaching approach that engages students in sustained, collaborative real-world investigations. Projects are organized around a driving question, and students participate in a variety of tasks that seek to meaningfully address this question.
problem-based learning
Model of instruction in which the teacher poses an authentic problem for student resolution. PBL may be one among many strategies in a classroom or an entire curricular and instructional approach. In the course of problem-solving, students work cooperatively in groups to learn content and skills related to real world problems. The teacher acts as a facilitator to learning.
digital game-based learning
Instructional method that incorporates educational content or learning principles into video games with the goal of engaging learners. Applications of digital game-based learning draw upon the constructivist theory of education.

Didn't find what you were looking for?

Sample classroom floor plans
Basic floor plans and explanations for a traditional classroom, discussions/debates, a horseshoe arrangement, and centers.
By Mitch Katz.
Appalachian Highlands Science Learning Center at Purchase Knob
Visit the Learning Center at Lake Junaluska and participate in a scientific research program that focuses on the scientific method, air quality, or soil health.
Format: article/field trip opportunity
Let's be firefighters!!!
In this lesson, we will look at firefighters and the role they play in our community. This lesson will familiarize the students with the types of equipment used by firefighters, the special clothing worn by firefighters, and the responsibilities each of them have in our community.
Format: lesson plan (grade K Social Studies)
By Lavonne Holland.
One room, many uses
Patty Berge converts her eighth-grade science classroom to suit multiple instructional methods. A classroom profile.
By Kathleen Casson.
Geography centers
A geography unit in which students investigate and compare their hometowns and other cities. The unit incorporates nine centers: math, science, social studies, reading, writing, computers, puzzles and games, art, and listening. They all have activities that are integrated with the geography unit.
Format: lesson plan (grade 2 Visual Arts Education, English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies)
By Laurie Perry.
Rowan County Nature and Learning Center
Birds of prey, mammals, and reptiles can be seen at the Nature Center Complex. For younger children there is a petting zoo.
Format: article/field trip opportunity
Grassroots Science Museums Collaborative
Grassroots museums annually serve millions of citizens through general visitation, teacher training and special programs. Programs include both onsite and offsite presentations and reach students in every North Carolina school district.
Format: article/field trip opportunity
Communities In Schools of Wake County: “Just passing isn’t good enough!”
The educators of Communities In Schools (CIS) of Wake County, after ascertaining that the average grade of their middle school students was low D to F, determined to change their program drastically. They researched programs across the country that demonstrated success with students with profiles similar to those of CIS students, hired an education consulting company to help them establish measurement matrices, and instituted a range of new policies and activities. As a result, CIS students’ grades improved to C in just six months.
Format: article
By Susan B. Hansell.
Montessori
The Montessori philosophy is a holistic view of children that builds on natural curiosity and develops a love of learning by creating environments which foster the fulfillment of children's highest potential. History of Montessori In her medical practice,...
Format: article
By Heather Coffey.
Arranging for independence
Erin Espinoza's kindergarten classroom encourages children to learn on their own. A classroom profile.
By Sydney Brown.
Feathers, fins, fur, scales, and skin
Using observation, students will identify animal groups by their appearance. The students will move through animal centers looking for similarities and differences of birds, fish, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians.
Format: lesson plan (grade 1 Science)
Magnetic magic
Students will explore and experiment with a magnet's mysterious invisible strength by rotating through five hands-on centers.
Format: lesson plan (grade 4 Science)
By Thelma Pike.
Patterns galore!
Students will create patterns using Kidspiration software.
Format: lesson plan (grade 1 Computer/Technology Skills and Mathematics)
By Michele Tipton.
Measurement centers
During a center-based activity groups of students will rotate around the classroom practicing non-standard unit of measurement concepts. In addition, they will have the opportunity to familiarize themselves with measuring with rulers and will participate in a lesson about capacity.
Format: lesson plan (grade 1–2 Mathematics)
By Amy Kershaw.
Savor the rainbow
Use skittles to help the students practice the concepts of sorting data, recording data, writing the data collected in fraction form (part/whole), changing the fractions into decimals and percents, and taking the data collected and making a spreadsheet, bar graph, and circle graph of the data.
Format: lesson plan (grade 7 Mathematics)
By Beverly Revis.
Highlands Biological Station and Nature Center
A year-round biological field station located on a high plateau in the southern Appalachian Mountains of southwestern North Carolina providing learning opportunities for teachers and students.
Format: article/field trip opportunity
Animals, animals, animals
In this lesson students will learn to observe special characteristics and senses which influence the life of an animal and become aware of threats to animals and their habitats and how this affects everyone.
Format: lesson plan (grade K Science)
By Joyce Poplin.
Chocolate! Chocolate! Chocolate!
Using chocolate as a theme, students will become involved in reading, writing, math, word study/spelling and other developmentally appropriate (integrated) activities. The unit includes centers for the classroom along with whole group activities.
Format: lesson plan (grade 1 Mathematics)
By Luwonna Oakes.
Piedmont Environmental Center
The Center provides programs and a place for people to learn, conserve, and enjoy the natural world through hands-on experiences.
Format: article/field trip opportunity
EnergyExplorium
Take a tour and enjoy the programs offered by Duke Power's EnergyExplorium.
Format: article/field trip opportunity