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

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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
character education
Educational initiative that promotes integration of core moral and civic values in the curriculum.
special education
Programs serving students with mental and physical disabilities. Special education programs provide individualized education plans that detail services children will receive.
aesthetics education
Teaching students to critically view art so as to become more reflective and discriminating in their opinions of various art forms.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.

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Bridging Spanish language barriers in Southern schools
These articles provide background on Latino immigrants in North Carolina, administrative challenges in binational education, and strategies through which teachers can build on what Latino students bring to their classrooms to create a learning environment that meets the needs of all students.
Format: series (multiple pages)
Around the world, a multicultural unit
The students will listen to stories from different cultures. They will participate in directed discussion, followed by a related art activity.
Format: lesson plan (grade K–1 English Language Arts, Guidance, and Social Studies)
By Judy Cliver.
Play in the multilingual classroom
In Bridging Spanish language barriers in Southern schools, page 2.3
Unstructured play is an important way for young children to make social and cultural connections. It also fosters language development and literacy skills for both English language learners and native English speakers.
Format: article
By Kristin De Soto Madson.
When teachers don't understand
Teaching should be informed not only by the content of the discipline but also by the lives of the students.
By Bobby Hobgood.
Deficit thinking
In Bridging Spanish language barriers in Southern schools, page 4.2
Teachers frequently attribute the academic struggles of English language learners to the students' inability or unwillingness to learn English, but this "deficit thinking" can better be replaced by a focus on what immigrant students bring to the classroom.
By Buck Cooper.
Reaching Latinos through social studies
In Bridging Spanish language barriers in Southern schools, page 4.1
Teachers can help immigrant students feel more comfortable in the classroom by basing social studies lessons on students' own knowledge and backgrounds.
By Paul Fitchett.
Bridging language barriers
In Bridging Spanish language barriers in Southern schools, page 1.3
How schools can ease the transition for Latino immigrant students.
By Regina Cortina.

Resources on the web

The Multicultural Pavilion Teacher's Corner
Provides a “Multicultural Teaching Toolbox” of classroom resources, concepts and philosophies, and much more. (Learn more)
Format: website/activity
Provided by: EdChange.org
SoJust.net - Social Justice in Historical Documents
Links to historic documents that support multicultural education such as civil rights acts, the Constitution and amendments, the Iroquois Constitution, various acts, and more. (Learn more)
Format: website/general
Provided by: EdChange.org
Multicultural Education - Diversity Equity Reform
This website is dedicated to exploring the issues surrounding the multicultural classroom. Awareness activities, training, news, and many other resources are available from this site. (Learn more)
Format: website/lesson plan
Provided by:
Knowledge Network Explorer
Make the most of the Internet with curriculum materials for wired learning including evaluated websites, web-based activities, and ideas for integrating new technology. (Learn more)
Format: website/lesson plan
Provided by: AT&T
Human migration: The story of a community's culture
In this Xpeditions lesson, students come to understand key concepts of human migration through the examination of maps and migration patterns. Students research and document the impact of migration on a region's cultural landscape. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 3 Social Studies)
Provided by: National Geographic
National Marine Sanctuaries
An essential resource for the classroom studying marine science. Includes virtual tours of marine sanctuaries of the United States and their territories, virtual dives, photos, videos, lesson plans, lab experiments, workshops, and much more. Learn about coral... (Learn more)
Format: website/lesson plan
Provided by: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration