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

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.
problem-based assessment
Based on a problem-solving or problem-posing educational model, problem-based assessment involves the presentation of a problem the student must solve.
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.
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.
problem solving
A method of learning in which students work to understand a problem, create and carry out a plan of action, and review, discuss and evaluate processes for problem resolution.
problem centered mathematics
Student-centered mathematics instruction that uses problem solving as a means to discovery of mathematical procedures and emphasizes real-world applications to mathematical concepts.
site-based management
Organizational structure that decentralizes authority and increases the autonomy of individual schools. Responsibility and accountability are at the school level, and the decision-making process includes teachers, administrators, parents, and community members.
site-based management
Organizational structure that decentralizes authority and increases the autonomy of individual schools. Responsibility and accountability are at the school level, and the decision-making process includes teachers, administrators, parents, and community members.
learning disability
A discrepancy between expected achievement and observed achievement, also known as "unexpected underachievement."
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.
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.

Didn't find what you were looking for?

Math for multiple intelligences
How a middle-school math teacher realized she was boring and jump-started her career — and her students — by using thematic planning, emphasizing problem solving, and teaching to multiple intelligences.
Format: series (multiple pages)
Discovery learning
This reference article explains the theory of discovery learning and discusses its history and its use in the classroom.
Format: article
By Heather Coffey.
Australia: Careers, collisions, and compromises
In CareerStart lessons: Grade seven, page 4.8
In this lesson for grade seven, students learn about Australia and discuss the compromises that are sometimes necessary between economic development and environmental preservation. Students work through problem-based learning questions using Australia as the background.
Format: lesson plan (grade 7 Social Studies)
By Joann Via.Adapted by Meredith Ebert.
Assessing the learning process
In Math for multiple intelligences, page 3
Assessment, like instruction, needs to be geared toward various learning styles, and teachers can create rubrics for ongoing assessment that keep a formal daily record of what students are learning.
By Gretchen Buher and David Walbert.
Kinetic connections: Bloom's taxonomy in action
An introduction to strategies for using the web to push your students to higher levels of thinking.
Format: article
By Bobby Hobgood, Melissa Thibault, and David Walbert.
Coastal weather issues: Planning for a hurricane
The unit is designed for seventh grade students who have been studying Earth and its atmosphere. In this sequence, students are faced with the realistic issue of personal and social decision-making when planning for hurricane strikes, which includes classification, tracking, and monitoring hurricanes, as well as planning for evacuations. The inquiry-based approach involves a WebQuest in which the learner will assume the role of an emergency management team member who must create a preparation plan for the community.
Format: lesson plan (grade 7 Computer/Technology Skills and Science)
By Karen Greene.

Resources on the web

Project Based Learning Checklists
Help students take responsibility for their work as they create their own checklists to guide them through project-based activities. By creating a checklist, students become more engaged in their own learning. They set their own goals for a project while at... (Learn more)
Format: website/general
Provided by: High Plains Regional Technology in Education Consortium
The NASA SCIence Files
Help NASA plan for a trip to Mars and get the astronauts ready for a long vacation in space! Investigate this problem and lots more by collecting research, interviewing experts, and conducting experiments. (Learn more)
Format: website/activity
Provided by: NASA
Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy
This organization offers professional development opportunities for teachers in mathematics and the sciences. (Learn more)
Format: website/general
Provided by: Illinois General Assembly
Camp Silos
Provides educational material related to the natural prairie, pioneer farm life, early agricultural technology, and the story of corn from its early Indian origins to the present using virtual field trips, primary sources, and a variety of other multimedia... (Learn more)
Format: website/lesson plan
Provided by: Silos and Smokestacks National Heritage Area
Exploring the Environment
Promotes science-literate and reflective students who are knowledgeable of the earth's processes and their responsibilities for stewardship using these instructional resources. Find activities and learning modules for coral reefs, global climate change, the... (Learn more)
Format: website/lesson plan
Provided by: NASA