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  • Reconsidering Large-Scale Assessment to Heighten Its Relevance to Learning

    Book Chapter |

    In contrast to classroom assessments that can provide immediate feedback in the context of ongoing instruction, large-scale assessments are necessarily broader survey instruments, administered once-per-year and…

  • Leaders, Readers, and Science

    Book Chapter |

    Although this terrific interdisciplinary, cooperative-learning science experience began primarily as a language arts assignment to compare the leadership skills of two fascinating men, it grew to encompass an…

  • Educational Outcomes

    Book Chapter |

    At the beginning of the 21st century, education seems dominated by talk about educational outcomes and their assessment. This chapter serves to demystify these topics. This free selection includes the Preface, Table of…

  • Documents

    Book Chapter |

    This chapter highlights documents such as the National Science Education Standards that were designed to be achievable by all students, no matter their background or characteristics. Project 2061: Science for all…

  • Nature of Science

    Book Chapter |

    The scientific method not only describes inaccurately how science works, but also distorts the meaning of words such as "theory" and "law." A theory, in science, is a widely applicable explanation. A law is a…

  • General Instructional Approaches

    Book Chapter |

    Advocates of STS—science-technology-society—approaches believe that the science curriculum should pay special attention to science-based social issues. They envision K-12 science classes being best when focusing on the…

  • Instructional Models

    Book Chapter |

    This chapter presents several models of instruction from cooperative learning to inquiry-based instruction. It concludes with the 5E Model of instruction, pioneered by the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study (BSCS 1993.

  • Teaching Techniques

    Book Chapter |

    Pedagogy means teaching and teaching is what teachers do. It's a fancy word with a simple meaning. In reality, the distinction between pedagogy and curriculum can be a bit difficult because what is taught and how it is…

  • Assessment

    Book Chapter |

    Assessment, broadly defined, means information gathering. Grading (or evaluating) students is certainly one type of assessment. Tests, portfolios, and lab practicals are all assessment devices. However, teachers assess…

  • Diversity

    Book Chapter |

    The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (2002) defines “diversity” in this way: “In education, discussions about diversity involve recognizing a variety of student needs including those of ethnicity,…

  • Learning Theories

    Book Chapter |

    As is the case with the other chapters in this book, each entry in this chapter should stand on its own. However, more than in other chapters, the ideas presented in this chapter tend to build on each other. Ideas that…

  • Research Concepts

    Book Chapter |

    This chapter presents research concepts featuring qualitative, quantitative, and action research. Qualitative research generally involves a researcher combining observation, interview, and analysis of various documents…

  • Teacher Education

    Book Chapter |

    This chapter discusses teacher education from the preservice teachers—the period when they are learning to teach as undergraduate or graduate students—to induction—the period when they are making the transition from…

  • Hello! Is Anybody Out There?

    Book Chapter |

    This section offers insights about the uniqueness of teaching in a two-year college. Hello! Is Anybody Out There? explores one commonality that exists among many two-year colleges—isolation, including the social,…

  • Arguing for Evolution

    Book Chapter |

    Opponents to teaching the theory of evolution declare that it is only a theory and not a fact; and that science relies on observation, replication, and experimentation, but nobody has seen the origin of the universe or…

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