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Content
standards were designed to encourage the highest achievement
of every student, by defining the knowledge, concepts, and
skills that students should acquire at each grade level. The
content standards were designed by professionals from the
appropriate fields of study and then they were adopted by
the California State Board of Education.
To help students achieve
at high levels, local school officials and teachers are encouraged
to take these standards and design the specific curricular
and instructional strategies that best deliver the content
to their students. The content is attainable by all students,
given sufficient time, except for those few who have severe
disabilities. |
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California State Board of Education commissioned mathematics
professionals to describe the rigorous content that students
need to acquire at each grade level so that California schools
can be on a par with those in the best educational systems
in other states and nations. This was done in response to
the report, A Nation at Risk, by the National Commission
on Excellence in Education (1983), described the"rising
tide of mediocrity" in our schools.
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Academic content standards
for science education at kindergarten through grade twelve,
adopted by the California State Board of Education. Grade
7 focuses on life science and Grade 8 focuses on physical
science
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This book makes a case
for the urgent need to increase America's talent pool by
major improvements in math and science education at all
levels. It is behind many of the federally- and state- funded
initiatives, such as the Aurora Initiative, to increase
dramatically the production of math and science teachers.
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This links to a "Wikibook" about
the study of how learning and teaching occur in educational
settings. Most of the initial contributions were made by
arofessor of educational psychology at the University of
Manitoba, Canada. The book deals with topics, themes, and
examples that represent one way of understanding educational
psychology. It is organized to parallel closely the content
of the commonly used PRAXIS II test called “Principles of
Learning and Teaching” , published by the Educational Testing
Service. The PLT test is required in 25-30 American states
for persons seeking permanent certification as public school
teachers.
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This links to another "Wikibook"
related to the one just above in that it is the result of
student writings from the classes in education at the University
of Manitoba. The book is intended to help future teachers
of all kinds. The project is beginning in the Fall of 2007;
in subsequent years, other students will add and revise
its contents.
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Brain-based Learning and Related Research
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Current research results about the brain
and learning is providing insights for teachers and for
learners alike, in many ways providing new understandings,
in other ways giving suggestion for classroom practices.
These are just a few links to many references you can find
about this subject online and in journals and books.
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Learning Styles & Preferences
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It is commonly believed that most people
favor some particular method of interacting with, taking
in, and processing stimuli or information. Based on this
concept is the idea of individualized "learning styles."
A learning style is the method of learning particular to
an individual that is presumed to allow that individual
to learn best. It has been proposed that teachers should
assess the learning styles of their students and adapt their
classroom methods to best fit each student's learning style.
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Students in the
Aurora Teaching Initiative are placed with math and science
classroom teachers iin middle schools, junior high schools
or high schools in one of these local districts.
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