Chapter 5 Study Guide PDF

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This is assignment is meant to give an overview of chapter five of our text, "Those Who Can, Teach" (Ryan, Cooper)...

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CAROLINE APPEL 0STUDY GUIDE—CHAPTER 5: WHAT IS TAUGHT?

Completing this study guide will help you prepare for the major topic areas on an exam; however, it does not cover every piece of information found in the chapter or the test questions.0 00. Give a concise description of the curriculum issues and trends in each of the following subject areas: 0.

English Language Arts

In this area there are debates over reading methods, from the state standards, and the role of assessment. It’s important for curriculum administrators to understand the services shaping education today. 0.

Mathematics

Mathematics education is being shaped by discussions of purpose, performance, instruction, assessment, content, technology, and students. Trends in this area shape the form and material of the school programs in mathematics. 0.

Science

Project 2061, a long-term initiative focused on improving science education, appears to have had a strong effect on both the national standard for science education and many state curriculum frameworks, but it has been slow to change how science is actually taught in the schools.

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Social Studies

The curriculum must be both, conservative and critical. New courses would extend the basic study of American law and government to include trends in history, issues in contemporary society, and questions of character and values.

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Foreign Languages

More elementary schools are offering programs with the ease of children learning different languages with the goal trying to make the study of foreign language more attractive by expanding their course offerings and integrating language study with concerns for international and multicultural education.

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The Arts

Specialists have suggested integrating the arts with other subject matter to show the usefulness of the arts and to appeal to a broader range of intelligences.

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Physical Education and Health

This area addresses injury prevention and safety, prevention and control of disease, substance abuse, nutrition, family life, consumer health, and mental and emotional health.

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Elective courses

A noticeable trend is the increase in requirements for graduation from high schools, which leaves less time for elective courses.

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Career and Technical courses

Educators encourage that the line between academic and career and technical education be blurred and that all students be provided with skills in academic areas, including mathematics, science, and English, as well as more applied learning experiences.

00. Summarize American students’ achievement in comparison to student achievement in other developed countries. What are some of the possible reasons for this achievement discrepancy? Recent assessments show U.S. students scoring below average in mathematics and about average in reading and science literacy relative to counterparts in other industrialized countries. Possible reasons for this achievement differences are cultural differences that result in greater value being placed on education in some countries than in the United States, lower expectations for U.S. students, and more U.S. students holding jobs. Another factor may be the way mathematics and sciences are taught in U.S. schools.

00. Why are textbooks considered such a powerful force in curriculum? Goals for student learning are defined by the textbook, learning activities and materials are provided to teachers as part of the textbook package, and test are from the textbook’s objectives usually made by the publisher for the teacher’s use.

00. Describe the main advantage of each of the following innovative instructional approaches: 0.

Interdisciplinary curriculum

An interdisciplinary curriculum simplifies instruction that is more related to real life problems and concerns are dealt with as a whole rather than divided into knowledge fields.

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Cooperative learning

Important characteristics come with this strategy that is group goals, individual accountability, and equal opportunities. This learning style is particularly effective in teaching at-risk students who benefit from immediate feedback for their learning attempts.

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Critical thinking and problem solving

Through this instructional approach, students raise vital questions and problems, gather and assess relevant information, and use abstract ideas to interpret it effectively. Students think open-mindedly with other systems of thought, recognizing and assessing them.

Social studies is the study of people and their ideas, actions, and their relationships and draws upon various social science disciplines and works together to utilize concepts of history, geography, political science, and sociology and literature and arts as methods of inquiry. History has traditionally lead the discipline of social study but in recent years, that has changed, shifting the focus to geography, due to assessments showing student’s map ineptitude.

Issues and trends: the major debate looming over the discipline of social studies is whether or not European culture is overemphasized in light of Asian, African, and Latin culture, thus further moving students away from total cultural pluralism. A trend in social studies is civic education, advocates who call for civics education call for courses that will be representative of a racially and ethnically diverse population with the heritage common to the democratic population.

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Writing across the curriculum

It engages all students and is a thinking tool for students to use and apply their knowledge in the content areas. This approach can be utilized across all subject areas.

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Differentiated curriculum

Aspects of differentiated curriculum are content, process, and products. This requires teachers to know their students, their subject, and their materials. The use of differentiated instruction puts more of the learning responsibility on the students.

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Block scheduling

Students can take four courses per semester for a total of eight courses per year instead of six, which is more credits toward graduation. Allows teachers more in-school preparation time.

5. In your own words, explain the contrasting views on each of the following controversies: 0.

Multicultural curriculum versus core curriculum

Multicutural curriculum promotes an understanding and appreciation of diversity and cultural pluralism in the classroom. By contrast, core curriculum is common course of study for all students. 0.

Cultural literacy/Core Knowledge

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