12.18.07
Transparency and Accountability in Higher Education
Secretary Spellings underscored the need for greater transparency and accountability in higher education at a meeting of the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity.Teaching Resources: Arts, History, Science and More
Arts, history, science teaching techniques, data simulations, Mark Twain, and the 1918 pandemic are topics of new resources at FREE, the website that makes teaching resources from federal agencies easier to find.New — Pedagogy in Action
documents more than 25 pedagogic techniques for teaching sciences to undergraduates: case-based learning, game-based learning, making and testing conjectures, peer review, quantitative writing, role playing, using spreadsheets, and others. Find more than 600 learning activities in biology, environmental science, geography, geoscience, math, and physics. (SERC, National Science Foundation)New — Teaching with Data Simulations
helps students visualize abstract statistical concepts and see dynamic processes behind the gathering, analysis, and interpretation of statistics. Each sample activity includes instructions, teaching tips, assessment ideas, and references. In one activity, students design an blind taste test of two sodas. In another, students learn that larger sample sizes produce better estimates and develop an appreciation for factors affecting sampling variability. (SERC, National Science Foundation)New — Teacher Workshops: History
offers presentations and handouts from summer workshop sessions on the Oregon and Santa Fe Trails, Western expansion (1820-1850), geography, effective practices in teaching history, using historical documents in the classroom, the largest FBI file in the U.S., the Holocaust, teaching social studies to limited English proficient students, teaching adolescents how to evaluate history, and why Ben Franklin didn't fry (discovering electricity the way history did). (Department of Education)New — Teacher Workshops: Arts
provides presentations and handouts from summer workshop sessions on emergent literacy, music, and poetry; improving visual and verbal literacy; integrating dance and literature; and designing embedded assessments for the K-12 classroom. (Department of Education)New — Let’s Talk: Runaway Prevention Curriculum
is designed to help educate youth about alternatives to running away. It is presented in 14 modules offering lessons to help teachers and community-based organizations lead discussions with youth. Topics include communication and listening, adolescent development, personal influences, peers, families, roles and responsibilities, runaway reality, and more. (National Runaway Switchboard, Department of Health and Human Services)12.13.07
Guide for Advanced Courses Online
ED Assistant Deputy Secretary Morgan Brown announced a new guide aimed to help schools and school districts increase students' access to online advanced coursework. "Connecting Students to Advanced Courses Online" highlights six organizations that provide advanced courses online.Teacher Workshops: Literacy
Find slides and handouts on teaching reading, comprehension, vocabulary and writing in every classroom, struggling adolescent readers, narrative writing, expository compositions, persuasive writing, reading and writing in math and science, reading and writing for limited English proficient students, literature and the arts, and more.New — NGAkids Still Life
lets kids of all ages compose their own still life paintings (on the web) using images of fruits, flowers, and other objects and artistic elements. Experiment with perspective, size, and spatial arrangements; add textured brushstrokes. See a slideshow of 38 still life paintings. Identify common elements; try to guess the artists who painted them. (National Gallery of Art)New — Let the World In: Prints by Robert Rauschenberg
looks at the development of this American artist through a chronological review of his prints and print process. Rauschenberg rose to prominence in the 1950s through his painting-sculptures ("Combines"). His prints brought commonplace objects and representational images back into the avant-garde. His approach helped steer print studios in new directions. (National Gallery of Art)12.12.07
Holiday Book Donation
ED Deputy Secretary Raymond Simon, First Book Senior Vice President Lynda Lancaster, and Pittsburgh Public Schools Superintendent Mark Roosevelt highlighted the importance of reading and presented free books to students at Pittsburgh Fulton PreK-5 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.12.11.07
The Great Pandemic
The Great Pandemic tells the story of the 1918 outbreak of the Spanish flu, which killed an estimated 675,000 Americans and 30-50 million people worldwide.12.10.07
Online Panel Discussion: Advanced Courses Online
A panel discussion on what services to expect from online providers, how to ensure course quality, and how to match students with appropriate online coursework will be webcast December 12, at 3 p.m. ET. Assistant Deputy Secretary Brown will participate and announce a new guide book for school administrators seeking to increase students' access to online advanced coursework.12.07.07
Growth Model Pilot Opened to All Eligible States
Secretary Spellings opened the growth model pilot to all eligible states, saying that the approach enjoys broad bipartisan support and that many states can now track individual student growth over time.12.05.07
New — The Great Pandemic
tells the story of the 1918 outbreak of the Spanish flu, which killed an estimated 675,000 Americans and 30 to 50 million people worldwide. Learn about life in the U.S. in 1918, the nation's health and medical care, and what happened when the pandemic struck. Find out how people fought it, the legacy it left, and what happened in your state. See photos, newspapers, and other primary documents. Read biographies of key individuals. (Department of Health and Human Services)12.04.07
Teaching Resources: Reading, Math, Science, Foreign Languages
Reading, math, earth science and other sciences, volcanoes, foreign languages, starting a business, and John Philip Sousa are topics of new resources at FREE, the website that makes teaching resources from federal agencies easier to find.Performance of U.S. 15-Year-Olds in Math, Science
he Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) released results from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA). PISA assesses science, math and reading skills of 15-year-old students in the principal industrialized countries every three years.New — Teacher Workshops: Math
provides materials from 2007 summer teacher workshops sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education. Find slides and handouts on teaching algebra, algorithms, computation, data collection, cooperative learning, decimals and fractions, density, geometry, integers, linear equations, multiplication and division, nature and mathematics, polynomials, problem solving in a primary classroom, vocabulary in math, word problems in elementary math, and more. (Department of Education)New — Teacher Workshops: Science
provides materials from 2007 summer teacher workshops sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education. Find slides and handouts on teaching analogical reasoning, motion and forces, oceans, particle nature of matter, phenotypes v. genotypes (genetics module), periodic table, scientific process, science of CSI, solids and liquids (and gases), thinking like a scientist, why Ben Franklin didn't fry (discover concepts of electricity the way history did), and more. (Department of Education)
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