DefinitionThis approach to learning emphasizes the fact that individuals perceive and process information in very different ways. The learning styles theory implies that how much individuals learn has more to do with whether the educational experience is geared toward their particular style of learning than whether or not they are “smart.” In fact, educators should not ask, “Is this student smart?” but rather “How is this student smart?”
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DefinitionMulticulturalism is based on the belief that varying cultural dynamics are the fourth force–along with the psychodynamic, behavioral, and humanistic forces–explaining human behavior. Since the ability to recognize our own and others’ cultural lenses is essential to all learning, it must be taught, along with communication and thinking skills, as prerequisites to learning.
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DefinitionWhole-brain teaching is an instructional approach derived from neurolinguistic descriptions of the functions of the brain’s left and right hemispheres.
Neurolinguistic findings about the brain’s language functions show that in the integrated brain, the functions of one hemisphere are immediately available to the other, producing a more balanced use of language. Whole-brain teaching emphasizes active learning, in which the learner makes connections that tap both hemispheres.
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Definition Right Brain vs. Left BrainThis theory of the structure and functions of the mind suggests that the two different sides of the brain control two different “modes” of thinking. It also suggests that each of us prefers one mode over the other.
Discussion
Experimentation has shown that the two different sides, or hemispheres, of the brain are responsible for different manners of thinking. The following table illustrates the differences between left-brain and right-brain thinking:
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DefinitionThis is an approach to restructuring the governance and practices of individual schools, initiated by psychologist James Comer in the mid-1970s. This approach hinges on Comer’s theory of how children develop and learn, and the reasons that disadvantaged, minority children do not learn in schools.
Comer believes that children follow a developmental continuum. They are born, totally dependent, into a family that is part of a social network with beliefs, attitudes, activities, and lifestyles. Parents become mediators who tell children what is important. Children gradually learn to manage their feelings and impulses, in essence, to control themselves. Development occurs in speech and language, cognition, intellectual and academic understanding, and moral, psychological, and social dimensions. To learn, children must imitate and identify with authority figures, in other words, internalize attitudes and values by relating emotionally to others.
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DefinitionIn 1986, Stanford University introduced the concept of accelerated schools, an approach designed to create success for all students by closing the achievement gap between at-risk and mainstream children. The idea is to radically change individual schools by redesigning and integrating curricular, instructional, and organizational practices so that they provide enrichment–not just remediation–for at-risk students.
The accelerated schools program assumes that at-risk students have “learning gaps” in areas valued by schools and mainstream economic and social institutions. The program also assumes that remedial approaches fail to close these gaps because they don’t build on the students’ strengths and they don’t tap into the resources of teachers, parents, and the community.
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DefinitionIn concept, a charter school is a self-governing, publicly funded school that the community holds accountable for the results it produces–such as student learning–rather than for its compliance with school board or government rules and regulations.
A charter school operates without the typical restraints of an ordinary public school, for example, collective-bargaining agreements. Its enrollment is made up of students who want to attend that specific school–in effect, a charter school is a school of choice. In addition to its unique legal and governance structure, a charter school takes on elements of site-based management: People at the school site have the power to make critical decisions about issues such as budget and personnel.
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DefinitionTotal Quality schools apply the principles and practices of Total Quality Management to their administrative and instructional functions.
When introduced in schools, the Total Quality process usually involves a combination of the following elements:
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DefinitionPortfolio assessment provides a body of student work–essentially, a portfolio–that can be used to appraise student performance over time.
Portfolio assessment ranges from portfolios that demonstrates the student’s best work to an “expanded student record” that holds a full representation of the student’s work, from math equations to essays on literature. There has been some confusion in the field as to who the portfolio is being kept for. For example, in some cases, student portfolios serve as a replacement for the high school diploma or transcript.
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DefinitionClassroom Assessment Techniques consist of a variety of feedback and discussion methods that gauge the quality of the learning process.
Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs), also known as Classroom Research or Action Research, are a series of tools and practices designed to give teachers accurate information about the quality of student learning. Information gathered isn’t used for grading or teacher evaluation. Instead, it’s used to facilitate dialogue between students and teacher on the quality of the learning process, and how to improve it. As authors Patricia Cross and Thomas Angelo state in their book Classroom Assessment Techniques, “Teaching without learning is just talking.” CATs provide both teachers and students with “in process” information on how well students are learning what the curriculum intends.
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