Teaching and Learning

Key Concepts Teaching and learning is the content of schooling, the substance of education and, as such, is focused on the nature of interactions between teachers and students and issues surrounding what schools should teach, how they should teach it and how students best learn it.

Tracking research on what works in teaching and learning in general and in the different disciplines, as well as clearly defining best educational practice are central concerns of this focus area, concerns also expressed by experts from the various content-area disciplines. Surprisingly, these experts, from such disparate fields as mathematics, social studies, science and language arts, agree on the fundamental characteristics of good teaching and learning across the curriculum. These characteristics, gleaned from the national standards documents, serve to guide best educational practice and focus this area on issues and research of importance to all educators. To provide more information, digests and briefs have been archived for each characteristic. What the National Standards Indicate about Teaching and Learning Teaching and learning should involve LESS of the following: Teaching and learning should involve MORE of the following: - Whole-class, teacher-directed instruction - Students sitting, listening, and receiving - emphasis on silence in the classroom - seatwork, (i.e., fill-in-the-blanks worksheets, workbooks) - student time spent reading textbooks - coverage of large amounts of material in every discipline - rote memorization of facts and details - emphasis on competitive behavior - tracking or leveling of students - use of pull-out special programs - reliance on standardized tests + experiential, inductive, hands-on learning + active learning: doing, talking and collaborating + higher-order thinking; learning a field's key concepts and principles + in-depth study of a smaller number of topics + reading of original, real books and nonfiction materials + student responsibility for their work: goal setting, monitoring, evaluation + student choice about their work: selecting books, writing topics, research projects + modeling of the principles of democracy in school + attention to affective needs and cognitive growth of students + cooperative, collaborative activity; developing the classroom as a learning community + integration of technology + heterogeneously grouped classrooms where needs are met through individualized activities, not through segregation + focus on the needs of diverse learners + instruction given by prepared and well- educated teachers + varied and cooperative roles for teachers, parents and administrators + use of teachers' descriptive evaluation of student growth