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Summer 2002
Notebook
Lost at Sea
Without a Curriculum, Navigating Instruction Can Be Tough
By David Kauffman, Susan Moore Johnson, Susan M. Kardos, Edward Liu, and
Heather G. Peske
Without a curriculum to guide them, new teachers in Massachusetts
struggle to figure out what to teach--and have little time to figure out
how to teach.
The Cascading Benefits of a Common, Coherent
Curriculum
When a curriculum is of high quality
and taught to all students across a state or country, the benefits can be
great. This special section tells why.
A Coherent Curriculum
(pdf file,
600 K)
The Case of Mathematics
By William Schmidt, Richard Houang, and Leland Cogan
A new analysis shows that the mathematics curricula used in the highest
achieving countries are very similar--and very coherent. Through a
stunning visual comparison, we can see where the U.S. comes up short.
We've all heard that curricula in the U.S. are a "mile wide and an inch
deep." here's the research behind the rhetoric.
The Cascading Benefits
A Test Worth Teaching To
The IB's course Guides and Exams Make a Good Marriage
By Robert Rothman
A test can be standardized without being silly and rigorous without
being "gotcha." The International Baccalaureate shows how test (yes,
tests) can serve instruction, not weaken it. Though the IB has
traditionally enrolled top students, its ideas about curriculum and
testing make sense for all.
Ask the Cognitive Scientist
Allocating Student Study Time
"Massed" versus "Distributed" Practice
By Daniel T. Willingham
It is more effective to have students study the same topic once or
twice--or to stretch the same amount of study time over several sessions?
In this new column, we offer readers insights from the world of cognitive
science. This issue's topic: the evidence for the "spacing effect," plus
ideas for applying these findings in your classroom.
What Television Chases Out of Life
By Marie Winn
Let's stop worrying about content of children's TV programs--and start
wondering about the family (and academic) life that TV is displacing.
Articles may be
reproduced for noncommercial personal or educational use only; additional
permission is required for any other reprinting of the documents.
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