Publications for International Educators
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Achieving Pedagogical Equity in the Classroom
Among the education reform movements’ priorities set up for public education in Latin American countries are efficiency, modernity, and equity. This article addresses one of those three priorities—equity. In educational circles, the term equity usually means socioeconomic equity ( the extent to which educational opportunities are accessible to all students, regardless of their socioeconomic status). In this article, the term equity refers to pedagogical equity ( the extent to which the information being taught in a given classroom is accessible to all students, regardless of their learning styles). Pedagogical equity is achieved only when teaching techniques, CORD's REACT methodology, that facilitate learning for all students.
Teaching Contextually: Research, Rationale, and Techniques for Improving Student Motivation and Achievement in Mathematics and Science
By Michael Crawford, Ph.D.
Many of the classroom strategies used by the nation's best math and science teachers have also been shown by cognitive science and learning research to be the best methods to help students construct and use knowledge in math and science. This report describes five of these strategies, called contextual teaching strategies: relating, experiencing, applying, cooperating, and transferring. The report presents examples of the use of these strategies in mathematics classrooms. It also cites research studies and compendiums that document how the strategies can improve student motivation and achievement in mathematics and science.
Teaching Math Contextually
Ensenanza Contextual de Matematica (En Español)
What is the best way to convey the many concepts that are taught in class so all students can use and retain that information? How can a teacher communicate effectively with students who wonder about the reason for, the meaning of, and the rele-vance of what they study? Teachers face these challenges every day, but a curriculum and an instructional approach based on contextual learning can help them face the challenges successfully. This resource can assist educators in helping students discover meaningful relationships between abstract concepts and practical applications in the context of the real world.
Propuesta de Taller: “La Matematica en el Mundo Real: ¿Estamos Preparados Para Este Nuevo Paradigma?"
Propuesta de Taller prompted CORD International staff to present a three hour workshop on CORD's REACT strategy at the International Congress on Educational Research: “Research to Transform” held in February 2005 in San José, Costa Rica. The workshop addressed the need and benefits of a contextual teaching strategy as applied to mathematics. Approximately 30 teachers from kindergarten to the postsecondary level attended the workshop to discuss topics like immersion/connection, learning how to learn, working with “real” problems, mathematical modeling, and national cross-sectional curriculum parameters. The conference theme was “Mathematics in the Real World: Are we Ready for This New Paradigm?” Read the paper that prompted the workshop.