Scenario 1: The Real Thing

Mrs. Hess is a high school U.S. History teacher. She teaches in a small town four hours away from Washington, D.C., but most of her students have never visited the nation's capital. In fact, most of her students have not traveled beyond the borders of the small neighboring towns. Mrs. Hess wants to supplement her textbook information with primary documents and artifacts. She also plans an end-of-year trip to Washington, D.C. contingent upon student performance and the availability of parent chaperones. Mrs. Hess has traveled widely in the United States and abroad. She hopes to broaden students' views and encourage them to consider college experiences beyond their immediate area.

Mrs. Hess creates a travel map on the bulletin board. A red pin shows the location of the school. Roads leading to Washington, D.C. are highlighted in yellow. A small class picture is pinned near the school. Four milestones are marked along the path to Washington, D.C. "In order to move along the path," Mrs. Hess tells her students, "you will all need to fulfill the project requirements and achieve the objectives. The bar is high, and we will work together as a team to reach our goals."

Week 1: Artifacts on the Web

Mrs. Hess takes her history class to the computer lab to participate in online tutorials. They learn transcription and decoding skills to help them read and understand primary documents. Such materials are typically difficult to decipher due to different handwriting styles, language evolution, and the document's condition. Throughout the week, students research Web-based resources and practice deciphering historical documents. Mrs. Hess monitors student progress and discusses questions together as a class.

Week 1 Resources:

• Manuscripts Research Tutorial
  http://www.lib.unc.edu/instruct/manuscripts/using/introduction.html
• DoHistory
  http://www.dohistory.org/home.html
• The Historical Approach to Research
  http://www.gslis.utexas.edu/~palmquis/courses/historical.htm
• Using Primary Sources on the Web
  http://www.lib.washington.edu/subject/History/RUSA/
• Historical Research on the Internet
  http://www.cortland.edu/history/research.html
• Library of Congress
  http://www.loc.gov/

On Friday, Jim pins the class picture to the first milestone on the bulletin board.

Week 2: The Experts

Mrs. Hess knows numerous history experts in the area. She invites a museum docent, university professor, and author to visit her class during the week. Her students prepare interview questions for each guest speaker. They analyze and discuss historical documents brought in by the historians. The guest speakers compliment Mrs. Hess' students on their thorough preparation and analytical skills.

On Friday, Wendi pins the class picture to the second milestone on the bulletin board.

Week 3: The Presentations

Mrs. Hess' class prepares oral presentations. The students work in pairs or small groups. Each group selects one historical document, found either online or in print. They collaborate to decipher and translate the document into modern English. In addition, the students write about the document's impact on a particular historical event. They share their findings through oral presentations.

On Friday, Kyle pins the class picture to the third milestone on the bulletin board.

Week 4: The Trip

Mrs. Hess, her students and parents board two buses. They pull away from the school and merge onto a highway, headed toward Washington, D.C.

1			Mrs. Hess' history unit incorporates many instructional alternatives, including computer-based learning, cooperative learning, a field trip, oral presentations, and:
			A)	Colloquia
			B)	Cases
			C)	Debates
			D)	Role playing
2			Many of Mrs. Hess' colleagues avoid using Web-based resources in class. Although they encourage students to research the Web at home for additional course-related material, they do not allocate class time for such activities. How would Mrs. Hess most likely respond to these teachers?
			A)	It is difficult to locate high-quality, factual Web resources.
			B)	Although time-consuming in the beginning, Web-based resources provide valuable, engaging learning experiences for students.
			C)	Students are easily distracted and cannot stay on task when using Web resources.
			D)	Although Web resources provide engaging supplemental material, they do not easily mesh with the curriculum.
3			To introduce the U.S. history unit, Mrs. Hess delivers a presentation. She gets her students' attention by speaking in an old-English dialect. She asks them to interpret what she said and the classroom buzzes with discussion. In addition to getting students' attention, which of the following should a good presenter do?
			A)	Avoid setting specific learner objectives and be spontaneous.
			B)	Relate new information to students' prior knowledge.
			C)	Avoid using distracting visual aids.
			D)	Move from the specific to the general.

Scenario 1: Beating Homework Blues

Mr. Tanaka is a high school math teacher who teaches pre-algebra through calculus. The majority of his advanced students are highly motivated and college-bound. They regularly complete homework and participate in class discussions in an effort to learn and maintain their competitive grade point averages. Students' families also tend to be supportive and capable of providing help when needed. Mr. Tanaka's pre-algebra students, on the other hand, struggle with the math concepts and typically return incomplete homework, if at all. Many of these students' families are less supportive and less capable of assisting with complex math material. Already on the bottom rungs of the achievement ladder, the threat of low grades and low grade point averages have little impact on these students.

After two months in the classroom, Mr. Tanaka decides to take a different approach with his low-level students. His advanced students see the value in their work because it opens doors to college and future careers. His low-level students, however, regularly ask, "Who cares?" and "Why do we have to know this?" Mr. Tanaka typically uses a direct teaching style but feels that his pre-algebra students would respond better to a different approach.

At the beginning of class, Mr. Tanaka writes one pre-algebra problem on the board and the word Homework above it. His students are shocked. He typically distributes worksheets that include at least twenty problems. "What's up with that, Mr. T?" Nathan asks. "Have you given up on us?"

Mr. Tanaka's eyes wrinkle at the corners into a subtle smile. "No my friends," he answers. "Quite the opposite, quite the opposite. For two months, we have struggled through these math problems, and most homework comes back incomplete. It isn't working for us, so it is time for a change."

On the left side of the board, Mr. Tanaka writes, "Your Space." He asks his students to tell him about their study habits. Several students squirm in their seats and shrug their shoulders. "Where is your space? What do you do to create an environment where you can do your homework?" Two students laugh and say they don't believe in homework; it's hazardous to their health. Mr. Tanaka smiles and waits for a serious response. His calm demeanor has both a stabilizing and unnerving effect on the students. They are used to watching teachers get flustered or lose their tempers. But Mr. Tanaka waits patiently.

"My house is too loud and crazy to concentrate," Andrew offers. "The TV is always on and people are always coming around to interrupt me." A couple of students nod in understanding. "When I need help," Travis says, "no one even knows where to begin. It's too hard." Other students open up and vent about their home environments and their lack of privacy for completing homework. "You are entering the young adult world," Mr. Tanaka says. "This means that you have more responsibilities. You need your own space so that you can fulfill these responsibilities." He asks students to offer solutions and strategies for carving out more personal space within chaotic, busy homes.

The discussion shows Mr. Tanaka a different side of his students; likewise, the students begin to see Mr. Tanaka as a caring, empathetic person. Following the discussion, Mr. Tanaka begins work on the first problem and asks students where he should begin. "Do you mean if we solve this problem in class, we won't have homework?" Nathan asks. "Yes, that's what I mean. We're going to get this one figured out completely, together as a team. Then tomorrow, we'll work on two." Nathan raises his hand and offers an idea.

4			Mr. Tanaka changes his approach to assigning homework. Which of the following actions does he take in the scenario?
			A)	He informs parents when and how assignments will be made and how long they will take to complete.
			B)	He works on homework problems in class to make sure his students can successfully accomplish the work before they leave.
			C)	He requires students to finish incomplete homework in class.
			D)	He writes the purpose and meaning of the assignment on the board.
5			Whereas Mr. Tanaka's advanced students are capable of successfully completing seatwork and homework, his pre-algebra students are not. Which of the following statements offers a reason why Mr. Tanaka's pre-algebra students are unsuccessful at independent study tasks?
			A)	Mr. Tanaka does not adequately consider the ability of his pre-algebra students to work independently.
			B)	Mr. Tanaka does not plan assignments at the optimal level of difficulty and length.
			C)	Mr. Tanaka does not clearly explain the rationale for assignments.
			D)	All of the above.
6			According to research, teachers whose students stay engaged in seatwork have several characteristics in common. Considering the age group and context of Mr. Tanaka's pre-algebra class, which of these teacher characteristics would be most helpful in facilitating student success?
			A)	Valence and challenge arousal
			B)	Variety
			C)	Withitness
			D)	Overlapping