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Eric.ed.gov – Geometry in the Adult Education Classroom.

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: For many adults, geometry is a mathematics topic that immediately makes sense to them and gives them confidence in their ability to learn, while other adult learners identify geometry with failure. Most adults, however, do recognize the need for measurement, and many have a basic understanding of measurement concepts, although they may need to learn English measurements if they already know metric measurement. Implications for teaching and learning are the following: (1) teachers must use exact and estimated measurements to describe and compare phenomena to increase the understanding of the structure, concepts, and process of measurement; (2) teachers must address the impact of measurement skills on self-efficacy and self-reliance; (3) measurement skills should be extended to concept areas such as volume, proportion, and problem solving; (4) teachers… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Job-Related Basic Math Skills: An Analysis of Employees and Employers/Supervisors’ Perception of Needed Math Skills for Office Occupations.

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Phase I of a study was conducted to identify the basic mathematics competencies needed for job success in office occupations (14 job clusters). It also sought to determine the differences between employees’ and employer/supervisors’ perceptions of the degree of importance of mathematics skills for office occupations. Following a review of literature, a preliminary list of business and office mathematics skills was submitted to an advisory committee of business teachers, field tested, and refined into a questionnaire that contained a list of 36 basic mathematics skills and 30 mathematics-related business skills. Survey forms were created and sent to 1,652 employees and 288 employer/supervisors at 58 businesses in Louisiana, with responses returned by 854 employees and 171 employer/supervisors. Tables were prepared showing ratings of mathematics skills by each of… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – The STEM Initiative: Constraints and Challenges

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: There is considerable national interest in STEM initiatives, but yet there is little discussion concerning what STEM means in terms of a curriculum concept to be applied to school programming. This article focuses on STEM as a curriculum concept. First, STEM programming is discussed in terms of separate subjects, correlated and broad fields curriculum models. The issue of subject structure is examined. A distinction also is made between the four STEM subjects in terms of formal and applicative uses of knowledge. Second, some practical programming issues are discussed. These include the almost exclusive focus on science and math to the exclusion of technology and engineering; the challenge of serving multiple student populations; and the issue of what to do with the “T” in STEM. A concluding section… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Non-Traditional School-to-Work Opportunities for Young Women. Resource Bulletin.

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This bulletin presents an overview of strategies that practitioners identify as methods of increasing young women’s access to and success in school-to-work programs in nontraditional occupations. These strategies are discussed: outreach to female students; career information and advising; training for teachers and counselors; math and science education; links with out-of-school programs; success skills; women mentors; parent involvement; and preparing employers and unions. The following institutional strategies are described: (1) including women in nontraditional occupations on advisory councils and hiring women instructors in nontraditional educational areas; (2) including workshops on nontraditional employment in training institutes and offering grant incentives for encouraging nontraditional careers in requests for proposals for local school-to-work initiatives; (3) purchasing textbooks, videotapes, and posters portraying women in nontraditional occupations; and (4) collecting data that link… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – New Mexico Higher Education Department Annual Report, 2015

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: The New Mexico Higher Education Department (HED) and higher education institutions (HEIs) have set long-term statewide goals to increase 4-year graduation rates, improve transfer and articulation, and improve remedial education outcomes. HED is pursuing these goals through the following initiatives: (1) Statewide common course numbering and alignment of lower division coursework; (2) Developing meta-majors and transfer modules; (3) Reforming the general education core curriculum; (4) Co-requisite remediation and Math pathways; (5) Decreasing the number of hours required for both associate’s and bachelor’s degrees; (6) Incentivizing 4-year graduation; and (7) Implementation of outcomes based funding. This annual report outlines each of the initiatives. Accomplishing these timely and aggressive goals requires remarkable collaboration among all the HEIs and between the HEIs and the HED. With the Governor’s leadership, the… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – From Vocational Education to Linked Learning: The Ongoing Transformation of Career-Oriented Education in the U.S.

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Traditionally, the purpose of education in the United States has been conceived broadly, encompassing several goals, such as equity, civic participation, “whole-person” development, aesthetic appreciation, and greater cultural awareness. The renewed focus on equipping students with marketable skills is both a response to the globally-competitive labor market engendered by the Financial Crisis of 2008 and an implicit critique of the traditional American liberal education model. Innovative approaches to fostering student participation in STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) are being promoted by a wide spectrum of politicians, corporations, and policy think tanks. Many observers argue that educational outcomes should reflect the changing needs of the workforce, and high school curricula should integrate academic instruction with work-based learning. With these trends in mind, researchers at the Pullias… Continue Reading