students subsequently read and discuss Fatland: How Americans Became the Fattest People in the World. on these hunger-focused reading and writing assignments, Keller then engages his students “Building in a voluntary service project on a Saturday. For example, students have volunteered at Samaritan House, a local food distribution center. Students can participate in the service project and write a reflection paper in lieu of a final exam . . . The final essay involves students informing the reader about the nature of the problem of hunger and reflecting on their own service experience. Keller requests an introduction that frames the problem based on the semester’s readings and additional research on the issue locally; he also requires students to reflect their observations from the service experience.” (Definition from Cornell University Center for Teaching Innovation, example from Baker 2009). Thematic Instruction Thematic instruction is the organization of a curriculum around macro Thematic instruction “themes.” integrates basic disciplines like reading, math, and science with the exploration of a broad subject, such as communities, rain forests, river basins, the use of energy, and so on. Thematic instruction is based on the idea that people acquire knowledge best when learning in the context of a coherent and when they can connect what they are learning to the real world. Thematic instruction “whole,” seeks to put the teaching of cognitive skills such as reading, mathematics, science, and writing in the context of a real-world subject that is both specific enough to be practical, and broad enough to allow creative exploration. For example, students may study immigration and its effects on their community. This topic would involve reading, math, writing and social studies. The best themes are ones that students choose based on their interests. Source: Thematic Definition from Funderstanding Web Site How to Teach Contextually Relate: Learning in the context of one's life experiences or pre-existing knowledge Many adults have life experiences where they have used math concepts like percentage often without even realizing it. Explaining an abstract concept like percentage is so much easier if we can relate it to something a student has done before like buying something on sale or having FICA deducted from their paychecks.
students subsequently read and discuss Fatland: How Americans Became the Fattest People in the World. “Building on these hunger-focused reading and writing assignments, Keller then engages his students in a voluntary service project on a Saturday. For example, students have volunteered at Samaritan House, a local food distribution center. Students can participate in the service project and write a reflection paper in lieu of a final exam . . . The final essay involves students informing the reader about the nature of the problem of hunger and reflecting on their own service experience. Keller requests an introduction that frames the problem based on the semester’s readings and additional research on the issue locally; he also requires students to reflect their observations from the service experience.” (Definition from Cornell University Center for Teaching Innovation, example from Baker 2009). Thematic Instruction Thematic instruction is the organization of a curriculum around macro “themes.” Thematic instruction integrates basic disciplines like reading, math, and science with the exploration of a broad subject, such as communities, rain forests, river basins, the use of energy, and so on. Thematic instruction is based on the idea that people acquire knowledge best when learning in the context of a coherent “whole,” and when they can connect what they are learning to the real world. Thematic instruction seeks to put the teaching of cognitive skills such as reading, mathematics, science, and writing in the context of a real-world subject that is both specific enough to be practical, and broad enough to allow creative exploration. For example, students may study immigration and its effects on their community. This topic would involve reading, math, writing and social studies. The best themes are ones that students choose based on their interests. Source: Thematic Definition from Funderstanding Web Site How to Teach Contextually Relate: Learning in the context of one's life experiences or pre-existing knowledge Many adults have life experiences where they have used math concepts like percentage often without even realizing it. Explaining an abstract concept like percentage is so much easier if we can relate it to something a student has done before like buying something on sale or having FICA deducted from their paychecks.