The improvement of instruction in a high school economics classroom.

摘要

The research was conducted as a case study observing economics course instruction over two semesters held in the Fall of 2000 and Spring of 2001. The case compared two instructors teaching in block class periods or longer than 50 minutes. The classes were chosen to compare similar instructional strategies and time constraints. The observations took place at 2 of the 11 campuses in an inner-city district. Tables describing the demographics of the district and each campus are included.; One campus was an alternative school with a smaller campus population. The other campus was a regular high school with a population of 2000 plus. The alternative campus was also selected to determine if different instructional strategies were being used for different campus populations. The district had initiated training in variations of instructional techniques through staff development 12 years ago.; A practitioner research model was employed. During the observation the researcher collected field notes and videotaped recordings of the classes. The teachers were observed once a week for six weeks. Pre- and post-tests were used to measure student results. The pre- and post-tests examined various financial topics and the data was analyzed by topic. The results of the pre- and post-tests caused further analysis of the classroom observations and the instructional strategies used.; Average scores on the pre- and post-tests declined, presumably as a result of inadequate instruction. Although alternative instructional strategies are taught and training continues in the district, there were no examples available for observation in the case study of economics instruction. The author recommends project-based instruction as a way of improving learning and testing with an emphasis on better use of planning.; Both classroom observations revealed “old fashioned” teacher-centered instruction without clear objectives. One day of videotape in each class was transcribed and analyzed in detail using Madeline Hunter's model of Essential Elements of Effective Instruction. The Hunter model is used for staff development in the district. The seven-step model allowed the researcher to break down the parts of each lesson. Recommendations for several methods to modify the instruction and suggestions for alternatives to student assessments were given.