EDU 6524 - Reflection (Summer 2018)
Course goals/Program Standards:
Standard #9: evaluate and use effective curriculum design
Prior Thoughts:
Prior to this course I had two main thoughts. First, I knew I had a lack of comprehensive unit planning, specifically in the middle school area. My training and coursework thus far in my career did not prepare me for middle school general music, something that is uncommon. I have been designing the curriculums in a “trial by fire” method and relying on student feedback to implement necessary changes. Second, I reflected on my assessment methods and realized I rely too heavily on a couple of assessments. My methods are not diverse enough to ensure all students have an opportunity to display their learning in a manner that suits them.
Reflection:
Through completion of EDU6524 I have gained new perspective on curriculum design. The three big takeaways I will implement within my teaching are as follows:
Effective teaching ensures standards are taught and assessed
Quality curriculum design utilizes organizing centers focused on concepts and not topics
Effective teaching employs a multitude of assessment modalities
1. Effective teaching ensures standards are taught and assessed.
Standards should be viewed in three ways: addressed, taught, and taught and assessed (Lalor, 2016). Each viewpoint has its own benefits and one is not superior to another. However, effective teaching ensures by the end of the unit, trimester, and year, standards have been taught and assessed. Much to often standards are simply written on the board, lesson plan, or verbally mentioned to students. What evidence can teachers provide to show each standard has been taught and assessed? By placing emphasis on teaching and assessing standards we are prioritizing the standard, developing learning targets, communicating those learning targets, and developing appropriate learning activities (Lalor, 2016).
2. Quality curriculum design utilizes organizing centers to focus on concepts, not topics.
In pushing students to a deeper level of understanding teachers must focus on instructing concepts, not topics as the latter merely requires students to memorize and regurgitate information. Through organizing centers, a central idea in which a unit is centered around (Lalor, 2016), teachers can develop and instruct thought provoking units. The use of organizing centers is important as the material can be explored from many angles, thus engaging the students. The material is meaningful because the end product (the concept taught) is focused on something bigger than the students (Lalor, 2016).
3. Effective teaching employs a multitude of assessment modalities.
Teachers must diligently and purposefully asses their students on the curriculum instructed. In properly measuring student success, a wide range of assessment strategies must be employed. This ensures two things: 1) Multiple assessment modalities provide more information regarding what the students know and are able to do, and under what conditions (Lalor, 2016). 2) Multiple assessment modalities allow more opportunities for student success as instruction is differentiated to all learning styles.
On a similar note, educators must ensure all standards are assessed throughout the year. As stated by Rebecca Alber (2014), certain standards can be focused on too much, not giving enough attention to the others.This task is surprisingly difficult in specialist classes when the curriculum is typically weighted to one or two standards.
Future Teaching Implementation:
These three takeaways impact my teaching as I will focus on ensuring standards are taught and assessed, expanding my view from topic to concept, and employing a multitude of assessment strategies to ensure opportunities for student success. All three ideas provide clarity and intention in my practice. These ideas also provide students with more opportunities to display their understanding and demonstrate confidence in what they know. Lastly, these ideas provide for a student-centered classroom as learners are given more freedom to discover and demonstrate learning. Lastly, with my new understanding of effective curriculum design I will reevaluate my current curriculums utilizing the same ideas presented in the Lalor readings. Each unit, particularly at the middle school level, will use an organizing center to ensure the areas of focus are concept focused with room for students to discover their own learning. As mentioned by Mariko Nobori (2011) in the article “5 Strategies to Ensure Students Learning”, a school in Arizona encourages teacher to focus on one or two standards a week and thoroughly assess those standards at the end of the week. I might experiment with this type of compartmentalization when spreading the standards out throughout the year.
Link to relevant coursework:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/197Nlh9ojKqXcx8evK8m4Jq-OD3b71uzgJ7wv1xCLhlE/edit?usp=sharing
Sources:
Lalor, A. (2016). Ensuring high-quality curriculum: How to design, revise, or adopt curriculum aligned to student success. Alexandria, Virginia: ASCD.
Alber, R. (2014). Teaching students not standards. Retrieved from
https://www.edutopia.org/blog/teaching-students-not-standards-rebecca-alber
Nobori, M. (2011). 5 strategies to ensure student learning. Retrieved from
https://www.edutopia.org/stw-differentiated-instruction-budget-assessment-how-to
Standard #9: evaluate and use effective curriculum design
Prior Thoughts:
Prior to this course I had two main thoughts. First, I knew I had a lack of comprehensive unit planning, specifically in the middle school area. My training and coursework thus far in my career did not prepare me for middle school general music, something that is uncommon. I have been designing the curriculums in a “trial by fire” method and relying on student feedback to implement necessary changes. Second, I reflected on my assessment methods and realized I rely too heavily on a couple of assessments. My methods are not diverse enough to ensure all students have an opportunity to display their learning in a manner that suits them.
Reflection:
Through completion of EDU6524 I have gained new perspective on curriculum design. The three big takeaways I will implement within my teaching are as follows:
Effective teaching ensures standards are taught and assessed
Quality curriculum design utilizes organizing centers focused on concepts and not topics
Effective teaching employs a multitude of assessment modalities
1. Effective teaching ensures standards are taught and assessed.
Standards should be viewed in three ways: addressed, taught, and taught and assessed (Lalor, 2016). Each viewpoint has its own benefits and one is not superior to another. However, effective teaching ensures by the end of the unit, trimester, and year, standards have been taught and assessed. Much to often standards are simply written on the board, lesson plan, or verbally mentioned to students. What evidence can teachers provide to show each standard has been taught and assessed? By placing emphasis on teaching and assessing standards we are prioritizing the standard, developing learning targets, communicating those learning targets, and developing appropriate learning activities (Lalor, 2016).
2. Quality curriculum design utilizes organizing centers to focus on concepts, not topics.
In pushing students to a deeper level of understanding teachers must focus on instructing concepts, not topics as the latter merely requires students to memorize and regurgitate information. Through organizing centers, a central idea in which a unit is centered around (Lalor, 2016), teachers can develop and instruct thought provoking units. The use of organizing centers is important as the material can be explored from many angles, thus engaging the students. The material is meaningful because the end product (the concept taught) is focused on something bigger than the students (Lalor, 2016).
3. Effective teaching employs a multitude of assessment modalities.
Teachers must diligently and purposefully asses their students on the curriculum instructed. In properly measuring student success, a wide range of assessment strategies must be employed. This ensures two things: 1) Multiple assessment modalities provide more information regarding what the students know and are able to do, and under what conditions (Lalor, 2016). 2) Multiple assessment modalities allow more opportunities for student success as instruction is differentiated to all learning styles.
On a similar note, educators must ensure all standards are assessed throughout the year. As stated by Rebecca Alber (2014), certain standards can be focused on too much, not giving enough attention to the others.This task is surprisingly difficult in specialist classes when the curriculum is typically weighted to one or two standards.
Future Teaching Implementation:
These three takeaways impact my teaching as I will focus on ensuring standards are taught and assessed, expanding my view from topic to concept, and employing a multitude of assessment strategies to ensure opportunities for student success. All three ideas provide clarity and intention in my practice. These ideas also provide students with more opportunities to display their understanding and demonstrate confidence in what they know. Lastly, these ideas provide for a student-centered classroom as learners are given more freedom to discover and demonstrate learning. Lastly, with my new understanding of effective curriculum design I will reevaluate my current curriculums utilizing the same ideas presented in the Lalor readings. Each unit, particularly at the middle school level, will use an organizing center to ensure the areas of focus are concept focused with room for students to discover their own learning. As mentioned by Mariko Nobori (2011) in the article “5 Strategies to Ensure Students Learning”, a school in Arizona encourages teacher to focus on one or two standards a week and thoroughly assess those standards at the end of the week. I might experiment with this type of compartmentalization when spreading the standards out throughout the year.
Link to relevant coursework:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/197Nlh9ojKqXcx8evK8m4Jq-OD3b71uzgJ7wv1xCLhlE/edit?usp=sharing
My curriculum map for 4th grade
Sources:
Lalor, A. (2016). Ensuring high-quality curriculum: How to design, revise, or adopt curriculum aligned to student success. Alexandria, Virginia: ASCD.
Alber, R. (2014). Teaching students not standards. Retrieved from
https://www.edutopia.org/blog/teaching-students-not-standards-rebecca-alber
Nobori, M. (2011). 5 strategies to ensure student learning. Retrieved from
https://www.edutopia.org/stw-differentiated-instruction-budget-assessment-how-to
Comments
Post a Comment