Welcome to the overview session for the Iowa Core Curriculum Welcome to the overview session for the Iowa Core Curriculum. We are happy to be with you today and share some background information and future direction of the Iowa Core Curriculum.

www.toondoo.com In the last four modules, we have been talking about changing the paradigm about curriculum from being the simply the “what”, but to also include the “how” (instruction), and “how do you know students understand?” (the assessment). We have specifically looked at several of the Characteristics of Effective Instruction that will help students develop Deep Conceptual and Procedural Knowledge around the Essential Concepts and Skills: Teaching for Understanding Assessment for Learning Rigor and Relevance Today we will review these and also look at two more: Student-centered Classrooms and Teaching for Learner Differences.

Objectives To review Teaching for Understanding, Rigor and Relevance, and Assessment for Learning To introduce Student-centered Classrooms and Teaching for Learner Differences Today we will briefly review the Characteristics of Effective Instruction: Teaching for Understanding, Rigor and Relevance, and Assessment for Learning. These Characteristics were covered in Modules 2, 3, and 4. We will also briefly introduce Student-centered Classrooms and Teaching for Learner Differences

Teaching for Understanding When we looked at Teaching for Understanding we examined these six key attributes were identified by David Perkins of Harvard University, Project Zero. These attributes include making learning a long term thinking-centered process, helping students make connections between prior knowledge and new knowledge, provide rich ongoing assessment of student learning, supporting learning with powerful representations, paying attention to developmental factors, and teaching for transfer.

Assessment for Learning Assessment for learning is a key Characteristic of Effective Instruction. The purpose of Assessment for Learning is to provide teachers with information that they can use to inform instruction during lesson so that all students develop deep conceptual and procedural knowledge around the essential concepts and skills. Teachers plan the process for use during instruction by both students and themselves and provide students with clear learning targets. Students received descriptive feedback from the teacher. Assessment for Learning also provides students with a way to self-monitor their own learning which will help them gain insight into their own effective learning tactics.

Rigor and Relevance The components of this Characteristic reflect the basic tenets that are found in the Rigor and Relevance Framework and those in Authentic Intellectual Work. Teachers provide students with challenging content that is significant to a topic and engage students in higher levels of thinking, help students build connections between the content and their personal lives, and ask students to produce products that have value beyond the classroom.

Characteristics of Effective Instruction Student-centered Classrooms Teaching for Learner Differences The previous slides address the Characteristics of Effective Instruction that were covered in Modules 2, 3, and 4. Today we will continue the conversation by adding two additional Characteristics of Effective Instruction: Student Centered Classrooms and Teaching for Learner Differences. Due to limited time in Module 5 and 6, this introduction does not include the same type of information we provided you with around Teaching for Understanding, Assessment for Learning, and Rigor and Relevance. However, over the next several months we, the Network Team, will be receiving more detailed information around all of the Characteristics of Effective Instruction. This will allow us to provide you with additional support as you engage the Iowa Core Curriculum.

Student-centered Classrooms In a Student-Centered Classroom, teachers consider the Essential Concepts and Skills of the Iowa Core Curriculum and masterfully weave those into what students are interested in learning. They provide students with the opportunity to construct knowledge based on experiential, holistic, authentic, and challenging experiences and they intentionally create experiences that are organized, connected, cohesive, and encourage students to be metacognitive about their learning. Ultimately, teachers provide students with assessments that are centered on meaningful performances in real-world contexts.

Teaching for Learner Differences All teachers must be engaged in Teaching for Learner Differences if they intend to affect the learning of each and every student. Teachers must continually strive to add teaching strategies to their “tool kit”. Teachers must continually develop their ability to assess students and to use that data to inform their instruction. Teachers must set high expectations for both their students and themselves in an effort to see achievement gains for all students. It is the combination of high expectations for all students, the ability to use assessment data to make instructional decisions to support the learning for all students, and the knowledge and skill to differentiate instructional practices to meet the needs of all students that make Teaching for Learner Differences a key Characteristic of Effective Instruction.

Creating Learner-Centered Classrooms: Dreams and Practices Directions: See Student-centered Classrooms and Teaching for Learner Differences handouts. In the article, Creating Learner-Centered Classrooms: Dreams and Practices, read to the end of the first paragraph on the page two. Record connections you make between the article and the details around Student-centered Classrooms and Teaching for Learner Differences. Share your connections with your Leadership Team. Identify a reporter to share out the connections. The article “Creating Learner-Centered Classrooms: Dreams and Practices” looks at what teachers are doing and what students are doing in a classroom that is Student/Learner-Centered. It begins with the description of a science lesson in which students are engaging in Inquiry. Students are using their prior knowledge to Engage and Explore their own ideas and to ponder their own observations. While the description does not go through the complete Inquiry cycle, the teacher is setting the stage for students to begin construction their own understanding around Essential Concepts and Skills from the primary grades. From Science as Inquiry: Plan and conduct simple investigations From Physical Science: Understand and apply observable and measurable properties of objects. Directions: Review the handout that contains details about Student-Centered Classrooms and Teaching for Learner Differences. In the article, Creating Learner-Centered Classrooms: Dreams and Practices, read from the beginning to the end of the first paragraph on the second page. As you read, record any connections you make between the article and the details around Student-Centered Classrooms and Teaching for Learner Differences. Share your connections with your Leadership Team. The person whose last name has the most letters should be prepared to share one connection that their Team made.

“…it is necessary to go deeper and address the most important condition for successful school reform, namely, the quality of classroom instruction.” Breakthrough Fullan, Hill, and Crevola , 2006