Sept 13 – ED 523 Introductions & Syllabus Class logistics: breaks, food, technology, class meeting times Class Wiki Check Wilkes and school Purpose of Course: Use best practice and research to drive course This class will likely challenge your assumptions, opinions, beliefs, and practices

Introductions Please introduce yourself to everyone and include:  Your name  Current position and school district  How long in this position? In teaching altogether?  What are you looking to gain from this course?

Big Ideas of Course To make course applicable as possible To share best practice/research in curriculum, instruction & leadership To assist you in uncovering how PA’s graduation requirements, common core standards, and curriculum mapping are state policy and best practice To illustrate that an administrator’s ability to lead teaching & learning practices is primary to everything

W. Edward Deming…“It is not enough to do your best; you must first know what to do and THEN do your best.” Ask yourself….”What if we’re using the wrong information or the wrong practice?”  Must change the behaviors of those with whom we work before we can change a school’s culture.  This is the essence of the need to design curricula and instruction for kids in the 21 st century.

“Today’s school administrators’ face one of the most challenging and exciting times in the educational history of this nation. Setting priorities and formulating curriculum change continues to be an important role of any successful leader.” How do you define success for a student? Educate staff, think positively, pro-active, positive thinking, reinventing curriculum/teaching, teacher collabroation/teacher leaders, coomon core standard implmentation,

Have schools killed off imagination & motivation for kids to learn?motivation for kids to learn? In the process of meeting demands of government (testing) and mandates (NCLB) over time…  Schools have attempted one new initiative / fad after another  Perhaps little has changed within the traditional classroom (more typical in MS’s & HS’s)

A mission-driven approach to schooling drives everything… “Without a constant focus on teaching that is meant to culminate in meaning and transfer, schooling will likely remain mired in timeless, unexamined habits and rituals, and limited by incoherent practices and structures.” Jay McTighe, Schooling by Design

A mission-driven approach to schooling drives everything… The focus of schools today ought to be how to make sense of learning in order to have kids lead better lives out of school – to apply lessons to later challenges. This must be articulated and begun by school administrators, or it will likely never get done.

A mission-driven approach to schooling drives everything… Wiggins & McTighe…  For the most part, traditional curriculum and views of teaching: dysfunctional  Content mastery is not the ultimate goal. It is a by- product of a successful, holistic education.  Standards = the building code  Content and skills = architect’s blueprint  Learning experiences & activities = building of home  Formative assessments = codes officer inspection during process of building home (framing, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, etc.)  Summative assessment = final inspection from owner and codes officer

Successful reform depends on… Each individual educator (teachers and administrators) breaking a long-standing practice of habits and attitudes that for at least a century has held schools back from entering a new era. “Many teachers, acting in good faith, have been led to believe incorrectly that their job is to march through content and to test for low- level knowledge and discrete skills (though that is not even what most state standards expect.” - Wiggins & McTighe

Trends / Initiatives in Teaching and Learning Results of student performance on various assessments has dictated many (if not all) trends This information has led to state and federal policy changes and laws enacted  TIMMS study TIMMS study  Nation at Risk Nation at Risk Flavor of the Year (often accompanied by grants & incentives) is a concept very familiar to us as educators in order to meet policy changes

Trends / Initiatives in Teaching and Learning To do nothing new/different = wrong To only take on the latest thing = wrong We need…  BALANCE and proper implementation of whatever mandate with BEST PRACTICE

An aligned curriculum, best practice in teaching strategies and proper assessment is absolutely connected…and should be!

Using formative & summative assessment is key to curriculum & instructional strategies! Everyday Math & Guided Reading – have embedded formative & summative assessments  Such curricula is articulated vertically Traditional courses of study do little to articulate curriculum among teachers of the same grade/content and over grade levels and other content areas Mapping systems are very necessary so we can address the gaps and overlaps in what, when, why and how much we teach  Curriculum Connector Curriculum Connector  SAS SAS

BREAK

Think-pair-share How do you define curriculum, and what do you believe to be the function of a building level or district level administrator in reviewing and monitoring curriculum policies and practices?

Curriculum Defined… Curriculum is an organized program of learning, segregated by subject area, composed of four main categories: content, instruction, assessment, and context.  Content = information and skills students should learn and eventually know by studying the material.  Instruction = accompaniment of strategies, lesson design, “uncovering” of knowledge  Assessment – formative and summative measures student performance and application of instruction.  Context = broad term for the educational environment in which the course material will be taught  Example - to understand the curriculum for an elementary school science class, it is important to note that the level of rigor should be suitable for elementary school students.

What is meant by what schools offer in terms of the “hidden curriculum?”

What is meant by “hidden curriculum?” Any teachable moment as part of a student’s learning experiences that may not be a part of a particular content area Relationships Ethical behavior  Teaching integrity, mediation, etc. Climate of a school Culture of a school

Components of curriculum Policies (federal, state, local board policy)  Rules, guidelines, recommendations that asset in governing what it to be learned Goals  General, long-terms outcomes of whatever inputs are used to generate a student product at each level Fields of Study – those established learning experiences offered over a yearly period to accomplish the goals Programs of study – set of learning experiences in content areas for particular sets of learners

Components… Course of Study – courses within a field of study that must be achieved to accomplish an outcome Units of Study (UBD) – specific, measurable units that approach all the necessary material and learning outcomes that may prepare students for any number of assessments Lessons - proper design, planning, instructional strategies (including differentiation), modifications for IEPs, time limits, concept mapping that maximizes retention at the conclusion of each day Lessons

SAS Tab – Case Study Assessment Curriculum Framework Instruction Materials & Resources

For next time… Read CL – Chap 4 and SBD – Chap 8-9