1. Sept 27  Sharing of 1 field experience thus far…  KWL – Why should principals be considered to be the “master teacher?”

2. Vision - Review A realistic, credible, and attractive future picture for an organization.  The ideal best for all people  Creates culture of commitment, meaning, and standard for success  Forward-thinking – a bridge between present and future

3. Mission - Review  A clear and compelling goal that unifies everyone.  Must stretch and challenge the organization, yet be achievable.

4. Core beliefs, values, and purpose  Guiding principles  Are stated and operational  Compelling purpose  Why your organization exists  Why YOU are a part of it  Relevance for kids and adults  Demanding and encouraging kids and adults that they CAN DO anything

5. Sharing of…  Building level principals’ responses to what they believe to be your school’s / district’s  Vision  Mission  Values  How an aligned curriculum should tie into each

6. Design… Think of something that you REALLY want in which its design is very attractive… We are really looking for something that is designed well,… that fits our needs…and is convenient, efficient, and may be either expensive or reasonably priced

7. REMEMBER: Educators are and SHOULD BE designers… Why not design teaching and learning for children that taps the same emotions and desires as we do when we shop for items? We want students to find our design of teaching and learning COMPELLING

8. Again - Backwards Design works! Requires… Great amount of thinking, visualizing, and brainstorming RATHER THAN allowing a textbook to drive it Specification of desire results/outcomes BEFORE focusing on content, experiences, activities, materials and resources PROBLEM: Designing instruction using a backwards framework is uncharacteristic for most teachers Many teachers begin with and stick exclusively to a text – this a focus on teaching and not the learning…

9. 3 Stages of Backward Design 1. Identify desired results What should students know, understand, and be able to do as a result of the experience (Content and Skills) What content is worth understanding? What enduring understandings or big ideas are desired? 2. Determine acceptable evidence What will we use to assess what students should know and understand? Use of analytical rubrics, performance measures & assessments, and checklists are your evidence

10. 3 Stages of Backward Design 3. Plan learning experiences and instruction What methods, pedagogy, and tools will most benefit all students? What knowledge and skills will students need to achieve the results desired? What is the most effective and efficient way to have kids experience the experiences? Assessment is crucial when more than one teacher shares the same content standards Agreement on evidence of learning is necessary This is why teams, mapping systems, professional development, and technology are crucial to achieving curriculum cohesion

11. Big Ideas and Essential Questions Essential questions CONNECT the big ideas to individual students through relevant, connected instruction

12. Our teaching design should make sense and constantly seek relevance Even seemingly dull 19 th century literature can be brought to life (without worksheets!)….

13. How do we get to THAT kind or similar other kinds of experiences?

14. By asking GOOD questions – Essential Questions  Open-ended, encompassing, broad  Encourage kids to justify, interpret, prove, and give their opinion  Rarely, if ever, use memorization to recall information  Information in context  Can/should be transferred to students’ own experiences or to another content area  Not often answered with a brief statement, but rather a brief (at least) explanation

15. The BEST Essential Questions… Connect to the BIG IDEAS in multiple ways throughout lesson Teacher is mainly the FACILITATOR instead of DISEMMINATOR FACILITATING: gives more chances to use higher order thinking skills (and increases retention) Good questions look for interesting, alternative, or different viewpoints Focus on reasoning and NOT, necessarily, a single correct answer Open other doors of discussion

16. Good design (UBD), connections to relevant examples in kids’ lives, among more, will prepare kids more

17. BREAK

18. Curriculum Planning  Must be goal-driven at the classroom, school and district level  Common assessments lead to expected valid and reliable student results  Results define whether or not an established curriculum is working or requires re-defining  Primary modes of planning curriculum identified

19. Determine responsibilities/Planning decisions  Planning for curricular decisions can come from the federal, state or local level  A balance is required to know when to proceed and under what conditions  Keystones and move to PA Common Core or Common Core  Goal – to standardize, as much as possible, so that it may result in high achievement for as many students as possible regardless of subgroups demographics

20. Determine responsibilities/Planning decisions  Overall, it is best to plan to establish curriculum and resources to support it that prepare students for the FLOOR expectations but offer extensions and challenge that can take some kids to reach for the CEILING

21. Determine Organizational Structures  Establish curriculum team to begin addressing goals  Team makes recommendations – leadership determines final curriculum changes/movements  Sometimes adopted by Board  Individual school curriculum advisory councils – meet yearly to discuss goals, make recommendations, etc.curriculum advisory councils  Decisions then made by building administrators after hearing all recommendations  Staffing and budgeting resources considered and acted upon

22. Align Educational Goals with Curricular Needs  What are long term outcomes of the work being done?  Decide which goals should be accomplished through courses of study and what can be accomplished otherwise (school counseling, wellness, etc.)  Allocate goals across the curriculum (writing, reading comprehension, etc.)  Decide what, if any, goals can be accomplished through use of technology

23. Curriculum Database  Using UBD by Wiggins and McTighe and Danielson, frameworks/tools for facilitating curricular functions can be used to simplify and frame curriculum planning  Performance Pathways  SAS  Several other worthy systems that can work to align and drive curriculum Several other worthy systems  Many of which support the notion of developing Habits of Mind, higher order thinking, etc. that have a UBD embedded approach

24. Curriculum Calendar  Master calendar that assist everyone with making systematic decisions for curriculum evaluation and devlopment  Absolutely crucial to frame discussion with grade levels, teams, and content areas  Used to monitor curriculum in an ever- expanding review process (Bernhardt model).

25. Evaluate and Provide Resources  Must provide funds, time, and availability of resources to move curriculum forward  Such a process allows schools to make decisions and provide data about need for additional staffing or reduction of staffing  Report to Board about needs after careful, delineated discussion with members of admin team

26. Provide Staff Development  Must provide funds, time, and availability of resources to move curriculum forward  Scarce nowadays in some districts  Can you think of other ways to provide much needed PD?

27. For next time…  Look on Wiki for examples of Field ProjectField Project  Work on individual SAS portal project  Read CL Chapter 8