The title of the section is interesting - "How Should Teaching be Appropriately Depersonalized". I think teaching is very personal BUT I think the authors are saying it is "not all about me" - as "me" as the "teacher" the ONLY expert working alone in my "space at the mall". Love the "nothing personal but...." idea mentioned (it's hard to get past the personal though...like when people start with "don't take this personally" but of course, I would...
Many of the ideas presented under "what we would find if the principle" were honored are in the control of curriculum and development - for example the professional development opportunities, surveys, assessment creation (we have essential questions framing the curriculum and units), etc.
The student involvement in their own learning is an area I think we could get teachers excited about (Principle 3) Many great ideas are presented in this chapter and it gives good examples on how to depersonalize teaching - I think it is a lot harder to do then to write about -
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Schooling by Design - "How Should the Curriculum be Re-Fromed"
The "Ten Curriculum Components" identified in Schooling by Design are really a good guideline for curriculum writing. In the next curriculum cycle it would be great if we considered the components during the design and writing. It stresses me out a little to read the components because we don't really have them...we have 2 (Understandings and Essential Questions) BUT it is hard to have strong and relevant EUs and EQs when they were not really mission based as our current district mission was more of a motto than a mission.
For example, the mission related critical thinking goal and related information is fabulous. But we did not link our essential questions to anything like that - I'm not going to be overly critical of the work because we did a great job based on knowing what we knew. Though every page I read causes me to question the work we accomplished YET I know it is better than what we have. The text has incredible history standards that could be incorporated into our curriculum during the next writing. The challenge will be getting the right people at the table to write the curriculum.
I think the advice by the authors at the end of the chapter is very important, "SO take heart: think big; act small; work smarter, not harder." Because the task ahead does seem daunting - the ideas for action also are helpful and heartening...
1) Major curriculum reforms will take 5 - 10 years to fully implement
2) Start small - follow the curriculum cycle (though I think we can begin to include common rubrics)
3) Need for a team
Monitoring Curriculum Progress (Figure 3.25) is a good source to use with the curriculum committee to look at current reality in the social studies curriculum.
For example, the mission related critical thinking goal and related information is fabulous. But we did not link our essential questions to anything like that - I'm not going to be overly critical of the work because we did a great job based on knowing what we knew. Though every page I read causes me to question the work we accomplished YET I know it is better than what we have. The text has incredible history standards that could be incorporated into our curriculum during the next writing. The challenge will be getting the right people at the table to write the curriculum.
I think the advice by the authors at the end of the chapter is very important, "SO take heart: think big; act small; work smarter, not harder." Because the task ahead does seem daunting - the ideas for action also are helpful and heartening...
1) Major curriculum reforms will take 5 - 10 years to fully implement
2) Start small - follow the curriculum cycle (though I think we can begin to include common rubrics)
3) Need for a team
Monitoring Curriculum Progress (Figure 3.25) is a good source to use with the curriculum committee to look at current reality in the social studies curriculum.
Schooling by Design - "What Should Curriculum Accomplish?"
Wiggins and McTighe in Schooling by Design state, "For it to be a curriculum...it would have to be a plan for achieving performance purposes, for specifying how learners are to accomplish important understanding - related tasks with content, not just a plan for teaching content. (p37)" So, is our curriculum in social studies asking students to "do" the discipline or just learn the content.
A challenge we are facing is we have achieved Stage I but do not require Stage II which would add the performance task into the curriculum - the "doing the discipline" piece. Pages 49 - 51 include an excellent example of a discipline based curriculum from New Jersey. Another challenge - the curriculum may be based on the competencies of the discipline but it may not be implemented based on the competencies.
The ideas for action at the end of the chapter provide some great strategies that could easily be accomplished in our schools (of course - time and talent are needed to create them) - appropriate diagnostic assessments (pre-tests and on-going feedback), cornerstone (peer reviewed) assessment tasks, recurring tasks and rubrics, and "gap" check (of course the key is to have the assessment tasks we need to collect the data for monitoring the intended, implemented and attained curriculum).
A challenge we are facing is we have achieved Stage I but do not require Stage II which would add the performance task into the curriculum - the "doing the discipline" piece. Pages 49 - 51 include an excellent example of a discipline based curriculum from New Jersey. Another challenge - the curriculum may be based on the competencies of the discipline but it may not be implemented based on the competencies.
The ideas for action at the end of the chapter provide some great strategies that could easily be accomplished in our schools (of course - time and talent are needed to create them) - appropriate diagnostic assessments (pre-tests and on-going feedback), cornerstone (peer reviewed) assessment tasks, recurring tasks and rubrics, and "gap" check (of course the key is to have the assessment tasks we need to collect the data for monitoring the intended, implemented and attained curriculum).
Monday, May 18, 2009
Thought
How do the Five Disciplines of Thought fit into the social studies curriculum. As I study the book "Teaching What Matters Most" - I can see why this would be a valuable book for the Social Studies Curriculum Committee and the year two and three teachers to study. I'm wondering if we could use the rubrics to evaluate the curriculum and rubrics for use in the classroom - I'm not sure but it is certainly something to consider. I think it is important to mesh all of the ideas of the district into a common understanding - the Six Facets of Understanding are part of Wiggin's work and it is important for us to understand how they connect to the work we are already doing (DOK, Process Standards, etc.). The more we know the better we will be able to make connections and have the teachers make the connections - hopefully it won't feel like one more thing....THOUGHT certainly something to think about : )
Monday, May 11, 2009
Reflection on the Day of Learning - Focus Goals
The goals created for social studies provide fair direction. However, they are missing some important components if we believe in the ideas promoted in Strong, Silver and Perini's book Teaching What Matters Most. The goals need to be re-written to include evaluating the On Line Curriculum Guide for specific information including rigor and thought. The rubrics provided from the text are an outstanding measuring tool that my curriculum council will be able to utilize to evaluate the curriculum guide. In order for our social studies program to be the best in the country we need to adjust the goals for social studies and evaluate the curriculum with the new goal. The change is really a matter of wording and practice - by wording I mean the wording of the goal needs to change. By practice I mean that the new words are actually practiced in curriculum evaluation. Overall this was a great day for learning - I feel better able to do my job as the coordinator of social studies AND it gave me ideas to utilize with my curriculum committee.
Leaping the Ladder
The Ladder of Inferences ( http://www.masterfacilitatorjournal.com/inference.html )
Have you ever been a ladder leaper? Acted a certain way based on past experiences rather than thinking of each experience as a unique event. I am a ladder leaper - probably more in my personal life than my professional life (which is good for work but not so good at home). I do admit I have "lepf the ladder" at work but I attmept to go back down the ladder - however, in my personal life I find it much harder. The most evident example of “ladder leaping” in my life is with my husband and going over the bills. Based on past experiences – I know this is going to be an uncomfortable event because of my actions with spending. I would spend without thought to our budget because that is what I did. Over the past 21 years I have changed my philosophy on spending and try to follow our budget. However, my husband has the mental model of my old spending – his mental model may have changed regarding my spending BUT my mental model of how he reacts during “bill time” has not changed. I anticipate he is going to be mad at the purchases and I skip to the final rung – I’m mad at him before he can be mad at me. Now I just need to figure out how to go back down the ladder with him on the “bills”.
Have you ever been a ladder leaper? Acted a certain way based on past experiences rather than thinking of each experience as a unique event. I am a ladder leaper - probably more in my personal life than my professional life (which is good for work but not so good at home). I do admit I have "lepf the ladder" at work but I attmept to go back down the ladder - however, in my personal life I find it much harder. The most evident example of “ladder leaping” in my life is with my husband and going over the bills. Based on past experiences – I know this is going to be an uncomfortable event because of my actions with spending. I would spend without thought to our budget because that is what I did. Over the past 21 years I have changed my philosophy on spending and try to follow our budget. However, my husband has the mental model of my old spending – his mental model may have changed regarding my spending BUT my mental model of how he reacts during “bill time” has not changed. I anticipate he is going to be mad at the purchases and I skip to the final rung – I’m mad at him before he can be mad at me. Now I just need to figure out how to go back down the ladder with him on the “bills”.
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