September 12 Introductions & Syllabus Class logistics: breaks, food, technology,

class meeting times Email: Check Wilkes and school email 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 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 educating children is both a science and an art

Focus of Course Almost the entire class is based on the

Understanding by Design Framework Using a backward design process for designing

classroom experiences for kids Begins with the end in mind Asks: “What are the big ideas and enduring

understandings I want kids to leave my class/grade level with at the end of the year?”

Also focused on use on engaging students differently so we maximize their chances of success in a 21st century world

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 21st century.

Perhaps society (and educators) have had it backward…

In our undergrad program… Many of us were taught to cover the material, and

then figure out a way to test what we taught. This is largely how many teachers may still think today

(at least at secondary level) When kids don’t meet our needs or requirements…

We often blame kids and say that “this group” is lazy, underachieving, etc…

Relevance AND knowing the correct target is absolutely essential

Have schools killed off imagination &

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 anotherLittle 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.

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

Turn to the person next to you and discuss for 2 minutes…

Why have well-intentioned, skilled, hard-working educators often lost sight of the ultimate goals of schooling? Why do our

students not end up understanding or being ‘proficient’ and being bored by school?

Why does it often appear as though one reform initiative after another often falls short and/or

fail?

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

Sharing of pre-assignment…

Please share what you chose to reflect on in the letter/email sent:1. Trends/initiatives in your school: Has much

has changed based on what you found?

2. Assessing your own instructional planning and delivery.

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 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 SAS

BREAK

There is a science to what we teach…

“Yes, but…” (From Ch. 13)

Variety of issues serve as excuses, barriers, and misconceptions for teachers & principals to not embrace reform

Primary barrier: many believe that good pedagogy and state testing are not connected

3 misconceptions identified

Turn to someone else. Discuss the practice of “teaching to the test.” (3

min.)

Misconception #1: “We have to teach to the test…”

Until recently, the State has not provided/promoted best practice in curriculum & instruction

Teachers often say “I’d teach for understanding if I could, but I have to teach to the test…”

Many believe the ONLY way to raise scores is to teach to the test and COVER the material – this is backwards.

“We have to teach to the test…” Many suggest there is little to no time for

in-depth, engaging instructionThis is why some schools that have

gone to block scheduling have failed. Instead of going deeper with concepts, some just taught more of the same in the same teacher-directed manner.

This is a large reason why people abhor testing, but it’s also a reason to make more excuses to not teach differently

“We have to teach to the test…”

It’s not just about the test scores Test scores are a by-product of rigorous,

relevant, engaging instruction In the worst case scenario, struggling schools

may only be able to meet the minimums that a test like the PSSA tests

Even struggling schools (low SES, black, Latino, high IEP #’s) depend on rigorous, relevant curriculum and instruction Giving kids more of the same and expecting

better results is lunacy

“We have to teach to the test…” Goal of curriculum

To design curriculum coupled with instruction that is engaging, relevant, and rigorous that students find purposeful

“UBD provides a way in which a focus on big ideas, robust assessment, and a focused and coherent learning plan makes it likely that state standards are addressed and met.”

Turn to someone else. Talk about how you feel pressured to cover content in your classroom.

(3 min.)

Misconception #2: “We have to cover too much content…”

Based on the assumption that teaching to minimum state standards AND “other content and skills” are exclusive. They are NOT.

Coverage vs. uncoverage Textbook NOT the curriculum; it is a resource

Not totally the case when you think of Guided Reading, Everyday Math, & other spiral curricula

“We have to cover too much content…”

“…The need to cover is typically based upon two implicit assumptions…: (1) if I ‘teach it,’ it will be adequately learned

for tests (2) if I don’t address it in a didactic way, it

won’t be learned.” Teachers cite stress from principals, etc.

to teach the required course

Misconception #3: “This work is too hard and I just don’t have the

time…” No one ever has enough time Perhaps we are not using time to prepare

wisely Teaching is really hard (If you do it right) Time is required ideally UPFRONT, and

with the right technology and resources, we can make better use of time

“This work is too hard and I just don’t have the time…”

Today’s classroom requires collaboration with others to design the best possible learning environment

Professional development needs should be based on what each NEEDS and NOT a one-size fits-most manner

Professional development calendars: All P.D. for given year projected in advance so all

stakeholders can plan effectively

“This work is too hard and I just don’t have the time…”

Time consuming work is NOT a bad thing Most jobs of importance take time to do “We have found that most educators have

a paradoxical resistance to learning – especially teachers used to working alone and thinking that smooth control of all that happens in their space…is what matters most.”

T/P/S: 1 minute How does preparing kids for a 21st century

world require looking at how we design teaching & learning?

Curriculum, instruction, assessment, & testing are directly linked together.

We must work “smarter” to align all of it Technology and best practice in

curriculum mapping is perhaps the best way to achieve desired goals

If we don’t so something differently, we continue to place our kids further behind other industrialized nations and the global economy

For next time…

Please send me an email so I can return the email with a demographic survey I will need on each of you mreitz@loyalsocklancers.org

Read UBD: Intro, Chapters 1 & 5 Read SBD: Chapter 8