I believe curriculum and instruction should be in alignment to what the institution seeks to achieve and carefully selected to meet students' academic needs. I believe this because I work at a language academy and even though we do follow common core and NGSS expectations, we also have other goals such as language target goals, technology ISTE standards and The Leader in Me curriculum that we integrate into our instruction in order to meet our mission statement that includes "creating global competent leaders" who are digital citizens who possess digital literacy skills. As a result, our school district allows our school flexibility in selecting curriculum we believe aligns with what we are trying to accomplish as a language immersion school and that best fits our particular academic needs, while the rest of the schools within our school district must follow the curriculum recommended by the district office.
Many issues revolve around curriculum and instruction. For example, should it include character education? Which teaching strategies are more effective? Which modern technologies should we focus on? How should we develop life skills within our students? What will be relevant to our students' futures? How do we create a respectful environment that promotes learning? Which approach should we adopt for teaching 21st century skills? We must always remember that what works for other schools will not necessarily work for our school. We must take into consideration many factors such as demographics, SES, our population, school climate and culture, our academic goals, our mission statement, and our students' unique academic needs.
I wish to expand on the topic of curriculum enhancement. I have been teaching since 2001 and I have yet to come across any curriculum that is ready to be used as is. No matter how scripted it is and how much it differentiates to scaffold and challenge all learners, it is best used as a guide and then we must still develop our own lesson plans that are truly tailored to address our students in our own classrooms. One reason we must enhance our curriculum is because our world is changing quicker than these companies can produce their curriculum. We enhance it by designing our own ways of developing the skill of "asking good questions" within our students. When we teach our students to "ask good questions" as they are learning the content required for their grade level, we are empowering them to take control of their learning by teaching them how to learn. "Asking good questions" is a transferable skill that can be applied to any subject matter and can be used by ALL learners regardless of what level or grade they are in.
In addition to teaching students how to interact with the material they are learning, we must also teach them how to interact with each other for collaborative learning. The curriculum we have hardly ever includes any lessons that teaches students how to work respectfully with each other in an environment where all voices are heard and validated. We must enhance our lessons to include this, and other, valuable components that will increase our students' chance of success in a 21st century environment.
Another way we enhance our lessons is by providing our students the opportunity to collaborate with others, as they continue to develop their understanding of a subject, not just with their peers inside their classrooms, but also via the internet with other learners who may be in a different district, state, or even country! This helps to truly create global leaders in our society!
The goals of curriculum and instruction should be to engage students in a 21st century learning environment. Through experience I have discovered that in order for that to happen, we need to enhance the curriculum provided to us by using our own creativity in order to help students truly develop 21st century skills in the most authentic ways possible. Modern day technology lends itself to supporting the development of lesson plans that help us immerse our students in genuine experiences that will help them develop the skills they will need to be able to communicate their ideas world-wide and foster respect for all cultures, beliefs, religions, countries and perspectives. Involving students in effective curriculum and instruction is truly an art that takes passion!
I believe that an effective learning environment validates the child by including the parents and community in as many school activities as possible and encouraging a solid and open communication between parents and teachers.
I believe this because as a child I used to feel empowered when my mom used to volunteer at different school events throughout the school year. Even my aunt would make every effort to show up to my school-sponsored jog-a-thons, school plays, and other activities. My aunt would go out of her way to establish a positive relationship with my teachers all the way through high school to ensure my success. She was in constant communication with them. She wanted the best for me and somehow she knew it would help if she kept in touch with my teachers.
Lots of issues/aspects of: including parents in our school activities and decision-making processes. For example: they can volunteer to do art lessons every other week, be classroom parent, support instruction by helping the teacher run off copies, prep materials, help during P.E. rotations, go on field trips, give presentations about their career.
And they can share their hobbies and interests during special clubs that they can start on-campus if approved by the principal.
I'd like to talk about the impact of parents sharing their hobbies and interests during special clubs that can be approved by principals.
Explain your example: When I worked at Memorial Middle School, a parent and a few teachers, felt there was a need for an after school program that would help students, especially boys, use their time more productively rather than just going to the streets. What they proposed was a hobby that many of our male students, and even some female students, found very engaging and required lots of patience and attention to fine details. They proposed an after school club in which students would build plastic models of low-rider automobiles. They invited community members who were interested in sharing their passion for this hobby with our students. We had a very HIGH turn-out and I had never seen these boys work with so much patience, perseverance, dedication and happiness together, in a collaborative effort with other students, some of whom they would not have spoken to if it wasn't for this club that brought them together because of their shared interest. Through this club, these students had developed respect for each other, community members, who they had perceived as just "old people", and for themselves. They realized what they were capable of and they were grateful to the adults who had taken time from their busy schedules to dedicate time to them twice a week after school. These students now had something to look forward to and this club even helped increase attendance. The results were beautiful. I am thankful that the principal saw enough value in the proposal presented to her by a parent, who had the support of a few teachers, to approve it and allow it on campus.
I believe that students learn best when they feel welcomed, understood, and empowered. When school staff act like behavior coaches rather than rule enforcers we create a caring school culture that sends the message "We are here to guide you in your daily decision-making process. We understand you are still learning the expected behavioral norms and we will offer you gentle guidance along the way".
I believe this because when I used to teach middle school I would offer my students gentle guidance with regard to behavioral expectations and I would never have any disruptions in my classroom. My students expressed their surprise to the way I would approach them and they would ask me in disbelief how come I am not writing them referrals. They would share with me that if they had done x, y and z in a different classroom, they would have already received a referral. Kids used to tell me that they felt respected and that they were surprised that I showed interest in things they liked. They responded well to my approach of helping them adjust and modify their behavior in a gentle manner rather than saying, "Alright! That's it! You're getting a referral!"
Lots of issues/aspects of: increasing teacher understanding of choice words and the Do No Harm Philosophy: For example: teachers can learn about Stephen Covey's 7 Habits and use them school-wide to create a safe and effective school climate. Teachers can find out what students' interests are and integrate those interests into their lessons. Teachers can "catch" students being good and make positive phone calls/e-mails to parents describing in detail what their child did at school that was so wonderful. Staff members must model expected behavior for students at ALL times because students are always watching. Digital citizenship also contributes to school culture and climate.
And teachers can learn more about restorative practices by being proactive and taking it upon themselves to learn more.
I'd like to talk about: The impact positive phone calls/e-mails have on school culture/climate.
Explain your example: I quickly figure out who is the leader of each group of students and I immediately look for a positive reason to initiate contact with their parents. Many times the parents are pleasantly surprised, and from that day on, that child puts forth their best effort to follow routines, procedures and be respectful to themselves and everyone around them. Since they have already established themselves as leaders, amongst their peers, during the past school years, their peers follow their lead and quickly realize that it is no longer "cool" to bully someone or be disruptive in the classroom. That approach has worked for me at every grade level that I have taught from kindergarten up to the 8th grade. As the teacher, you have already reached out to the parents to let them know you think highly of their child and the child has received recognition for their cooperative behavior. After that, they never want to let you down.
I believe technology has its place in the classroom as an enhancement tool to support learning and learning should never revolve around what the digital tool can do.
I believe this because technology allows teachers to design lessons with a different approach that allows students to create a different product that otherwise would have been unconceivable without technology around. In deciding how to incorporate technology into our lessons, we focus on our common core standard and learning objective and THEN decide how the digital tool will be used at the redefinition level. We don't first look at what is available for use on the iPad or laptop and then work around that because the purpose is to meet our learning objectives, not to get to know our iPad or laptop. We must always keep in mind that these tools come and go, so it is not about becoming familiar with the tool itself, but rather learning how to use what it offers at the time so that we can expand our learning.
Lots of issues/aspects of: Technology revolutionizing the way we inform our instruction: For example: open badge infrastructure, data collected through different on-line programs, on-line collaborative learning, gamification, bandwidth, one-to-one programs, a tool for communication
And on-line report cards.
I'd like to talk about open badges infrastructure.
Explain your example: Technology is certainly revolutionizing the way students learn, earn their credits, and keep their accomplishments organized. Now that we are all connected to the world wide web we can be transparent learners as we make our learning visible to everyone who is interested in viewing our compilation of achievements. Mozilla Firefox has now come up with a Mozilla Backpack that allows you to keep your collection of on-line AND off-line rewards, certificates, diplomas and accomplishments in general, represented by badges, all in one easily accessible place. Open badges is a new online standard to recognize and verify learning. If you are applying for a job, the person interviewing can have access to your badges and check for credibility from each institution that issued you each badge. They can also verify the criteria that was used in deciding if the student would earn each badge or not. This standard goes along with the idea of gamification, which keeps students interested in, sometimes maybe even addicted to, putting forth their best effort in pursuit of their next badge doing whatever it takes to acquire it, even if it means staying up until 1am in order to finish assignments on a timely manner while always making sure to turn in quality work.