Meta-Reflection: Curriculum Design

I came into Seattle Pacific University’s Alternate Route to Certification Program with what I thought was a working knowledge of the teaching profession. I had worked in many classrooms both as a volunteer and as a paraprofessional. The reality is that I knew little of the scope of what teaching entails, particularly in the area of designing and implementing effective curriculum. The Curriculum Design course helped me to realize there is much more to successful teaching than worksheets and lectures. In module one’s lecture the professor related designing lessons to a road trip. A teacher’s job is to make sure the destination is clear and the chosen sites and stops along the way are meaningful and engaging. Our course work then centered on how to design these meaningful, engaging lessons that will take students on their trip to successful learning.

Standards are the road signs of curriculum design and planning. Using state standards as guidelines is important for making sure lessons are taking students to where they need to go. Educators are frequently provided a curriculum which they are to teach. While this curriculum might be aligned to standards, it is rarely perfect for meeting the needs of students. Effective educators know their students are individuals and that each student learns differently(Medina), therefore each classroom will be unique to the students it contains. An effective educator is able to analyze a provided curriculum, identify strengths and weaknesses, and then modify that curriculum to better fit their classroom needs. The end result being students get to their destination with the sites along the way that were most beneficial to them.

“A standard answers the question, Where am I going in my learning? while learning targets show students the path to get there.” [Schuhl; (Goodwin, 2009, p. 90)]. Writing daily learning targets is the next step in creating a clear curriculum. Daily learning targets are the stops or sites that move students incrementally closer to their learning destination. Daily learning targets should be posted in the classroom and discussed with students multiple times throughout a lesson, so that expectations are clear and students, and administrators can see what students are working on. It is then important to design engaging learning activities based on the learning targets. These should be tasks or skills that keep in mind the interests and prior knowledge of students. In the article, Teaching That Emphasizes Active Engagement, I learned that “To engage students, the teacher must do more than lecture. While teaching the concepts and skills, the teacher must help students draw on their own experiences to build a "scaffold" on which they can "hang" new ideas. When students are actively engaged, they focus on what is being taught and better process new information.” (Lorain). One instructional strategy that builds on student’s prior knowledge and works to promote student responsibility in their own learning is the gradual release model.

The unit I chose to focus on as an ongoing class assignment, was a literary unit on character study, which specifically addressed the 8^th grade standards: RL.8.3: Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story or drama propel the action, reveal aspects of a character, or provoke a decision, and SL.8.1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 8 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly. The Big Idea for this unit was to show how “Authors use characters and dialogue to teach life lessons.” After establishing the standards, writing daily learning targets, and designing engaging learning activities for ten lessons, I further developed five complete daily lessons. A more complete view of this can be seen in LessonPlan Artifact. I worked to provide opportunities for formative assessment throughout the lessons. The use of ongoing assessment will allow me to determine where students are in meeting the daily learning target and which teaching strategies are proving effective. It also allows for determining which students need differentiation as struggling or exceptional students. Because each student learns differently, it is important to be vigilant and flexible in providing students multiple ways to engage with informational materials. Throughout this course work of designing curriculum, I had the opportunity to share my work with classmates, receive feedback, and adjust my lessons to be more effective and engaging.

As I reflect on my progress throughout this course, first with analyzing a familiar curriculum and then working to create my own, I realize how much my appreciation of the teaching profession has grown. My views on what makes a great teacher and what a classroom should look like has changed dramatically. Gone are the old school ideas that classrooms are quite places of learning. Now, I have images of classrooms filled with discussions, hand-on activities and movement. “Teaching is one of the most complicated jobs today. It demands broad knowledge of subject matter, curriculum, and standards; enthusiasm, a caring attitude, and a love of learning; knowledge of discipline and classroom management techniques; and a desire to make a difference in the lives of young people.” (GreatSchools). I now realize curriculum design is a critical element in effective teaching and student success. On my student’s road trip to successful learning, I am the driver and navigator. Through this course, I have discovered that there is an array of teaching methods and strategies available to be effective in this role. The first step is to first consider my students, then continually evaluate and adapt lessons to ensure they arrive at their learning destination with enduring memories and knowledge.

References

G. (2016, June 8). What makes a great teacher? Retrieved August 12, 2016, from http://www.greatschools.org/gk/articles/what-makes-a-great-teacher/

Lorraine, P. (n.d.). Teaching That Emphasizes Active Engagement. Retrieved August 12, 2016, from http://www.nea.org/tools/16708.htm

Medina. J. (2014). Brain rules. Seattle, WA: Pear Press

Schuhl, Sarah. (n.d.). How Do We Write Learning Targets to Assess Students? Retrieved on August 12, 2016 from, http://soltreemrls3.s3-website-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/solution-tree.com/media/pdf/HOE_Schuhl-WritingLearningTargets-CFF305.pdf