Tuesday, July 5, 2016
Curriculum Audit
Analyzing curriculum is hard process, especially when there are many moving parts. The biggest question with this audit is the role of assessments. Have they changed? should they change? What is the relationship between the curriculum, instruction, and assessments. This audit looks at those questions and more.
Tuesday, June 28, 2016
My Schooling...or what I can remember
I have such a hard time remembering what classes I took or what teachers I had in high school. So, I'm going to give this a shot...
9th Grade
9th Grade
- Earth Science, Geometry, English 9, AP US History (Not positive about this one)
10th Grade
- Chemistry, Algebra 2, English 10...not sure about history
11th grade
- Biology, Probability and Statistics, English 11 (guessing on the English's by the way, but it sounds good), AP European History
12th Grade
- Physics, Math (Not sure), English 12 (still guessing)
I don't know why I cant remember high school. It may be because I have been so far removed from the high school world since I teach Elementary School, or it could be that nothing really stuck with me. Either way, I know that I was not an engaged high school student. If I was, I believe this assignment would look different!
How can we fix grades?
I do not have an answer for this.
There are so many layers as to why our grading systems are outdated. For instance, higher education needs to rely on something easy to measure to weed out applicants. Teachers feel like they need to rely on something to tell where students stand in their class. Schools must be able to transfer grades and cumulative files that can be easily interpreted. All of these factors lead to a fear of changing a grading system that has been in effect for decades. So whats the answer?
We personalize it.
What does this mean?
There is a push in education to "personalize instruction." Every student gets what they need based off of many assessment strategies. Small group instruction is key, so if we can develop a classroom where groups of students at similar levels are instructed together, our instruction should be more effective. So, how does grading play into this. Teachers will argue that if a student doesn't do his/her work they should fail. What if they prove understanding? to me, thats the goal. If a student can skip an assignment(s) and still prove understanding then did we need to assign it in the first place? It is our job as educators to ensure the most effective learning environment possible is available to all students. If we are assigning work that does need to be done, then we are not doing that. As a class we discussed teachers that give students a NA (not attempted) for assignments. This is a great strategy as it doesn't effect a grade, unless a student cant prove understanding of the content.
Outside factors such as behavior, compliance, etc. should not be involved in grading a students understanding of content or a standard.
I don't think this blog post answered how we fix grades, however, it got the conversation started!
There are so many layers as to why our grading systems are outdated. For instance, higher education needs to rely on something easy to measure to weed out applicants. Teachers feel like they need to rely on something to tell where students stand in their class. Schools must be able to transfer grades and cumulative files that can be easily interpreted. All of these factors lead to a fear of changing a grading system that has been in effect for decades. So whats the answer?
We personalize it.
What does this mean?
There is a push in education to "personalize instruction." Every student gets what they need based off of many assessment strategies. Small group instruction is key, so if we can develop a classroom where groups of students at similar levels are instructed together, our instruction should be more effective. So, how does grading play into this. Teachers will argue that if a student doesn't do his/her work they should fail. What if they prove understanding? to me, thats the goal. If a student can skip an assignment(s) and still prove understanding then did we need to assign it in the first place? It is our job as educators to ensure the most effective learning environment possible is available to all students. If we are assigning work that does need to be done, then we are not doing that. As a class we discussed teachers that give students a NA (not attempted) for assignments. This is a great strategy as it doesn't effect a grade, unless a student cant prove understanding of the content.
Outside factors such as behavior, compliance, etc. should not be involved in grading a students understanding of content or a standard.
I don't think this blog post answered how we fix grades, however, it got the conversation started!
Readings and Reflection. Understanding By Design
As I read Understanding by Design, by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe I cant help but think how beneficial this type of curriculum building could be to a new teacher. A way to tell new teachers that a classroom does not have to run off of a scripted program. You can take chances in your teaching and try new things. The problem is not the curriculum, its the comfort level of new teachers. New teachers have to consider so much when they begin teaching that oftentimes curriculum or "style of teaching" take a back seat to classroom management. This is where, as a field, we are missing a big opportunity. Teachers must be comfortable with their instruction before they are willing to veer form a prescribed program, which is unfortunate. Once teachers get comfortable with something like backward design they have been teaching for a couple of years already, and so they don't want to "change."
To me, finding "evidence of understanding" is where most teachers struggle. How do I know that they know if I don't have a test or grade to prove it? Understanding by Design states that understanding can be assessed throughout the entire learning process and tweaked as it goes. This brings much value to every day activities and formative assessments. We cant rely on cramming or memorizing any more. Understanding is not memorizing. Understanding is a students "ability to "extract" understandings and apply them in situated problem."
In my opinion, a teachers comfort with this style does not come from professional development. It comes from proof that understanding can be and look different, however, it will always benefit your learners.
To me, finding "evidence of understanding" is where most teachers struggle. How do I know that they know if I don't have a test or grade to prove it? Understanding by Design states that understanding can be assessed throughout the entire learning process and tweaked as it goes. This brings much value to every day activities and formative assessments. We cant rely on cramming or memorizing any more. Understanding is not memorizing. Understanding is a students "ability to "extract" understandings and apply them in situated problem."
In my opinion, a teachers comfort with this style does not come from professional development. It comes from proof that understanding can be and look different, however, it will always benefit your learners.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)