Final Reflection

It is a daunting task for any new administrator to change curriculum. Strategies for Curriculum Change correctly assumes that curriculum needs to change. We have learned this semester that curriculum must be continuously updated to reflect the needs and learning styles of students. This is not to ignore the basics or the classics. Writers such as Hirsch strongly promote cultural literacy as a means of creating a platform for future learning. But we should continue to rethink what education is. Thinking of SabreTooth, It is not always practical/beneficial to teach students as they were in the past. Curriculum should be revised in zero-base format; all aspects should be questioned for relevance. Riding this find line can be challenging; but the challenge becomes less daunting when we attach our curriculum change to a specific shared vision for the school.

This class fully embraces the spirit of change. The use of Blackboard, blogs, and YouTube as learning tools did not compromise our learning in any way. Moreover, it specifically meets the needs of graduate students with full-time jobs. Students were accountable for their own learning, yet given the flexibility to work on their own schedule.

Leaving this class, I will better grasp the role of administrators in leading curriculum change. We must evaluate the needs and wants of all stakeholders. We must create specific planning committees and communication chains. Rationale and time-frame for the change must always be linked to the vision for our school. These processes will not create the perfect, end-all curriculum; they will continually function to create a learning program that best benefits kids.

Orange Middle School Response

Administration should be praised for placing common planning time at a premium.
Teachers should be commended for using this time effectively to diagnose problems and collaborate on solutions. Because of the small learning communities, teachers are better able to serve students.

Teachers should also be praised for having the courage to teach a technique like ROPE-W. For most English teachers, the last thing they want to do is make writing a soulless, formulaic exercise. And while it might not be what they envisioned when they signed their contracts, these teachers are developing a foundation for growth. Middle school teachers, especially in failing districts, must not seek tangible rewards in the form of seeing students flourish. They should rest confidently in the knowledge that they have set the student on a solid path going forward.

Two recommendations would involve the weekly meetings and the uniforms. Both of these issues can seem like window dressing to outsiders. It is therefore important that the principal demonstrates action in response to student feedback. A principal willing to have such meetings must be willing to handle the radical issues and ideas that might be brought up. More harmful to student morale than administrative dictatorship is the illusion of democracy. I would also recommend a stated rationale for the uniforms to students. In an environment where we are trying to build relationships and personal understanding, it can be trying to have everyone dressed the same. I feel the same sense of continuity and shared purpose can be conveyed to students [and accepted by them] in other ways. To build this climate we have to foster the core belief that all are equal...through curriculum design, extracurricular programs, even student awards/recognition. Uniforms look the part but without student buy-in...they are all sizzle and no steak.

Curriculum Mapping

Curriculum mapping allows the educational program to more directly meet the needs of students, teachers, and the surrounding community. It calls into question established framework and refines/replaces it to create "horizontal consistency across schools and vertical continuity within schools". The mapping process creates curriculum that is interwoven, age-appropriate, and congruent with larger learning goals. There is a proportionality that allows students and teachers to understand the value of units and lessons as they relate to these larger goals. The expectations for students remain the same from school to school, grade to grade, teacher to teacher. This does not shackle the classroom teacher, it actually provides them with a sense of professionalism in that they are able to present a united front over what's expected.

To the best of my knowledge, my school does not map its curriculum. Though they may claim to do so, the fact that I don't know is sound evidence that our curriculum has not been mapped. Our district generally pays an individual or pair of teachers to write curriculum over the summer. Teachers can also use this as an opportunity to log professional development hours. Because the process is not collaborative, other teachers are unlikely to buy in. In fact, the singular nature of the writing process prevents departments or grade levels from meeting to discuss commallity. There is no sound process for leading or assessing genuine change.

The process of curriculum mapping is very similar to guidelines for curriculum change. The buzz words: collaboration, assessment plan, stakeholder involvement all ring true in mapping. It calls administrators and authors to launch a feasibility study to assess staff buy-in and community acceptance. It requires a timeline for the phase-in of the new curriculum. It is most important that this timeline have frequent and objectively assessable progress markers. Change leaders must work jointly with stakeholders to create goals and sub-goals for the change. The rationale must be clearly stated and accepted if parents, teachers and students are to invest/assist in the change. Change leaders must analyze a profile of building and community to determine the way change rationale and details might be best disseminated. Leaders must plan for contingencies and hurdles. Staff acceptance is not guaranteed and many teachers are resistant to change. There must be a specific plan in place for redirecting these teachers towards curriculum mapping. Part of their frustration might be a result of inadequate training. It is critical that all staff are presented with a plan for staff development that is paired with the unveiling of the new curricular agenda. A checklist such as that provided in the reading helps to keeping teachers on task and aware of the big picture. It is also useful to provide authentic examples of curriculum mapping in other districts. Lastly, it is unreasonable to expect curriculum mapping to be an overnight success. In its planning time must be allotted to assess its effectiveness throughout implementation. By hearing the input of stakeholders, school leaders will be able to tailor this new curriculum map to more effectively meet the needs of children.

Online Learning Review

So if I'm being honest, some days I wake up and i'm the biggest technophobe on the face of the planet. One of those guys who swears his kids will never get a cell phone, IPod, etc. But on other days I just think the stuff is so cool. And so I think online learning has its merits, namely its convenience, but I don't yet consider it to be an adequate substitute for class instruction. As technology improves, it still must deal with us. And I personally like to have a chance for rapport building with a professor and with classmates. I think our generation is still geared to learn best with face to face contact. But in future generations online learning would probably be an effective tool. Students will be better prepared to accept the interface.

As for how to improve the online environment, I really don't have a specific suggestion. I suppose in dealing with us it is important to have a certain degree of flexibility and understanding. It is also important for students to accept the challenge of using new technology. And that flexibility has been present, so I would consider these three lessons a success.

UbD Lesson--Thoughts on Practice

How it went?
To be truthful, students were not particularly motivated to learn about population distribution and density. But they did like the idea of having a specific goal for their learning. They understood how this lesson fit into the larger unit on populations of the world. They also understood how the skills would be employed on their upcoming project, not to mention future careers.
Students were excited to get out of their seats and move throughout the classroom. Several times while we did population density problems they commented..."we're like doing math right now". I'm amazed at how constrictive curriculum can be when it has a strong discipline focus. Kids are always surprised to find crossover skills or content. Students also appreciate the idea that there is a logical close to a lesson. We can always take 5 minutes to discuss if we have achieved our performance goal, and if we have used all specific learning tasks.

I remember having to run sprints in high school. My teammates and I would always work harder if we knew how many we would be running. And to a certain extent I feel that UbD has something to do with rewards schedules for students. It is important that we design lesson with the student perspective in mind. They must at all times understand why they are learning, how they can learn, and how they will know they have learned. Not only does this make the learner more effective, but it makes the teacher more available to handle individual student challenges.

UbD Lesson--Population

ssential Questions
-How do people and their environment influence one another? [content-based]
-How can we learn more about a group of people? [skills-based]

Unit goals
Students will understand how the environment affects the where people live.
Students will learn why people live in certain places and not in others.
Students will learn how to calculate population density...and why it is important to recognize that population density is an averaged statistic.

Key Questions
Why do people live in certain places...and not in others?
How can we quantify how "crowded" an area is?
How can statistics be misleading?

Lesson Goals
-Students will know that population throughout the world is not distributed evenly. People tend to live in areas of flat, fertile land near a water source. All ancient civilizations, and most U. S. cities, were developed according to such guidelines.
-Students will learn how to calculate population density.
-Students will use information about an area's population density and distribution to gain a more accurate understanding of its human geography.

Performance Tasks
-Students will physically act out instances of even and uneven population distribution
-Students will solve diagram problems of population density
-Students will create their own population density problems
-Students will discuss the misleading nature of statistics.

Lesson
Students will first listen to teacher example of spreading peanut butter on bread evenly vs. unevenly [population distribution]. Students will then work together to spread themselves evenly or unevenly throughout the classroom. Teacher will prompt students to respond regarding the "crowdedness" or "even-ness" of the population distribution.
Students will then work on a sample population density problem with teacher. Students will then work on similar problems individually. Students will create their own population density problems and share their problems with classmates in jigsaw fashion. Students will receive peer feedback on their problem setup and response. For homework students will create a sample town and create a gridded diagram of its population distribution/density. Students will respond to the prompt...How can population density be misunderstood when we don't know the population distribution?

This lesson is meaningful to student's in that it helps us to answer our larger year-long class questions such as "How do people and their environments influence one another?" and "How can we learn more about a group of people?". Students will be able to use the skills gained from this lesson on an upcoming project involving analysis of the 2000 US Census. At the close of this unit, students will brainstorm and explore careers where it is important to use demographic data.

In creating this lesson, it is difficult to generate student interest amongst the entire class. The best I've been able to do to make learning meaningful is to let students work with me to create essential questions and unit goals [though they are usually steered towards an intended goal]. I also try to include lots of information about relevant careers so that students might connect learning to their future. I suppose in the future I could have them learn about potential careers before the unit as a means of generating more interest.

Schmoker

A collaborative environment would be optimal for educators. Such
collaboration stimulates creativity, and allows teachers to pursue
“best practice” with many minds working in synergetic fashion.
Unfortunately this is not a reality. In many schools, systemic
isolation prevents cross-curricular or longitudinal dialogue from
every occurring. There is no incentive structure for classroom
teachers to learn from there colleagues. Even the tenets of game
theory would indicate that teachers working in isolation would be
compelled to improve for fears of other teachers’ performance. Yet
there is no positive competition because there is no uniformly
accepted assessment in place to evaluate student progress or
teacher performance. Then why do we so willingly accept the
status quo?

In short, teachers don’t want to be told how to teach. There is an
inconvenient divide between the educational research community
and practitioners. University Ph.D.’s have rarely taught a 3rd grade
class; teachers have not performed regression analysis. Both
parties are quick to wave these ideas in the oppositions face.
Teachers who are “in the trenches” are hardened to believe they
know what is best for “their kids”. To them, educational research
varies or oscillates to the extent that there is no motivation to
adhere to one particular movement. Moreso, educators who have
accepted a certain philosophy or instructional style are reluctant to
leave it for another. It is because of a communication breach that
neither researcher nor teacher will be forced to deal with this
discord.

The relationships between administration, staff, and parents are
slightly different. These parties are often co-enabling; they ignore
school shortcomings for fear of igniting a powderkeg. School
leaders who are able to retain their jobs are often those who best
project an image of improvement/success amongst staff, parents
staff and students. . . all stakeholders willing to accept positive
assessment. Parents can leverage school districts into unhealthy
competitions for change. These changes rarely set up assessment
structure for evaluating the improvement yield…it is modern-day
keeping up with the Joneses. Inside of schools, supervisors are
taught to find positives in lessons, and incentive structures compel
them to focus on these positives. Acknowledging a shortcoming of
a school or staff member rewards an administrator with a mountain
of paperwork and long-term accountability for improvement.
Teachers are similarly motivated to accentuate the positive.
Educators who diagnose failing students are obligated to correct,
or “catch up” a student who has been neglected for years.

For those brave enough to cut through buffer and acknowledge
school deficits, the challenge looms large. Many well-intentioned
school leaders have found their ideas stifled by staff, past
precedent, or a skeptical community. I believe that real
educational change must come in systemic form, by those agents
capable of changing the incentive structures for educators,
administrators, parents, and students.