Hello! This summer was spent working diligently on finding a problem statement for my Capstone. So much time and thought went into creating and refining what the topic would be. In the end, the main issue that I found, that affected our Elementary team, was a lack of curriculum uniformity. I am planning on surveying specific teachers, taking that information and creating a unit that is uniform and cohesive. One that the students enjoy and without realization take a better understanding of the subject away. It will be a unit that the teachers will use equally, so that all the students in the specified classes will be taught with consistency.
This is my first time blogging and I'm somewhat nervous about it. Please be patient with me as I hope to gain the experience to become a better blogger and eventually integrate blogging into my classroom!
I like the look of this blog. You are doing fine. I will keep checking back for your article reviews. Curriculum alignment has been studied repeatedly and is once again in the limelight as we look at common core. Aligned assessment equally so. I think you are looking into a great area, especially if there is no current formal alignment within you staff.
ReplyDeleteWow! This is a big undertaking. I wonder, as you ponder this question, if you have considered the flip side of the coin, which is freedom, creativity and innovation for teachers. In your research, perhaps you will find examples of teaching teams coming together to create curricula that is relevant to where they live, to their student populations, and to them as individuals, but also shared among teachers within the school to allow for better collaboration?
ReplyDeleteI understand your desire for uniformity as well as Amelia's for individuality. There is a great compromise that we have implemented at my school. At Montezuma-Cortez High School, we saw great diversity in what was being taught within the same course and this was harmful to our students. For example, if one Algebra 1 teacher did not adequately teach their students how to solve 2-variable equations but another teacher spent multiple weeks on the subject there were difficulties when these students got to Algebra 2. Some students had mastery while others a bare introduction. We now have data teams that meet weekly to create common assessments and a common pacing guide. Since all students must pass the same exam, on the same schedule, the courses are more uniform and all students are being taught the same material. This is the commonality portion. The individuality comes in the method the material is presented. Each teacher is free to teach in their own style with homework and classwork of their choosing. The only requirement is they must prepare their students to take and pass the common end of unit test. We are on our third year of data teams and it seems to be working. Staff members like the collaboration time and students like knowing that regardless of which teacher they have, they will be taught the entire curriculum, not just what the particular teacher likes best.
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