Curriculum TDI - Reflection #3

How has your definition of curriculum been shaped by the course readings and discussions? How and why has your definition of curriculum changed?


In the beginning...

My current understanding and definition of curriculum would be a compilation of what we teach, who we teach, how we teach, and when we teach.

• What we teach deals with the content and standards to be covered.
• Who we teach deals with that alignment of the above content and standards with the audience to be taught.
• How we teach deals with the assortment and variety of teaching modalities coupled with strategic planning to meet the needs of various learning styles.
• When we teach deals with the timeline in which all of the above is to be completed.

I look forward to gaining a more in-depth understanding of curriculum.


Presently...

I have definitely gained a more in-depth and comprehensive understanding and appreciation for curriculum. Having it broken down to the written, taught, and tested really brought perspective and context to my understanding of curriculum. Glatthorn's text, Developing a Quality Curriculum, is a must read for all educators. It is a 133 page succinct and comprehensive explanation of curriculum and what steps are needed to take in working with curriculum. For years, I have been exposed to pieces of curriculum, from lists of standards, to pacing guides, to resources. Quite often, those items, and some others have been presented individually as curriculum. Glatthorn outlines a 12 step process in "Developing a Mastery Curriculum:"

1. Identify the Subject Mastery Goal
2. Analyze State Frameworks
3. Refine Subject Mastery Goals
4. Develop a Report of the Knowledge Base
5. Develop the Hallmarks of Excellence
6. Develop the Curriculum Framework
7. Identify the Strands of the Curriculum
8. Develop the Scope-and-Sequence Chart
9. Identify Available Curriculum Materials
10. Develop the Curriculum Guide
11. Evaluate the Guide
12. Determine How the Guide Will Be Distributed

Many of the steps above tend to be overlooked, skipped, and/or dismissed as districts and schools look to find a curriculum, which should be the foundation of any educational institution. Developing, or even acquiring, a curriculum will never be an easy/minimal step process. For what it is meant to do, it should be approached with the highest level of respect and commitment from those who seek to implement it. As Jacobs states in Curriculum 21, another must read, "As educators, our challenge is to match the needs of our learners to a world that is changing with great rapidity. To meet this challenge, we need to become strategic learners ourselves by deliberately expanding our perspectives and updating our approaches." This means that after all the work put into developing a mastery curriculum, we will always need to modify it base on an ever changing global society.

My definition has not necessarily changed, but it has been validated and placed into context. The steps I briefly mentioned in my initial understanding of curriculum have been expounded upon. The numerous discussions held with my classmates have provided varied perspectives on the view of curriculum from many corners of the education world. Those conversations have reminded me that we must look at education wholistically, not only because of the various learning styles of the students we serve globally, but also the various learning styles of the adults chosen to educate and those who effect education policy. I have definitely grown from their input. I now have a deeper respect for the entire process of developing, implementing, modifying, and monitoring the use of curriculum.

Curriculum TDI - Reflection #2

As a school administrator and instructional leader, what instructional technology would you expect to see in the written, taught, and tested curriculum of a school or school district striving to meet the needs of 21st century learners? What instructional technology would you promote to differentiate instruction for all learners?

In order to effectively meet the needs of 21st century learners, technology must be infused into an effective balance between both traditional and differentiated instruction. It must be evident in the written, taught, and tested curriculum. Technology can be seen as a resource to enhance the learning process, making the academic goals of students more achievable while extending further around the world from a single location.

As defined by Glatthorn, the written curriculum is what appears in guides. Within the written curriculum, there should be suggestions and examples as to how teachers can use technology to plan their lessons. I view the written curriculum as a step-by-step plan illustrating how concepts can be taught and standards achieved. The various available technological resources can be itemized in context. This way teachers would know specifically what resources they can utilize to achieve a specific goal within the classroom as they relate to media literacy. As discussed in Jacobs, simply using Internet resources can provide an international integration of content for all areas of a given curriculum, thus educating students to be informed and productive global citizens.

The taught curriculum is simply a playground for the integration of technology and differentiation, being what the teachers are actually using in the classroom. This is where it all comes alive. This is the application portion of media literacy. Teachers can use PowerPoint presentations to teach from, with embedded sound bytes and video. Teachers can use an assortment of Web 2.0 tools to enhance the classroom experience, providing more interactive activities and eliminating stagnation and boredom. They can use project-based learning techniques where students would create digital stories, PowerPoint presentations, Wordles, etc. to showcase what they have learned. Students can also keep digital portfolios that would be an excellent way of showcasing their accomplishments in school. There are also many technological applications such as TeenBiz3000 that differentiates a series of ongoing non-fiction articles to meet the readiness of all readers, and Success Maker which also provides diagnostics and prescriptions for student development.

Lastly, technology provides for a more efficient method of gathering data from assessments within the tested curriculum. For benchmark assessments taken electronically, we can access data needed to drive instruction much more quickly. Paper tests would often yield at least a two week turn around for results. With the aforementioned applications, we can gain diagnostic reports almost immediately within the classroom to assess students progress and comprehension of concepts taught.

All in all, technology within the written, taught, and tested curriculum, provides enhancement and efficiency to all stakeholders such as administrators, teachers, students, parents/guardians, and education policy makers when implemented effectively.

Curriculum TDI - Reflection #1

What are your philosophical beliefs about the purpose of school, about what subjects should be taught, and about how students learn? How does your work demonstrate your belief?

My philosophical beliefs about the purpose of school, what subjects should be taught, and how students learn are quite simple. The overarching purpose of school is to direct the development of informed and productive citizens able to function in a global society. I believe the subjects that should be taught will vary based on the level of schooling. The fundamentals of reading, writing, and arithmetic should remain the foundation/building blocks of education. The level of mastery of the above fundamentals will determine how well students will be able to fair when taught other subjects. Those subjects should be consistent with what students will be exposed to globally. This basically means that everything must be taught and students should always seek out new knowledge. Once students are provided with a firm foundation, they should be able to think critically by deciding what fields of study they want to further explore, and be able to devise a plan to do so. Those responsible for teaching must be able to identify, adapt to, and provide for the various learning styles they are guaranteed to encounter. We as educators must be flexible.

As an educator, I must understand that I have a 24/7 career. I parallel the education profession with priests. We are expected to set the examples for all. We are looked to for advice, reference, and motivation. With this said, I recognize that I must live righteously at all times, do on to others as I would want other to do on to me. Accept responsibility for the mistakes I make, learn from them and move on. I challenge and expect myself to put my best effort into everything I do, and not settle for, or accept anything less. For all who know me in the various circles I travel in, they know I am addicted to quality work, but open to constructive criticism in order to improve. In my dealings with others, I must be conscious of how I am saying things, because perspectives are very different. This is consistent with the classroom experience and professional development when you must teach a concept several different ways in order for your students and staff to grasp the concepts. I must function as though every moment is a moment of teaching and learning. I must do it in a way that is enjoyable for me, and those in front and around me, because this is what I have dedicated my life to, and I love and enjoy life. Learning never stops, and I love to learn from everyone I encounter, regardless of ethnicity, age, disability, gender, etc. These are the principles I try to instill into my students, staff, and colleagues, by leading by example.

Post-Obsevation Reflection

What strengths and/or improvement areas did you notice about the environment and tone of the post-observation?

The setting for the post-observation was my office. In my office, there is a seat at the end of my desk for others, students or staff, to engage in dialogue. We were close enough to review the same document. I was a bit nervous, as this was my first official post-observation conference from the "other side." I began to replay all my previous conferences in my head. It was like my life as a teacher just flashed before my eyes. Mr. Johnson sat contently waiting to receive. There was a lot of eye contact and hand movements to place emphasis on key points. The conference seemed to have a level of comfort as two friends talking over a drink, but still remaining strictly professional. I had Mr. Johnson's complete attention and confidence that what I was sharing would help him become a more effective teacher. I attempted to ensure that I spoke clearly and enunciated my words. I tend to do that on a regular basis as to set an example for all listening. I believe it helped in this case, because Mr. Johnson began to be more cognizant of how he was speaking. It was a seamless conversation that didn't seem as long as it was. In the future, my being more relaxed should ensure that the observed is free to relax.

What strengths and/or improvement areas did you notice in the conference about strategies to improve instruction?

A strength I noticed was the ability to link the concerns Mr. Johnson shared in the pre-observation conference with positives that occurred in the lesson. There were no "negatives" or uncomfortable moments. There only existed constructive criticism that would benefit Mr. Johnson, and myself as an observer. I did however forget to use the probing questions suggested in the literature provided, because of my level of anxiety. As we got further into the conference, I became more relaxed and shocked about how much I was able to suggest to Mr. Johnson. The ideas began to flow as if I were in the classroom again instructing. I was able to identify how Mr. Johnson differentiated his lesson, when he didn't know he actually did. Many of the improvements that were suggested centered around the teacher realizing what he actually did naturally, using that as a base and moving on from there. Many times you don't realize what you're doing while engaged in the moment. Being able to assist the teacher in actualizing his innate abilities and documenting them and planning to improve upon them was an enriching experience.

In the conference, which behavior did you seem to predominantly use? Do you think this was an appropriate approach given the developmental level of the teacher? Briefly explain.

My position for conducting the conference went from Directive to more Collaborative. As a defense mechanism to help cope with the anxiety I was feeling, I began to direct. In the future, I will prefer for the teacher to let me know what and how they believe they did. My probing questioning should have begun by asking how they adhered to the particulars of a lesson, to get their take of their delivery. This would have provided a better perspective of how the teacher views themselves, prior to me sharing what I observed. Overall, it was a productive conference that could have been much more fruitful having approached it differently. I guess that comes with time and experience. I look forward to them both.

Room Arrangements

While walking my building throughout the course of the week, I visited many classrooms and observed how their classroom setup contributed to the lessons being taught, as well as the teachers' instructional style. Many rooms were setup in a manner that was conducive to the cooperative learning instructional style.

What I found interesting was that many of the classrooms were set up as cooperative learning classrooms, but that was not what was going on. There was a lot of direct instruction going on throughout the duration of the class. I believe direct instruction is beneficial, but it does not meet the needs of all students. We as educators must use a variety of teaching modalities to meet those needs. The question I began to ask myself was, do our teachers know how to teach within a cooperative learning framework? This year, our Instructional Coach is pushing the use of centers, and working on ensuring teachers know how to effectively use centers to maximize instruction within an 80 minute block, and improve classroom management.

During that week, I actually subbed for a couple teachers. One teacher had his class setup with five stations. Students would spend the allotted amount of time at each station and then rotate. Students were able to move smoothly throughout the classroom without bumping into each other or needing to move any of the desk. Each station was a bit different. Two stations used technology while the other three were traditional using manipulatives and graphic organizers. There is a classroom set of laptops in each classroom. Their use depends on the lesson being taught. The other class I covered had a setup that was unstructured. I attempted to teach within the setup, but could not. Students were not seated so that everyone had a clear view of the whiteboards and the plasma screen. The passage ways around students desks were obstructed by other desks and student chairs. I had to reorganize the room to make things work.

Observing how a teacher sets up their room and seeing how they operate within that set up, can assist in how we set up for professional development. We have to give the same consideration for space allotment and teaching style to teachers, that we expect them to give for their students. The way we run professional development workshops should model what we expect to see in the classroom.

I have been observed by several individuals who request things they cannot model for me. As a teacher, I would vow to my students that I would never assess them on something that i have not modeled for them first. I take the same philosophy into administration.

A Positive School Culture's Impact on School Reform

A positive school culture is paramount to school reform. Peterson defines school culture as "...the set of norms, values and beliefs, rituals and ceremonies, symbols and stories that make up the “persona”of the school." A school is in need of "reform" when there is a disconnect with how its culture correlates with achievement. This brings to light the conversation of a positive school culture.

Schools are because of the need for the masses to be educated. Our society has dictated benchmarks or targets for which the development of the human being should be met. There is also a timeline for which humans are to undergo said development. We are learners by nature, it is the needs of the communities that delegates when we need to learn specific information. In essence, or growth and development is accelerated based on that of the communities of which we live. Our schools are the environments dedicated to guiding and monitoring that controlled development. For the school environment to be successful, a set of norms, values and beliefs, rituals and ceremonies, and symbols need to be established for the masses to follow. Without these things being put in place in a positive manner, there is no controlled or directed order.

Schools cannot be successful without a positive vision, mission, and perspective upon implementation. It is the negativity that has plagued our societies and hindered our increased level of achievement. The development and implementation of positive school reform will allow for positive outcomes. Poor instruction yields poor performance.

Jim Collins, author of Good to Great, said it best...

“First thing is to get the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, and the right people in the right seats, then figure out how to drive the bus.”

Effective Leadership - 3 Weeks In

Note: This reflection is being done without reviewing any of the texts we have been exposed to. Relying solely on what I have retained to complete this reflection is a true testament to what I have learned. This is a process I need to complete for my own reflection purposes.

The most eye-opening notion that these first three weeks of the Effective Leadership course has been that being a truly effective leader is no small task. Being an effective leader encompasses a true sense of self, mission, vision, and dedication. I have been able to identify the various types of leaders/administrators I have been exposed to, both effective and ineffective.

Many of the concepts and theorists studied have shaped my view and understanding of what an effective leader is or should be. Comparing and contrasting both stewardship and servant leadership within a learning organization has brought to my attention that an effective leader must be a little of both. We must be systematic while still focusing on the factors outside the school building that impact student achievement. The 21 responsibilities outlined by Marzano proves how multi-faceted we as leaders must be. Deming and Covey illustrate the importance of being positive and, in a sense, wholistic. It was Bass and Avolio that illustrated four key characteristics I believe a successful principal must possess. These characteristics were specific enough to laser in, but also broad enough to incorporate much of what many of the other theorist spoke of. Individual Consideration, Intellectual Stimulation, Inspirational Motivation, and Idealized Influence grouped with a Shared Vision is great composition for a budding principal to start with. Deming and Covey also allude to the job never being done. We must be in it for the long haul, and truly buying in to that shared vision will bring that to the forefront.

One of the major points that resonates with me is that with all the successes many principals and leaders have had over the years, many of them did things differently. This proves that there are many road maps that can lead to being an effective leader. What challenges our effectiveness is whether or not we stay the course. There are many distractors that pull on our values, beliefs, emotions, and consciousnesses that we must be steadfast. Our missions in life are of great value and should be treated as such, at all times.

We must lead by example.