8. Curriculum Plan & Developmenta. Demonstrate the ability to enhance teaching and learning through curriculum and assessment and strategic planning for all learners - early childhood, elementary, middle level, and high school, special education and adult levels
b. Demonstrating the ability to provide planning and methods to anticipate trends and implications c. Develop, implement and monitor procedures to align sequence and articulate curriculum d. Identify instructional objectives and evaluate procedures to measure performance outcomes e. Appropriately using learning technologies f. Demonstrating the understanding of alternative instructional designs, curriculum, behavior management and assessment accommodations and modification g. Demonstrating an understanding of urgency of global competitiveness |
Curriculum, instruction, and assessment are the foundation on which teaching is built. Current best practice recommends using a methodology of backward design for curriculum planning. Starting with learning targets based on standards, moving to specific assessment expectations and tools, and then mapping backwards to the materials and instructional techniques that will be used to teach to the desired outcomes. The use of standardized tests has complicated this process by adding the question of whether it is appropriate or necessary to teach to the test.
Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments along with Minnesota Standards have been a major focus for schools since their inception. I have led numerous curriculum mapping and test preparation activities from kindergarten through 12th grade. I have facilitated standards and curriculum documentation, including discussions on scaffolding for low ability students, modifications for special education, and adding rigor and depth according to critical thinking levels for average to high ability learners. Most recently, I organized the curriculum mapping initiative K-12 for all special education levels and areas. I, first, worked with the special education coordinator to determine standards for each area. Then, I designed the curriculum mapping template for each area/level. This process included maps for the areas of: Early Childhood Special Education, Specific Learning Disability, Developmental Cognitive Delay, Emotional Behavioral Disability, and Speech (Artifact 1.1 & 1.2). Next, I facilitated a meeting for district SPED teachers to explain the process and timeline. The teachers completed an audit of the materials that the district owns, which were being used for particular standards, and identification of standards without materials. The final outcome of this process will be a series of recommendations from teachers that includes purchase proposals for areas with no materials and outdated or weak materials. This year-long process will allow consistency of service if there should be staff turnover as well as sharing of materials.
Also this year, I worked with the high school Spanish teachers to help them identify learning targets for each Spanish class, create assessments, document materials, and prepare a proposal for additional materials. This process was complicated due to the lack of Minnesota Standards for Spanish. There are standards put out by the American Council of the Teaching of Foreign Languages, but they are very general and do not identify standards arranged into specific class designations (Spanish I, Spanish II, etc.). We conducted some research on what schools in Minnesota were using and built our own standards for each class. Now the teachers are identifying assessments, units of study, and materials for each standard (Artifact 2).
Simply providing a liberal arts knowledge base for kids is no longer enough. Educators today are educators for a global world. We continue to prepare a work force for careers that are yet unknown. In order to do that, we must prepare students in the areas of: technology, critical thinking and problem solving, diversity and emotional IQ.
During the year I spent in Singapore, I worked for a company with a strong focus on global skills. During this time, I learned new techniques for teaching each of these areas. LogicMills has an online assessment and a line of lesson packages for global readiness (Artifact 3). I taught classes to students in the area of situational intelligence. The lessons are arranged by skill and taught through activities like board game play, simulations, and social experiences.
Schools have the grand responsibility of preparing our youth to become a robust, responsible, influential society. This begins with ensuring we get the questions of, “What do we teach?” and “How do we know when they have got it?” correct.
Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments along with Minnesota Standards have been a major focus for schools since their inception. I have led numerous curriculum mapping and test preparation activities from kindergarten through 12th grade. I have facilitated standards and curriculum documentation, including discussions on scaffolding for low ability students, modifications for special education, and adding rigor and depth according to critical thinking levels for average to high ability learners. Most recently, I organized the curriculum mapping initiative K-12 for all special education levels and areas. I, first, worked with the special education coordinator to determine standards for each area. Then, I designed the curriculum mapping template for each area/level. This process included maps for the areas of: Early Childhood Special Education, Specific Learning Disability, Developmental Cognitive Delay, Emotional Behavioral Disability, and Speech (Artifact 1.1 & 1.2). Next, I facilitated a meeting for district SPED teachers to explain the process and timeline. The teachers completed an audit of the materials that the district owns, which were being used for particular standards, and identification of standards without materials. The final outcome of this process will be a series of recommendations from teachers that includes purchase proposals for areas with no materials and outdated or weak materials. This year-long process will allow consistency of service if there should be staff turnover as well as sharing of materials.
Also this year, I worked with the high school Spanish teachers to help them identify learning targets for each Spanish class, create assessments, document materials, and prepare a proposal for additional materials. This process was complicated due to the lack of Minnesota Standards for Spanish. There are standards put out by the American Council of the Teaching of Foreign Languages, but they are very general and do not identify standards arranged into specific class designations (Spanish I, Spanish II, etc.). We conducted some research on what schools in Minnesota were using and built our own standards for each class. Now the teachers are identifying assessments, units of study, and materials for each standard (Artifact 2).
Simply providing a liberal arts knowledge base for kids is no longer enough. Educators today are educators for a global world. We continue to prepare a work force for careers that are yet unknown. In order to do that, we must prepare students in the areas of: technology, critical thinking and problem solving, diversity and emotional IQ.
During the year I spent in Singapore, I worked for a company with a strong focus on global skills. During this time, I learned new techniques for teaching each of these areas. LogicMills has an online assessment and a line of lesson packages for global readiness (Artifact 3). I taught classes to students in the area of situational intelligence. The lessons are arranged by skill and taught through activities like board game play, simulations, and social experiences.
Schools have the grand responsibility of preparing our youth to become a robust, responsible, influential society. This begins with ensuring we get the questions of, “What do we teach?” and “How do we know when they have got it?” correct.