Curriculum & Instruction

September 24, 2008

Quality in the Classroom

What is Curriculum?• Individually consider your personal

definition of the term curriculum

• What words do you think of when you hear the term curriculum?

• Record the words (3-5) on your sticky

Lets Take a Test

Please work independently

How Did You Do?

Why Were Some More Successful Than Others?

A Bit of Chalk Talk

Types of Curricula

• Hidden (Unintended)

• Excluded

• Recommended

• Written (Intended)

• Supported

• Tested (Assessed)

• Taught (Implemented)

• Learned (Achieved)

Learning and Teaching

Tested

Written

Taught

CURRICULUM

If We Believe All Kids Can Learn…

• What is it we expect them to learn?

• How will we know when they have learned it?

• How will we respond when they don’t learn it?

• How will we respond when they already know it?

How Hard Can it Be?

it–just two letters–a single syllable

–a simple word

The Definition of “it” it: pronoun, nominative it, possessive its or (Obsolete or Dialect ) it, objective it; plural nominative they,

possessive their or theirs, objective them; noun

–pronoun 1.(used to represent an inanimate thing understood, previously mentioned, about to be mentioned, or present in the immediate context): It has whitewall tires and red upholstery. You can't tell a book by its cover. 2.(used to represent a person or animal understood, previously mentioned, or about to be mentioned whose gender is unknown or disregarded): It was the largest ever caught off the Florida coast. Who was it? It was John. The horse had its saddle on. 3.(used to represent a group understood or previously mentioned): The judge told the jury it must decide two issues. 4.(used to represent a concept or abstract idea understood or previously stated): It all started with Adam and Eve. He has been taught to believe it all his life. 5.(used to represent an action or activity understood, previously mentioned, or about to be mentioned): Since you don't like it, you don't have to go skiing. 6.(used as the impersonal subject of the verb to be, esp. to refer to time, distance, or the weather): It is six o'clock. It is five miles to town. It was foggy. 7.(used in statements expressing an action, condition, fact, circumstance, or situation without reference to an agent): If it weren't for Edna, I wouldn't go. 8.(used in referring to something as the origin or cause of pain, pleasure, etc.): Where does it hurt? It looks bad for the candidate. 9.(used in referring to a source not specifically named or described): It is said that love is blind. 10.(used in referring to the general state of affairs; circumstances, fate, or life in general): How's it going with you? 11.(used as an anticipatory subject or object to make a sentence more eloquent or suspenseful or to shift emphasis): It is necessary that you do your duty. It was a gun that he was carrying. 12.Informal. (used instead of the pronoun its before a gerund): It having rained for only one hour didn't help the crops. –noun 13.(in children's games) the player called upon to perform some task, as, in tag, the one who must catch the other players. 14.Slang. a.sex appeal. b.sexual intercourse. —Idioms 15.get with it, Slang. to become active or interested: He was warned to get with it or resign. 16.have it, Informal. a.to love someone: She really has it bad for him. b.to possess the requisite abilities for something; be talented, adept, or proficient: In this business youeither have it or you don't. 17.with it, Slang. a.aware of the latest fads, fashions, etc.; up-to-date. b.attentive or alert: I'm just not with it early in the morning. c.understanding or appreciative of something, as jazz. d.Carnival Slang. being a member of the carnival.

Source: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/it

it

We know what to say

When the auditors asked:“What is it you expect them to learn?”

We replied:“The North Carolina Standard Course of Study”

(a.k.a. Curriculum)

…Much more than a single simple word

Three Dimensions of Curriculum

• Intended (DPI)– Identifies Critical Expectations

• Implemented (Teachers)– Defines Essential Outcomes– Presents Relevant Information– Develops Understanding

• Achieved (Students)– Assess Students’ Skills

• Formative• Summative

Three Dimensions of Curriculum

• Curriculum– Identifies Critical Expectations

• Instruction– Defines Essential Outcomes– Presents Relevant Information– Develops Understanding

• Assessment– Assess Students’ Skills

• Formative• Summative

Three Dimensions of Curriculum

• Written– Identifies Critical Expectations

• Taught– Defines Essential Outcomes– Presents Relevant Information– Develops Understanding

• Tested– Assess Students’ Skills

• Formative• Summative

Learning occurs best when there is:

• A purposeful process that aligns:– Curriculum – Instruction – Assessment

• Complete alignment:– External– Internal

Importance of Alignment

• Alignment is an even stronger predictor of student achievement on standardized tests than are socioeconomic status, gender, race, and teacher effect.

(Elmore & Rothman, 1999: Mitchell, 1998; Wishnick,1989)

The Curriculum Management Audit

Gives us some things to think about

According to the Audit Team, if we wish to improve our core business of Teaching & Learning

• Curriculum learning tasks need to be clearly stated (More specifically than the DPI SCoS)

• There needs to be a plan to assess all areas taught (Even those the state doesn’t test)

• We need to close achievement gaps (At the current rate we’ll NEVER meet our goals)• We need to instruct toward a higher

level of thinking (Bloom/Marzano)

In Other Words• We need to seek the most

effective means to systematically– Define It (Curriculum learning tasks need to be

clearly stated) – Measure It (There needs to be a plan to assess

all areas taught) – Scaffold It (We need to close achievement

gaps) – Extend It (We need to instruct toward a higher

level of thinking)

We are right on track with PLCs• Curriculum learning tasks

need to be clearly stated

• There needs to be a plan to assess all areas taught

• We need to close achievement gaps

• We need to instruct toward a higher level of thinking

• What is it we expect them to learn?

• How will we know when they have learned it?

• How will we respond when they don’t learn it?

• How will we respond when they already know it?

 The Focus of Collaboration

• Collaborative cultures, which by definition have close relationships, are indeed powerful, but unless they are focusing on the right things they may end up being powerfully wrong.

We Must Start at the Right Place

AND Know Where We Are Headed

Instructional Planning

External Alignment

“Does the teacher teach and test the

topics listed in the curriculum?”

The Big Five• Beginning with the class of 2010

students must pass five End of Course Tests

• Algebra I• Biology• English I• Civics & Economics• U.S. History

What helped this tree get this TALL?

Tiny Acorn : Mighty Oak• Elaborate on the cycle

of economic boom and bust in the 1920’s and 1930’s

• Analyze the extent of prosperity for different segments of society during this period

• Examine the impact of technological innovations on American Life

• Kindergarten: Distinguish between wants and needs

• Third Grade: Define and identify examples of scarcity

• Third Grade: Explain the impact of scarcity on the production, distribution and consumption of goods and services

The Elementary AlignmentGrade Objective

sIn C&E % C&E In US Hist % US Hist

K 29 29 100%1 35 21 60% 30 86%2 35 32 91%3 29 14 48% 27 93%4 35 19 54% 29 83%5 43 32 74% 34 79%

Percentages determined by groups of teachers from each given grade level

The State of Elementary Social Studies

• North Carolina elementary teachers teach social studies about 30 minutes a week

Burroughs et al.,2005

• Teachers stated the main barrier to teaching social studies was loss of instructional time to the tested subjects

Heafner, Lipscomb, & Rock, 2006

Even Greater Loss• While high stakes testing has

reduced the portion of time dedicated to social studies for all students, some students have even less access to social studies content– ESL– Special Education– Academically Gifted

Simple Facts• Social Studies accounts for 40% of

this new “Graduation Gateway”• While there is NO test for elementary

social studies– Elementary teachers must plant the

“seeds” early enough.– Elementary teachers must protect

“seedlings” from harsh weather

This Majestic tree is the legacy of ALL who contributed to its

presence (Even those who weren't around the day the picture was

snapped)

• To clearly identify the most critical content (essential learning)

• To ensure that teachers clearly understand the cognitive tasks implicit in the standard.

• To prepare for designing lessons – Prerequisite skills– Vocabulary– Enrichment and intervention– Assessment

Unwrapping the Standards

According to the Audit Team, if we wish to improve our core business of Teaching & Learning

• Curriculum learning tasks need to be clearly stated (More specifically than the DPI SCoS)

• There needs to be a plan to assess all areas taught (Even those the state doesn’t test)

• We need to close achievement gaps (At the current rate we’ll NEVER meet our goals)• We need to instruct toward a higher

level of thinking (Bloom/Marzano)

Evidence of Higher Order ThinkingSubject Knowledge and

ComprehensionApplication Analysis, Synthesis,

and Evaluation

Language Arts

73% 10% 17%

Math 84% 11% 6%

Science 79% 7% 14%* Social Studies

80% 3% 17%

* NOTE: Social Studies represents grades 5-11, as there were no Social Studies artifacts collected K-4

The key to mastery of a standard is the teacher’s clear understanding of the level of cognition required and how to support students in reaching that level.

Teaching for Higher Order Thinking

Internal Alignment

“Do the students get to work and think at the level the curriculum prescribes?”

Consider this Standard• The learner will evaluate how the

lives of individuals and families of the past are different from what they are today

Providing Context• This story is set back in

a time when there wasn’t any plumbing and life was more simplistic.

• It shares the childhood memories of a little girl living with her grandparents in the mountains.

• Read to find out how life was different then.

Tasks for Assessing Understanding

1. Describe the life of the mountain girl’s family.2. How was the life of the mountain girl’s family

different from your family?

The learner will evaluate how the lives of individuals and families of the past are different from what they are today

Verbs: Evaluate (Thinking Process)

The Whole Curriculum is Nouns and the Verbs

Nouns: Lives (Content)• Individuals (past & present)• Families (past & present)

StandardThe learner will evaluate how the lives of

individuals and families of the past are different from what they are today

Determining the Cognitive Demands of the Standards

The Knowledge Dimension(nouns)

The Cognitive Process Dimension (verbs)1.

Remember2.

Understand3.

Apply4.

Analyze5.

Evaluate6.

Create

A.Factual X

Individual

B.Conceptual X

Family Life

C.Procedural

D.Meta- Cognitive

The learner will evaluate how the lives of individuals and families of the past are different from what they are today

Describe the life of the mountain girl’s family.

The Knowledge Dimension

The Cognitive Process Dimension1.

Remember2.

Understand3.

Apply4.

Analyze5.

Evaluate6.

Create

A.Factual x X

Individual

B.Conceptual X

Family Life

C.Procedural

D.Meta- Cognitive

How was the life of the mountain girl’s family different from your

family?The Knowledge Dimension

The Cognitive Process Dimension1.

Remember2.

Understand3.

Apply4.

Analyze5.

Evaluate6.

Create

A.Factual X

Individual

B.Conceptual x X

Family Life

C.Procedural

D.Meta- Cognitive

Sometimes We Miss the Mark

• If the teaching sequence is designed to only support student learning at the knowledge level, but the standard is actually at the analysis level, we have taught to the wrong target.

How might we get closer to the target?

The Knowledge Dimension

The Cognitive Process Dimension1.

Remember2.

Understand3.

Apply4.

Analyze5.

Evaluate6.

Create

A.Factual (1) X

Individual

B.Conceptual (2) X

Family Life

C.Procedural

D.Meta- Cognitive

Craft a question closer to the target:The learner will evaluate how the lives of individuals and families of the past

are different from what they are today

Evaluating allows one to: assess, choose, decide, judge, justify, prioritize,

rank, rate, select

This is a Kindergarten objective, so how do we say it in terms a five year old can understand?

Competency Goal 3:The learner will recognize and understand

the concept of change in various settings.Objectives3.01 Observe and describe how individuals and

families grow and change.3.02 Evaluate how the lives of individuals and

families of the past are different from what they are today.

3.03 Observe and summarize changes within communities.

3.04 Recognize changes in the classroom and school environments.

• To clearly identify the most critical concepts (essential learning)

• To ensure that teachers clearly understand the cognitive tasks implicit in the standard.

• To prepare for designing lessons – Prerequisite skills– Vocabulary– Enrichment and intervention– Assessment

Standards Must be Unwrapped

Verbs = Cognitive Skills

• Observe• Recognize • Describe• Summarize• Evaluate• Understand(change in individual, family,

school, and community)

Unwrapping Change

Nouns = Critical Concepts

• Change/Growth in various human contexts

• Individuals• Families• Classroom• School Environment• Community

Create a Graphic OrganizerWhat students need to be able to know and do in a specific context

Skills (Verbs)– Observe– Recognize – Describe– Summarize– Evaluate– Understand

Concepts (Nouns)

Change/Growth

Big Ideas:Essential Questions:Evaluation/Assessment:

Topic/Contextindividual, family, school, and community

A Few Big Ideas• Individuals and families grow and

change over time.

• The way people live has changed over time.

• Communities change over time

Essential Questions• How do individuals and families

change over time?

• How has the way people live changed over time?

• How has our community changed over time?

Skills to teach• Observe• Recognize • Describe• Summarize• Evaluate• Understand

Skills to evaluate

• Describe• Evaluate

Assessment/EvaluationChange in individual, family, school, and community

It is Complex• It involves understanding how the

language of the standards identifies both process and content

• It is about identifying and focusing on the most essential concepts

• It is about getting identifying and teaching the cognitive processes identified in the standards

• It is about designing instruction and assessment in a way that is tightly aligned to the standards and the needs of students

“All of our students belong to each of us…

…each of our students belongs to all of us”

Well Worth Repeating • Alignment is an even stronger predictor

of student achievement on standardized tests than are socioeconomic status, gender, race, and teacher effect.

(Elmore & Rothman, 1999: Mitchell, 1998; Wishnick,1989)

Is Robert Making This Stuff Up?

• Look at these documents from DPI

Do you suppose they have read the research?

What do we REMEMBER?

What Stuck?

What made it last?

What Are You Thinking Now?

•Curriculum•Content•Process•Alignment

How did We do?

• What parts of today really worked for you?

• What do we need to adjust or change to make this even better?