If We Can, Should We? 10/04/2009
A good activity for teacher teams is called "If We Can, Should We?" See Examples Below: If we can build a guaranteed and viable curriculum, should we? If we can meet as a vertical team once per month, should we? If we can raise student achievement through curriculum alignment, should we? If we can gain greater clarity about 'what' to teach by unpacking the standards, should we? If we can help more students through differentiated instruction, should we? If we can help students develop critical thinking skills through writing essential questions, should we? If we can improve curriculum development and instruction through data analysis, should we? If we can develop a rigorous curriculum through teacher collaboration, should we continue to work in isolation? The goal is to have teacher teams develop the questions, rather than having a list of questions for the teacher teams to answer. There are multiple variations that teacher teams can use with this activity. While the questions may sound like someone is challenging the group or individual members of the group, the intent of the activity is to help teachers begin a conversation which has the potential to improve teaching and learning. When we begin to realize that our collective efforts can drastically improve each student's future, it is worth the time and effort to have this initial conversation. A good follow-up activity is to begin developing SMART Goals. SMART Goals will help teacher teams stay focused and will require a commitment to action. Constitution Day 09/13/2009
Does your school have a coherent plan for implementing Constitution Day? In 2005, the United States Department of Education implemented Constitution Day and Citizenship Day based on legislation passed by Congress in December 2004 stating, “Educational institutions receiving Federal funding are required to hold an educational program pertaining to the United States Constitution on September 17th of each year” (118 Stat. 2809, 3344-45, Section III). An aligned approach to teaching students about the Constitution will enable and empower students. While social studies is taught in kindergarten-twelfth grade, the United States Constitution is not the central focus of the North Carolina Standard Course of Study at each grade level. An aligned K-12 method of implementing Constitution Day will give students more opportunities to study the United States Constitution and concepts such as citizenship. If school systems do not articulate a systematic plan, Constitution Day will become an annual day where students complete word find(s), worksheets, design mobiles (i.e., 3 branches of government), create acrostics to words such as freedom, play Bingo, watch videos and participate in other educational activities which will be repeated from one year to the next. Constitution Day will become more relevant to students when teachers begin working collaboratively to identify what is being taught, what knowledge is worth understanding and how connections can be made across the K-12 social studies experiences and across disciplines. The resources in this Constitution Day Teacher's Guide will assist teachers and administrators in developing a plan for Constitution Day 2009 and beyond. Additional Resources: Constitution Day: From Isolated Activities to Meaningful Experiences A Teacher's Guide for Planning and Implementing Constitution Day (Attached) Constitution Day Resource Guide Developed by Steven M. Weber and the NC Civic Education Consortium Constitution Day Presentation (Attached) Presented at the North Carolina Council for the Social Studies Conference (2008) - Feel free to use with your school staff. 
Curriculum Decisions 09/10/2009
Curriculum decisions are made by a variety of stakeholders. Parents make decisions regarding the curriculum when they elect to send their child to a private school, a charter school, a public school, a home school, or a boarding school. Policy makers impact policy through laws, state mandates, declarations, blogs and websites. School administrators impact the curriculum through holding teachers accountable for the written curriculum, facilitating curriculum development and revision, curricular reductionism, and encouraging teaching academics versus teaching the whole child. Classroom teachers make decisions regarding the written, taught, assessed, differentiated, concept-based, hidden, standards-based, integrated, rigorous, and excluded curricula. The following considerations are important for parents, policy makers, school administrators and classroom teachers to discuss. If student achievement is our main priority, then we must reflect on our existing policies, practices, and educational goals. What Do We Value? A Sea of Standards............................................Essential Standards Coverage of Standards..................................... Transfer of Learning Test Prep...........................................................Key Skills and Concepts Textbook Perspective........................................Multiple Perspectives Teacher Isolation...............................................Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum Pacing Guide(s)..................................................Student's Needs and Abilities Subject-Based Curriculum..................................Integrated Curriculum Focusing on Student Weaknesses.....................Focusing on Student Strengths Curriculum Chaos...............................................Aligned Curriculum Learning for Some..............................................Learning for All Project-Based Curriculum...................................Traditional Curriculum Teaching.............................................................Opportunity to Learn State Standards.................................................Unpacked Standards Standardization.................................................Differentiation Bloated Curriculum.............................................Narrow Curriculum Assessment of Learning.....................................Assessment for Learning Curriculum Clutter..............................................Curriculum Maps Multiple Graduation Tracks.................................College Ready Track Specific Facts and Information...........................Enduring Understandings Curricular Reductionsim......................................Well-Rounded Curriculum Written Curriculum..............................................Learned Curriculum Teaching.............................................................Learning Teaching Content................................................Teaching for Understanding You may review the options listed above and say, both options are good. This list of considerations is not meant to make stakeholders select one choice over the other. For example, the written curriculum is very important to teaching and learning. In most states and school districts, the curriculum is not optional. Therefore, a teacher could not select the learned curriculum and ignore the written curriculum. Regardless of your answer, the value in this activity comes from the reflection, collaboration, conversations about curriculum and instruction, and the impact that these conversations have on curriculum policy, curriculum alignment, and student achievement. If a school or school system has teachers and school administrators with conflicting values then the learned curriculum will be impacted. Please feel free to share what you value in education. How does your school district make Curriculum Decisions? Those Kids 08/28/2009
Have you ever sat in a meeting with teachers and administrators and heard the term "those kids." If you have heard someone utter, "those kids," then it is likely that you have also heard the following phrases: "That group"; "They have been that way since elementary school."; "That side of town"; "They don't act like the other students." As we begin the school year, I am frightened to think that a group of teachers would say "those kids" when referring to my own children. If it is inappropriate to say about my children, then it is inappropriate to voice about other people's children. In the book titled, Other People's Children, Lisa Delpit (1995) wrote, "If we do not have some knowledge of children's lives outside the realms of paper-and-pencil work, and even outside of their classrooms, then we cannot know their strengths. Not knowing students' strengths leads to our 'teaching down' to children from communities that are culturally different from that of the teachers in the school. Because teachers do not want to tax what they believe to be these students' lower abilities, they end up teaching less when, in actuality, these students need more of what school has to offer" (p. 173). Questions for Educators to Consider: 1. Do teachers in your school use the term, "Those Kids"? 2. Is it addressed by the team, or do we all secretly feel like that is the best we can expect from "those kids"? 3. Do students live up to the teachers' expectations? 4. Do our perceptions of students impact curriculum planning and instruction? 5. Do all students receive the (written curriculum) Key Concepts and Key Skills when teachers have lower expectations for one student or for a group of students? 6. If we treat "other people's children" like our own children, does it change our views towards the curriculum, instruction and learning goals? 7. How can we change our school culture to a culture where "those kids" become "our kids"? (See DuFour, DuFour, & Eaker, 2008). If teachers and principals believe the impetus for student learning remains outside of their influence and there is nothing they can do to overcome these external variables, the idea of school improvement will undoubtedly seem futile, if not downright ridiculous. (DuFour, DuFour, & Eaker, 2008, p. 59) Make a collective decision to eliminate the term "Those Kids". References: Delpti, L. (1995). Other people's children: Cultural conflict in the classroom. New York: The New Press. DuFour, R., DuFour, R. & Eaker, R. (2008). Revisiting professional learning communities: New insights for improving schools. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree. First Day of School 08/25/2009
 The first day of school never gets old. For some adults, it may seem like the movie Groundhog Day, where everyday repeats itself. When I was a student, I could hardly sleep the night before school because I was so excited about seeing my friends and meeting my new teachers. As a student teacher/college student, I was excited because I had so many lessons I wanted to try with students and I lay awake wondering if I could control a room of sixth graders. As a first year teacher, I don't think I slept for more than three hours the night before the first day of school. I was rehearsing my opening remarks and activities with students in my head throughout the night. Last night was no different than any other year. As I struggled to go to sleep, I wondered about the new students in our school district. Would they feel welcome on the first day? I thought about the principals and the stress that they must have on the first day of school. Then, my thoughts turned to my own children. I have a student in elementary school and a student in middle school. I wondered if they were excited about school or sound asleep. Would they make positive friends at school on the first day? Would they have teachers who influence their lives in a positive way? No matter if you are a student, student teacher, teacher, administrator or parent, the first day of school creates a little anxiety, combined with excitement about the new school year. As a Director of Secondary Instruction, my thoughts have changed from when I was a student teacher. Today, I ask myself the following questions: 1. What do we want all students to know and be able to do? 2. Do our students have access to a ‘guaranteed and viable’ curriculum? 3. What Enduring Understandings do we want students to have at the end of the school year? 4. How can I support student achievement? 5. How can I support teachers and principals? 6. What support does our district provide students who do not understand the key concepts and skills identified in the ‘guaranteed curriculum’? 7. What processes need to be established or revised in order to meet our district’s goals of raising achievement and closing achievement gaps? 8. If everything is important, then nothing is important. What can be removed from our district’s curriculum? The first day of school is an exciting time and it provides students with a new opportunity to shine. As you go through the school year, I hope you can enjoy reflecting on the seasons of life (i.e., student, student teacher, teacher, support staff, administrator, central office, parent, or other roles you have experienced over the years). The first day of school never gets old! Unpacking Standards 08/24/2009
Robyn Jackson (2009) recently shared the importance of unpacking standards. She wrote, if teachers are going to use standards to guide planning, assessments, and teaching, we need to understand what each standard asks students to know or do (p. 58). This article shares research on unpacking standards, provides a process for school districts to follow, and shares next steps after teachers have unpacked the standards. Does your school district begin each year with teachers meeting to discuss and unpack the state standards or does each teacher work as an independent contractor making decisions which impact student understanding in the privacy of their own classroom? Ainsworth (2003) wrote, “Unwrapped standards provide clarity as to what students must know and be able to do. When teachers take the time to analyze each standard and identify its essential concepts and skills, the result is more effective instructional planning, assessment, and student learning”(p. 1). Several school districts have attempted to align the curriculum through curriculum mapping, aligning teacher created lessons or activities, developing common formative assessments, or other strategies. Experience has led me to believe that attempting to align the curriculum prior to unpacking state standards leads to frustration and gaps in the written curriculum. The Benefits of Unpacking the Standards are outlined below (Weber, 2008). The Power of Teams 08/13/2009
Teams demand a merging of individual accountability with mutual accountability. Few "teams can perform without investing time to shape and agree upon a common purpose, set of goals, and working approach" (Katzenbach & Smith, 1993, p. 25). Does your team have a common purpose? When teachers work together to identify key skills and key concepts students need to know and be able to do, they provide feedback and support to other members of the team. When teams meet to discuss the curriculum, it enhances students opportunity to learn. DuFour (2004) wrote, "In addition, faculties must stop making excuses for failing to collaborate. Few educators publicly assert that working in isolation is the best strategy for improving schools. Instead, they give reasons why it is impossible for them to work together: "We just can't find the time." "Not everyone on the staff has endorsed the idea." "We need more training in collaboration." But the number of schools that have created truly collaborative cultures proves that such barriers are not insurmountable" (p. 8). Additional Resources for your Team: The Power of Teamwork: Inspired by the Blue Angels View Video The Five Dysfunctions of a Team What is a Professional Learning Community? A Process to Develop High-Performing Teams References: DuFour, R. (2004). What is a professional learning community? Educational Leadership, 61(8), 6-11. Katzenbach, J.R., & Smith, D.K. (1993). The wisdom of teams: Creating the high-performance organization. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. Back-to-School 08/04/2009
“As teachers engage in this dialogue regarding what their students must know and be able to do as a result of this unit they are about to teach, they become more clear, more consistent, and more confident in their ability to help all students learn” (DuFour, DuFour, & Eaker, 2006, p. 43). This quote reminds us of the power of teacher collaboration and determining essential learner outcomes at the beginning of the school year. When I entered the teaching profession, I was given a key to my classroom, a grade book, a set of Teacher's Guides, the state standards and a lesson plan book. While a first year teacher has creative ideas, a passion for teaching, and a desire to make a difference in the lives of students, a collaborative team is more powerful. Guiding Questions to Consider When Teams Meet: 1) What essential understandings and skills do our students need? 2) Which standards can be clustered or incorporated into others? 3) What are the Big Ideas/Enduring Understandings I want students to discover on their own after learning these concepts and skills? The time it takes to meet as a team (vertical, horizontal, content alike, district wide, or other team structure) is worth the time and effort. "When school staff have a more informed conception of curriculum, a teacher's daily decisions about how to deliver instruction not only affect student achievement in that classroom but also future student achievement, for it is assumed that students will be entering the next classroom prepared to handle a more sophisticated or more expanisve level of work" (Zmuda, Kuklis & Kline, 2004, p. 122). While several theorists and professional organizations have debated the ‘what’ of curriculum, implementation of curriculum and curriculum decisions are made daily by K-12 classroom teachers. Begin the year with the end in mind and provide teachers with time to work as a collaborative team. Analyzing a District's Curriculum 07/31/2009
As we begin a new school year, teachers will develop lesson plans and units of study based on a curriculum. Some school districts still allow each individual teacher to develop curriculum, while other districts have established a common curriculum. According to English (2000), “curriculum is any document that exists in a school that defines the work of teachers by identifying the content to be taught and the methods to be used” (p.2). The following list will assist collaborative teams in identifying areas of strengths and weaknesses within a school as teachers and administrators continue to develop curriculum and assess student understanding of key concepts and skills. A general awareness of each of the curriculum types listed below can assist teachers and administrators in increasing student understanding and raising student achievement. 1. Written The written curriculum specifies what is to be taught and is produced by the state, the school system, the school, and the classroom teacher. The written curriculum will have little impact on student achievement unless it becomes the taught curriculum or more importantly a ‘guaranteed and viable’ curriculum (Marzano, 2003) which is agreed upon by a team of teachers. 2. Taught The taught curriculum is what teachers actually teach in the classroom. Traditionally, the written curriculum (state and local documents) has not matched the taught curriculum among teachers within a school. Jacobs (1997) wrote, “If there are gaps among teachers within buildings, there are virtual Grand Canyons among buildings in a district" (p. 3). 3. Assessed The assessed curriculum provides valuable feedback about each student’s understanding of essential content, concepts and skills. If the assessed curriculum is not aligned with the written curriculum then teachers, students and parents will have a difficult time assessing the student understanding. “The extent to which any test is useful in reteaching any given curriculum is the extent to which that test does indeed measures the curriculum in the first place" (English, 2000, p. 65). Curriculum Renewal 07/03/2009
 By July, most school systems have received data from student report cards, state testing results, feedback from parents/guardians, and student portfolios which demonstrate the student's growth from the beginning of the school year until the last day of school. What processes will teachers and administrators use to improve the written and taught curriculum in the upcoming school year? What strategies should be developed to provide additional support to struggling readers? According to Senge, Scharmer, Jaworski, and Flowers (2004), "Most change initiatives that end up going nowhere don't fail because they lack grand visions and noble intentions. They fail because people can't see the reality they face" (p. 29). A tool for identifying the realities faced by a school and one which will help your team determine 'next steps' is a SWOT Analysis. A SWOT Analysis looks at and defines the strengths and weaknesses of the internal environment of the school or school system, as well as the opportunities and threats within the environment external to the organization or organizational unit. Once educators have identified the existing strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, they can build plans to support student achievement. Instructional priorities will based on the outcomes of the SWOT Analysis, rather than focusing on 'what worked' last year. Educators will notice that what is perceived as a threat for the upcoming school year could also be a new opportunity. "Systems don't change by themselves. Rather, the actions of individuals and small groups working on new conceptions intersect to produce breakthroughs" (Fullan, 1993). Resource: SWOT Analysis Template (See attached document) References: Fullan, M. (1993). Change forces: Probing the depths of educational reform. London: Falmer Press. Senge, P., Scharmer, C.O., Jaworski, J., & Flowers, B.S. (2004). Presence: An exploration of profound change in people, organizations, and society. New York: Doubleday.
| AuthorSteven Weber is the Director of Secondary Instruction for Orange County Schools in Hillsborough, NC. Weber has served as a classroom teacher, assistant principal, and state department of education consultant in Arkansas and North Carolina. He consults school systems in aligning their curriculum and in unpacking curriculum standards.  ArchivesAugust 2010 CategoriesAll | ||||||
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