Making Connections: Concept-Based Learning/Prioriting Curriculum/Learning-Focused Framework

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Making ConnectionsConcept-Based
Learning/Prioriting Curriculum/Learning-Focused
Framework

• Middle Grades Professional Development
• North Asheboro Middle School
• March 3, 2008

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Leading With the Right WorkIntentional vs.
Instinctive

• The right work at both the school level and the
  district level is to do something that impacts
  the classroom.
• -Robert Marzano

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Instruction Matters Professional Development in
ACS

• Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum
• CITW
• Formative Assessment

(McREL, 2006)

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Essential Question

• What is it we can all do together that we cant
  do on our own, to move forward with creating a
  guaranteed and viable curriculum for Asheboro
  City Schools?

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What is a Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum?

• Guaranteed and viable curriculum is
• -Opportunity for students to learn the content.
• -Adequate time for teachers to teach the
  content.
• -Overall, ensuring that the articulated
  curriculum content for any course, any grade
  level can be adequately addressed in the time
  available (viability).
• (McREL, 2006)

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Guaranteed Viable Curriculum Actions

• Essential content, knowledge, and skills are
  identified for all students.
• There is adequate time for students to learn
  essential knowledge and skills.
• Instruction and assessment are aligned with
  essential knowledge and skills.
• The vocabulary words students will be required to
  use on assessments are taught in all classes.
• Attention remains focused on goals for learning
  the essential curriculum regardless of
  distractions that may arise during a year.
• (McREL, 2006)

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Actions Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum

• Walkthroughs administrators
• Vocabulary each grade level and content area
• Complete Prioritization of curriculum, pacing
  guides, integrated units of study
• Continuation of vertical and grade level/content
  planning meetings.

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Essential Questions

• What is a prioritized curriculum, and how do
  teachers use it?
• What are the enduring understandings within
  each of the core subjects (math, social studies,
  science, and language arts)?
• What role do essential questions play in teaching
  for deeper meaning?
• Why is it important for teachers to know how they
  are going to assess students before planning
  lessons?
• How and where does differentiated instruction fit
  into a prioritized curriculum?

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Middle School Professional Development
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Middle School Professional Development
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How do I think about, plan, and deliver
instruction so that students can learn it
faster and keep it longer? (p.4)

• Planning
• Learning
• Units
• How do I put it all together to plan a unit?
• Unit Design
• Prioritizing
• Curriculum
• Authentic
• Assessment
• Rubrics

• Acceleration/
• Previewing
• How can I use
• Previewing to
• Accelerate student
• Learning?
• Content Maps
• Vocabulary

• Acquisition Lessons
• How do I plan
• an acquisition
• lesson?
• Essential Questions
• Activating Prior Knowledge
• And motivational Launch
• Teaching Strategies
• Summarizing

• Extending/ Thinking
• How do I plan for the
• Extending Thinking Level
• of learning?
• Essential Questions
• Mini Lesson
• Thinking Skills Activities
• Sharing
• Reviewing for Mastery

p. 4 Overview Learning-Focused Notebook
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Exemplary Practices in High Achievement Schools
Organization Vertical and Grade Level Teams Large
Blocks of Time Literacy and Math Blocks
Assessment Continuous Formative Assessment,
Rubrics
Instruction Advanced Organizers, Scaffolding,
Differentiated Instruction
Curriculum Unit Content Maps,K-12 Benchmarks,
Maps, Prioritized Curriculum
Planning Data, Teams,
p.9 Overview Learning-Focused Notebook
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• To begin with the end in mind means to start
  with a clear understanding of your destination.
  It means to know where youre going so that you
  better understand where you are now so that the
  steps you take are always in the right
  direction.
• -Stephen R. Covey
• The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

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Three Important Questions

• What do you want students to know, understand,
  and be able to do?
• (K.U.D. Rick Wormelli, Differentiated
  Instruction)
• (Content Maps - Learning-Focused Framework)
• How will you assess student learning?
• (Diagnostic, Formative, Summative)
• How will you develop daily lesson plans to
  reflect the first two?
• (Acquistion Lesson Plans EATS
  Learning-Focused Framework)

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Background References

• Jacobs, H.H.(2004) Getting Results with
  Curriculum Mapping. Alexandria, VA ASCD.
• Marzano, R. (2003) What Works in Schools
  Translating Research into Action. Alexandria, VA
  ASCD.
• Marzano, et al. (1992) Dimensions of Learning.
  Alexandria, VA ASCD.
• Marzano, R., Pickering, D., Pollock, J. (2001).
  Classroom Instruction that Works. Alexandria, VA
  ASCD.
• Marzano, R., Zeno, B., Pollack, J. (1999).
  Research into practice Assessment, grading, and
  record keeping in the classroom. Aurora,
  COMcREL.
• Thompson, M., J. (1991) Learning-Focused
  Strategies. NC Learning-Focused Solutions, Inc.
• Tomlinson, C.A., McTighe, J. (2006) Integrating
  Differentiated Instruction Understanding By
  Design. Alexandria, VA ASCD.
• Wiggans, G., McTighe, J. (1998) Understanding
  By Design. Alexandria, VA ASCD.

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Why Is Having a Prioritized Curriculum Important?

• The shear breadth of the state curriculum.
• Mile wide and an inch deep
• (social studies, math, science)
• It constantly spirals
• (language arts)
• FACT NC has the 8th largest curriculum in the
  nation!
• By necessity, the focus is on coverage, not
  learning.
• Allocation of time and remediation varies from
  teacher to teacher.

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Definitions

• Curriculum the NC Standard Course of Study for
  various subject areas plus local curriculum
  additions.
• Prioritizing identifying curriculum components
  as essential, important, or able to be compacted.

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• Essential curriculum skills or knowledge for
  which students must have an enduring
  understanding mastery level learning
• Key Question What is worth and requiring of
  understanding?
• 50 of the total curriculum should be Essential
• Instruction Time 70

p. 10 Overview Learning-Focused Notebook
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• Important curriculum skills or knowledge
  which students must know at recall level
  information that is introduced or extended.
• Key question What is evidence of understanding?
• 30 of the total curriculum should be Important
• Instruction Time 20

p. 10 Overview Learning-Focused Notebook
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• Compacted curriculum skills or knowledge which
  may be enriching or nice to know, but is not
  critical for the further knowledge development
  maintaining knowledge or information.
• Key question What learning experiences and
  teaching promote understanding, interest, and
  excellence?
• 20 of the total curriculum should be compacted.
• Instruction Time 10

p. 10 Overview Learning-Focused Notebook
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Understandings

• To prioritize the curriculum, a teacher must have
  a thorough knowledge of the curriculum, including
  clear essential questions, indicators for
  mastery, assessments, and accelerations.
• The teacher must be able to translate the
  curriculum into real language rather than
  educational jargon.
• Prioritized curriculum allows greater emphasis on
  those concepts which must be understood and less
  time on things which must be known.

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Understandings cont.

• Prioritizing the curriculum is a vertical
  process. Concepts identified as essential in one
  grade must have the pre-requisite prior learning
  from the previous grade and lead to essential
  curriculum in the following grade.
• Questioning strategies and assessment methods
  differ for essential information (how, why),
  important information (who, what, when, where),
  and compact (who, what) information.
• Prioritized and pacing are captured on curriculum
  maps.
• THIS IS AN EVOLVING PROCESS. THE WORK IS NEVER
  FINISHED.

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Lets Begin!Process for Prioritizing the
Curriculum

• January March, 2008
• Unpack the curriculum.
• Reword the goals and objectives into usable
• language.
• 3. Identify the Essential, Important, and
  Compact pieces of learning.
• Identify the big ideas/key concepts within the
  curriculum. (Begin)
• Identify the Enduring Understandings that
  students need to carry with them into the next
  grade and the real world. (Begin)

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Where do we begin?

• Things to discuss in vertical conversations
  between now and March 3
• Review January 7 key nouns and verbs identified
  in the NCSCOS for each subject area.
• Share across grade levels
• a) Start with the goals. What similarities and
  differences do you notice from one grade level to
  the next? Pay special attention to the verbs! (NC
  Thinking Skills) Ex. Language Arts pick one
  goal and follow the thinking skills from 6th to
  8th grade. What happens?
• b) Next the objectives ex. What does
  objective 1.01 look like in a classroom? What
  instructional strategies/approaches do teachers
  use to teach the objective? What are kids doing
  to demonstrate mastery of the objective? Go back
  to the similarities if certain goals and
  objectives appear to be similar from one grade
  level to the next, how does this play out in the
  classroom? How does instruction differ from 6th
  to 7th to 8th grade? What impact do the Thinking
  Skills have on how instruction looks different
  from one grade level to the next?

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(continued)

• Which goals/objectives are Essential, Important,
  Compact? (Worksheet Matrix)
• What are the big ideas/concepts (residual
  learning) in each subject that students will
  carry with them when they leave your class and
  move to the next grade level (and beyond)?
• Vertical Meeting Dates ?

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March 3, 2008 end of the year

• Share vertical conversations.
• Recognize the relationship between concept-based
  learning, prioritizing the curriculum, and the
  Learning-Focused framework.
• Revise/Develop Essential Questions to reflect
  prioritized goal/objectives. (Continue)
• Identify the big ideas/key concepts within the
  curriculum. (Continue)
• Identify the Enduring Understandings that
  students need to carry with them into the next
  grade and the real world. (Continue)
• Complete Essential/Important/Compacted Matrix
• (1 per subject/per grade) by June 2008. Submit
  to Jennifer Smith.

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• 2008-2009 School Year
• 5. Identify/Prioritize Vocabulary
• 6. Develop Essential Questions. for
• the Big Ideas/Enduring Understandings
• 7. Determine appropriate assessment/product
  tools to determine mastery or knowledge
• level.
• 8. Design appropriate integrated units of
  study for the depth of learning that
• include differentiated instructional
  strategies and technology integration.

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Thanks for a great afternoon!