SED 513: Secondary School Curriculum
Spring 2012
This semester we explored secondary school curriculum. Not specific curriculum, but the idea of what to teach. Our first branch of study was the book The Saber Tooth Curriculum. It brought up many relevant points, foremost of which is that our education system and teaching has to keep pace with what is going on in the world. We need to be abreast of new technology and teaching techniques to reach every student. Although we completed this course in Spring 2012, it resonates with this year's convocation speaker. We are no longer just needing the top 10% of our students to lead and let the rest function as factory workers who will get along fine as long as they can follow directions. Now we need every student to exhibit independent thinking and the imagination to succeed in their chosen field. If we keep doing the same thing as we have been, we will get nowhere.
The second branch of study was Understanding by Design. It encouraged us to think with the end in mind. What do I want my students to know at the end of the lesson? How will I get them there? How will I ensure that they really do understand? If we can't pinpoint what a student should have gotten from the lesson, the odds of the student knowing are very slim. So now instead of starting with the process when I do my lesson plans, I start with what I want them to know. For my beginners, it might be as simple as "by the end of this lesson you will know how to correctly hold the instrument" and I give them the tools to assess themselves and others on their position. There is now a firm direction guiding my lesson that I did not always have before.
This semester we explored secondary school curriculum. Not specific curriculum, but the idea of what to teach. Our first branch of study was the book The Saber Tooth Curriculum. It brought up many relevant points, foremost of which is that our education system and teaching has to keep pace with what is going on in the world. We need to be abreast of new technology and teaching techniques to reach every student. Although we completed this course in Spring 2012, it resonates with this year's convocation speaker. We are no longer just needing the top 10% of our students to lead and let the rest function as factory workers who will get along fine as long as they can follow directions. Now we need every student to exhibit independent thinking and the imagination to succeed in their chosen field. If we keep doing the same thing as we have been, we will get nowhere.
The second branch of study was Understanding by Design. It encouraged us to think with the end in mind. What do I want my students to know at the end of the lesson? How will I get them there? How will I ensure that they really do understand? If we can't pinpoint what a student should have gotten from the lesson, the odds of the student knowing are very slim. So now instead of starting with the process when I do my lesson plans, I start with what I want them to know. For my beginners, it might be as simple as "by the end of this lesson you will know how to correctly hold the instrument" and I give them the tools to assess themselves and others on their position. There is now a firm direction guiding my lesson that I did not always have before.