Curriculum Terms and Concepts:

Transcription

1 Curriculum Terms and Cncepts: Definitins and Expectatins This page intrduces yu t sme key terms related t the prcess f curriculum develpment and will further describe the prduct yu'll create in WIT. What is "Curriculum" "a plan fr a sustained prcess f teaching and learning" (David Pratt, 1997, p. 5) What is a lessn? a cherent unit f teaching and learning, generally designed t be cmpleted in ne class sessin What is a lessn plan? a plan fr a cherent unit f teaching and learning, generally designed t be cmpleted in ne class sessin What is instructin: the executin f the curriculum, actually teaching it. Instructin desn't always fllw curriculum. It is ften unplanned. Unplanned teaching and learning with the web is a recipe fr wasting time. WIT has develped a prduct called a "Cmplete Curriculum", that includes a Teaching Guide. All WIT participants will create a teaching guide fr their curriculum r lessn plan. The guide is an explicit plan fr a sustained prcess f teaching and learning, cntaining the fllwing elements: aim ratinale descriptin f audience descriptin f subject-matter learning bjectives instructinal plan

2 list f materials plan fr assessment and evaluatin Nw take a brief lk at the WIT Curriculum Web Assessment Rubric. WIT Advanced participants will be using this during WIT t guide yur prgress n yur lessn r curriculum web. The questins it asks shuld guide yu t develp an attractive web with a slid curriculum plan behind it. Web-based curriculum (r "curriculum web") "a plan fr a sustained prcess f teaching and learning, in which teaching and learning is facilitated with a linked set f web pages, prviding explicit guidance t the learner and als prviding access t selected web-based materials" Generally, a curriculum web includes the fllwing web materials: a "frnt page" r "prtal" which prvides the main entry pint int the lessn "activity pages" which describe specific learning activities fr students a "teachers page" which cntains infrmatin useful t the teacher, including a "curriculum guide" cntaining the elements listed abve n-line feedback mechanisms s students can cmmunicate with the curriculum designer n-line assessments s students can test their knwledge r understanding links t relevant web sites A web-based lessn Sample web-based curriculums: Murray Web Training Training fr Mentrs in Web Institute fr Teachers Fibnacci Web (created by participants in last summer's class) Put Yur Ft Dwn and Drive (created by participants in last summer's class) Muses (created by participants in last summer's class)

3 a plan fr a cherent unit f teaching and learning, generally designed t be cmpleted in ne class sessin, which utilizes the web as a medium fr teaching and learning. Generally, the web page r pages will include instructins fr the student, links t apprpriate resurces, and (ccasinally), interactivity. Participants in WIT BASIC will create a web-based lessn. See WIT Lessn Plan assessment rubric. WIT Basic participants will be using it during WIT t guide yur prgress n yur lessn r curriculum web. The questins it asks shuld guide yu t develp an attractive web with a slid curriculum plan behind it. The Imprtance f Planning "It's the pedaggy, nt the technlgy, that's the key. New technlgies are unreliable, expensive, and smething new that bth teachers and students have t learn t use. Only when a technlgy allws use t reach a hithert inaccessible educatinal gal, r t reach an existing gal mre effectively, shuld we cnsider emplying it. "It's a mistake t put technlgy center-stage as we plan and execute educatinal refrms. Technlgy shuld hver shyly in the wings, ready t lend its pwer, but nly as needed." - Gerge Brackett, authr f educatinal sftware Pedaggy = the beliefs that justify instructin On the definitins page, there is ne sentence in red ink. D yu remember what it said? On the web, unplanned teaching and learning is a recipe fr wasting time. This is nt t say unplanned learning is impssible. But with a class full f students, telling them they're "n their wn" t learn abut the histry f Chicag, is sure t result in a gd number f them quickly getting diverted t the Chicag LvaBulls page. If yu're ging t use new technlgies in yur lessn plan r curriculum, yu need t think abut hw yu're ging t d it. The best way t d this is t write a curriculum r lessn plan. In traditinal teaching, the lessn plan (and any materials the students need) is all the teacher needs t teach the lessn. This is true with a web-based lessn r

4 curriculum as well. The difference is: yu need t create BOTH the plan AND the web pages t supprt the teaching and learning. The web site becmes the "materials" the students use t learn. By carefully planning what materials will be mst useful, and at which pint in the lessn, the teacher will prduce a mre effective and engaging web site. The "cmplete curriculum" includes a "teaching" r "curriculum" guide, that spells ut a curriculum r lessn's aims and methds. It says t the teacher: "here's what this is trying t d and here's hw t use this web site t help yu." It includes a set f elements that describe yur gals and help the teacher (whether that's yu r sme ther teacher) use the lessn r curriculum effectively. We hpe yu'll really spend sme time thinking abut yur WIT lessn r curriculum, since it may be the first time yu get t really think abut hw t use the Internet with yur students t help in yur classrm. If yu've carefully planned the lessn r unit, when yu use in next schl year yu'll be happy with the results. Elements f a cmplete Teaching Guide r Curriculum Plan Familiarize yurself with these elements. Each element is linked t an example f that element in the Sample Teaching Guide The Sample Teaching Guide will pen in a new windw. Yu might have t switch t it manually. Open Teaching Guide nw. Switch back and frth between the examples and these descriptins. 1. Aim: ne sentence (mre r less) descriptin f verall purpse f curriculum, including audience and the tpic 2. Ratinale: paragraph describing why aim is wrth achieving. This sectin wuld include assessment f needs. 3. Gals and bjectives: list f the learning utcmes expected frm participatin in the curriculum. This sectin includes a discussin f hw the curriculum supprts natinal, state, and lcal standards. 4. Audience and pre-requisites: describes wh the curriculum is fr and the prir knwledge, skills, and attitudes f thse learners likely t be successful with the curriculum. 5. Descriptin f subject-matter: designatin f what area f cntent, facts, arena f endeavr, that the curriculum deals with. (This is a further elabratin f the "tpic" descriptin in the Aim.)

5 6. Instructinal plan: describes the activities the learners are ging t engage in, and the sequence f thse activities. Als describes what the TEACHER is t d in rder t facilitate thse activities. (This is like the traditinal "lessn plan" except fr a curriculum it may include mre than ne lessn.) 7. Materials: lists materials necessary fr successful teaching f the curriculum. Includes a list f web pages. Often, the web site will NOT be the nly materials needed by the students. They may need bks, tables, paper, chalkbards, calculatrs, and ther tls. Yu shuld spell these additinal materials ut in yur teaching guide. Als includes the actual materials (wrksheets and web pages) prepared by the curriculum develper, any special requirements fr classrm setup and supplies, and a list f any specific hardware and sftware requirements. 8. Plans fr assessment and evaluatin: includes plan fr assessing learning and evaluating the curriculum as a whle. May include descriptin f a mdel prject, sample exam questins, r ther elements f assessment. Als shuld include plan fr evaluating the curriculum as a whle, including feedback frm learners. Using the Teaching Guide Template t Create Yur Own Teaching Guide (Yu shuld have successfully cmpleted "Intrductin t Cmpser" mdule befre using this mdule.) The WIT Teaching Guide Template will get yu started with creating a teaching guide fr yur curriculum r lessn plan. This page will shw yu hw. Yu'll have tw windws pen during this lessn. Remember that yu can easily shift between Windws by selecting frm the "Cmmunicatr" menu in Netscape Navigatr. Tip: T switch Windws n a PC, hld dwn the ALT key and press and hld TAB. Press TAB until the windw yu want is selected. (Or, use the "Cmmunicatr" menu in Navigatr t chse the apprpriate windw.) Tip: T switch windws n the Mac, use the "Cmmunicatr" menu in Navigatr. All pen windws are listed at the bttm f the menu. Okay, let's begin. Open the WIT Teaching Guide Template in a new windw.

6 Then return here. Nw lad the template int Cmpser. (Yu can d it frm the File Edit Page... menu in the windw with the template.) Fill in the template. Refer t the "elements" descriptin befre yu write each sectin. Open "elements" descriptin int a new windw (That will make at least three pen windws. It's fine t have that many r mre windws if yu need them.) Every persn shuld d write their wn draft teaching guide, even if yu are wrking in a team. At the initial stage f planning, it's gd t have space t d sme persnal imagining abut what the mdule will d. Later, after yur team has finalized it's mdule plans, yu can wrk tgether t merge yur teaching guides int a "grup" effrt. Dn't wrry t much abut what it lks like at this stage, just brainstrm yur thughts, and then g back later and clean things up. Use the plan, nt as a finished dcument, but a wrk-in-prgress, nt t be cmpleted until the web pages are dne and yu can really tell hw it might be used in the classrm. Be sure t SAVE yur teaching guide when yu're dne. We suggest saving it nt the desktp while yu're wrking n it, and then uplad it t the CUIP server when yu're dne with it fr tday. After yu've upladed it t the server, shw it t anther participant in yur hmerm. Talk abut what excites yu abut the plan, and any uncertainties yu have. Talking with ther teachers while develping yur curriculum plan will help yu cnsider new appraches and perspectivies, and will help yur lessn r curriculum t be useful t ther teachers.