24
February
2009
Describe the steps you would take as a principal to ensure that the curriculum is implemented and assessed at the classroom and school levels so that students learn the intended content.
I would take a 5 step approach to ensure that curriculum is implemented and assessed at the classroom and school levels.
1. Provide curriculum materials
I will make sure that all teachers have access to curriculum materials. This includes teaching guides, student materials, and any supplemental materials. I would also make sure they have the curriculum standards. I found the district ones were not that easy to find. For veteran teachers I would make sure their materials were up to date.
2. Assign a teacher mentor
For new teachers entering my school I would assign them a curriculum mentor. This would be their go to person for any curriculum questions.
3. Arrange for curriculum supervisor to do a curriculum overview
At the beginning of the year I would arrange for curriculum supervisors to come in during lunch periods. This would be an informal time for the teachers to ask questions and clarify different aspects of the curriculum.
4. Provide professional development on formative assessment
Teachers should not wait until the end of the year to see how students are doing in a particular area, nor should they wait for end of unit tests. I have found that teachers and schools are very good at summative assessment but need help in formative. I would provide some training and tools to assist teachers in implementing formative assessment.
5. Analyze and review test results with staff.
The final piece is to review your summative assessment data and analyze it for needed areas of improvement. The data would then be shared with the staff and we would make a plan on how we would address our areas of need.
Throughout the above steps, I would try to implement various technology tools for teaching, collaboration and sharing.
Posted: Reflections
9
February
2009
As a school administrator and instructional leader, what instructional technology would you expect to see in the written, taught, and tested curriculum of a school or school district striving to meet the needs of 21st century learners?
The Partnership for 21st Century Skills has several student outcomes. I believe that Global Awareness, Creativity and Innovation, and Communication and Collaboration are key skills needed for students to compete in society. As an administrator and instructional leader I would expect to see several technology tools that would help teachers achieve the above outcomes. Within the written curriculum I would expect to see resources that provide students with opportunities for communication and collaboration. Resources like creating a blog or participating in a wiki. I would also expect to see project suggestions that required students to use creativity tools like draw/paint programs, digital media and movie making.
Within the taught curriculum, I would expect to see best practices outlined for teachers. These best practices would include ways to differentiate the delivery of instruction as well as ways for students to learn and access the curriculum. I would expect students to work on projects together, use streaming media, handhelds and collaborate with other classes.
In the tested curriculum I would expect the same as above. I would also expect technology to be used to prepare students for the test. Technology tools like Senteos, Quizdom or Turning Point can help prepare students. I would also expect students to take their standardized tests using technology. This provides access for all students no matter their needed accommodation.
What instructional technology would you promote to differentiate instruction for all learners? Consider some of the Web 2.0 tools discussed in Week 3 and some of the tools/ applications suggested in the UDL discussion.
My first choice of technology to promote differentiation is SMART Boards. I’m a firm believer that teachers adopt technologies that enable them to do things they are already doing. The introductions of SMART boards have allowed my staff to still deliver instruction the same way but in a more interesting way. We are now working on using the boards to make their teaching less teacher center and more interactive and student centered. Additionally I’ve been using Glogster with my teachers. Teachers are always assigning posters to their students. Glogster lets students create multimedia posters. I also use Flickr Toys with my teachers. This has lots of tools for students to use, magazines, motivational posters, flip books and trading cards. Discovery Streaming is also a tool that I can’t live without. It’s so much more than streaming video. Teachers can create assignments, quizzes, and writing prompts. Videos with closed captioning can be downloaded. The closed captioning can be edited by the teacher. Font size, color and style can all be edited to provide a structure for students.
Posted: Reflections
