Week Three
Digging into the material
We are in the midst of BIG changes in education poliy
The Common Core State Standards
At present, education undergoing a see of change. Across America many states are switching from a system of creating their own academic standards to adopting a national set of standards. As you can imagine, this is not occurring without a tremendous amount of controversy.
Having a grounding in what the standards are, what is behind the controversy and what it means for teaching and learning is critical to being a 21st century learner.
The video below provides an excellent look into what the standards mean in the classroom
Three-Minute Video Explaining the Common Core State Standards
Crafting Lessons By Design
Without question you will need to focus your energies on helping your students become successful learners and in ensuring they reach their potential. How does this happen? To begin with, it is important to understand that as you develop your objectives and think about what you want your students to learn there are levels of thinking that move from simplistic to critical thinking. Bloom's Taxonomy provides a useful framework to understanding the six levels of cognitive processes.
Differentiation and Meeting Student Needs
We have al heard the importance of meeting students at their point of need and differentiating instruction to ensure that all students meet their potential. What does this actually mean? How can a teacher balance classroom lessons and meet the needs of EACH child? One area to begin is to have a grounding in what motivates students. Howard Gardner developed a theory of multiple inmtellgiences that provides a unique way to understand the different levels of intelligences.
Check out this short video that gives you an overview of Gardner's Theory.
Howard Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences (Historical Overview)
Differentiation
It is important to think about all the parts that go into helping a student succeed in class. This means connecting to their interests and developing a learning profile. With this in mind you can craft lessons that focus closely on meeting each student's needs and ensuring that they find the work more exciting and connected to their interests.