Module 7 Curriculum Design

Susie definitely needed a way to remember all of the resources she had found for her cell project.  No matter how you teach a particular unit from one year to the next, you need a plan to incorporate new ideas with your old ones.  As I teach a unit each year I have a cover sheet that lists the activities I can choose to use, materials needed and assessment options.  That way, as you find new ideas and resources, it is easy to keep them with the unit materials.  I guess I am still old-fashioned because I print out a hard copy of lots of websites and pictures of things we did.  That way I keep updating the file each time I teach the unit.  

I am thinking it might be a good idea to include a separate technology resources section for each of my units.  Currently, I just have all of the resources I use for a certain unit listed together.   As I find activities and lessons using an iPad I might include them this year - even though we don't have iPads in our rooms yet.  That way, when we finally get them - I won't have to start all over again like in this example with Susie.  

Pink Video Comment

I watched this video for the first time a week ago and now I just watched it for the second time.  It is so interesting to see that there is a mismatch between what science knows about motivation and what business does.  Taking what the research says about intrinsic motivation and applying that to education raises lots of questions for me.  I believe that for some students, doing on-line courses would be highly motivating and free them up to explore things of interest to them.  Using the ROWE model allows people to learn at their own pace.  I really love how this class is set up and it is highly motivating for me to know that I can watch videos, explore topics, share ideas and do it on my own time.  I love having the freedom to set my schedule and I think the non-graded course takes pressure off.  However, I signed up for this class and want to learn more - so the motivation was already there. I think this model works well when you have a group of people that are engaged in wanting to do something.  However, I think back to author Ruby Payne and her books about the effects of poverty on learning.  Sometimes we have students coming to school with their basic needs not being met.  Maybe they are hungry, or they see violence in the home.  They don't get support to help them with homework, aren't taught the value of an education or to be respectful of others.  There is such a disparity across districts.  I think I can use this information from the video to make sure that I give students more choice in how they can show what they know.  I can also allow students to complete tasks using a more flexible time table.  I think that the challenge that educators face today is differentiating the curriculum to meet everyones needs. It is the only way to keep students engaged, excited and intrinsically motivated to learn.  We don't have equality in schools.  Availability of resources, support staff, technology, and professional development is so different depending on where you teach.  I think that the way we fund schools is an example of carrots and sharp sticks.  I teach at a school that Indiana graded an F.  We don't have any Title funds, although we have over 70% free or reduced lunch students.  We don't have instructional aides, a literacy coach, or a technology coach.  Labeling us a failing school doesn't help.  School improvement is a complicated issue and it seems that we are using the old business model.  If you don't perform - you get punished.  We need to be more creative and find ways to help students who struggle.