Njones+notes+on+Curriculum+21

Hi GA Lower School Teachers, Here are some notes that I have collected after reading Curriculum 21. I have also included some questions that occurred to me after reading some of the chapters. Perhaps some of them will invite your comments and/or your own questions. Nancy J.

**1. A New Essential Curriculum** **Heidi Hayes Jacobs** Our challenge: to match the needs of our learners to a world that is changing with great rapidity. How: expand our perspectives and update out approaches; engage in “backward design” by beginning with the end in mind. Standards vary from state to state. The author suggests an “array of thoughtful, well-articulated curriculum options.

Structures that affect (hinder or support) curriculum: scheduling, grouping, personnel configuration, and use of space.

**Myths that shape our vision:** **Question:** Has our change in scheduling hindered or supported our curriculum? In what way/s?
 * nostalgic views of the past
 * a prevailing attitude of elitism in regard to the educated
 * less value placed on creativity and the arts

**2. Updating the Curriculum** **Heidi Hayes Jacobs**

Replacing existing practices: start with assessment via curriculum mapping. Step 1: develop a pool of assessment replacements, e.g. Podcasts Step 2: identify your existing resources, e.g. Wordle Step 3: replace dated assessment with a modern one Step 4: Share upgrades with colleagues and students Step 5: Set aside time (in-service days) to do the above

Partnership for 21st Century Skills (www.21stcentury skills.org) a broad model that provides links and resources that relate to general skills.

**Questions:** Which assessment practices currently in place might you consider outdated? Which modern assessment tools are most feasible at your grade level or for the subject/s you teach?

Mapping review teams to research potential places for revision in each discipline. Using Social Studies as a model, the author suggests: Regarding world language instruction, the author suggests:
 * 3. Updating Content**
 * Heidi Hayes Jacobs**
 * Guiding Questions:**
 * What content choices are dated and nonessential?
 * What choices are timely and necessary? (This would require current research)
 * Are the choices rich, natural and rigorous for interdisciplinary content?
 * Geography be cut as a snapshot unit and replaced with an integrated approach in all subjects
 * Outdated maps should be replaced with a full range of map projections (e.g. Google Earth)
 * Deemphasize state history to make more time for global studies
 * Supporting the learning of at least one additional world language
 * Considering the learning of American Sign Language

**Something to think about:** How much of what you teach did you “inherit? How much of what you teach did you specifically implement and/or delete? **4. New School Versions** **Heidi Hayes Jacobs** “Heroic” school schedules offer a tailored curriculum for each student; no specific blocks of time; designed for internships and projects. To some extent all classes are heterogeneous because there will //always// be a range of skills in any group. The question to ask: “What type of grouping would best support learning for a specific group to address specific objectives?” Some author recommendations: - Meetings around “problems” rather than department with the best people to address the problem -Vertical teams that include teachers who share a child over time -Vertical strategic teams, such as K-2, 3-7 -Cross-disciplinary teams -Global peer coaching teams Traditional school design is highly limited. See school design awards at [|www.designshare.com]. Suggestions: pairing classrooms; sharing common spaces that often “sit empty;” web-based field experiences. All schools should include a quiet space for solitude and reflection. “Think like architects.” **Question:** In light of the author’s recommendations on grouping is there information about gender and learning that supports the notion of providing all girl/all boy classes in some sections/subjects in the Lower School?
 * “Form follows function”**
 * Schedules**
 * Grouping**
 * Professional Grouping**
 * Physical and Virtual Space**

**6. A Classroom as Wide as the World** **Vivien Stewart** What is global competence? How can schools produce global competence? Globally connected schools can: **8. Media Literacy** **Frank W. Baker** “Media literacy” means different things to different people. Various groups have defined it in different ways. Many include a critical understanding of the nature of mass media, the implication for schools being a need to incorporate critical thinking skills in regard to analyzing media. The author recommends that: **Questions:** What in-house media literacy training resources are available to us now and how can they best be directed to address specific needs? Which training resources outside of school should we seek for possible future direction?
 * Knowledge of other world regions, cultures, economies, issues
 * Skills to communicate in languages other than English
 * Values of respect for other cultures
 * Create a global vision by revising the mission statements so that they support internationally focused teaching and learning
 * Develop an internationally oriented faculty by recruiting teachers with international interests and encouraging teachers to take advantage of professional opportunities abroad
 * Integrate international content into all curriculum areas
 * Emphasize the learning of world languages
 * Offer international courses and languages online
 * Expand learning time to support achieving global skills
 * Expand student experiences to include travel, service learning, internships and exchanges
 * Media literacy be a vital component of teaching and learning.
 * Media literacy be incorporated into all subjects.
 * Professional development training should be offered related to state standards.
 * Courses should include analysis as well as production and creation.
 * School libraries consider adding media literacy resources.
 * College Ed courses must include media literacy training.
 * Schools consider programs for parents on media literacy awareness.

**9. Digital Portfolios and Curriculum Maps** **David Niguidia** A digital portfolio is a collection of student work that provides evidence of a student’s skills and knowledge. Important questions to ask before starting: 1. What should a student know and be able to do (vision)? 2. Why do we collect student work (purpose)? 3. What audiences are important to us? 4. How do we know what’s good (assessment)? 5. Which technologies will we need and who will support the system? 6. When will information be digitalized and who will do it? **Questions:** To what extent are student digital portfolios used at GA? Do we have samples? Do any faculty keep digital portfolios, and, if so, would they be willing to share them or the process used in creating them? Who should choose what should be included in a portfolio? Should work from outside of school be allowed? How feasible are digital portfolios in the younger grades where teachers would be mostly responsible for maintaining them?

**13. It Takes Some Time Getting Used To** **Arthur L. Costa and Bena Kallick** Changing what we teach takes **open-mindedness, flexibility, patience, and courage.** **Questions:** In looking at our students through the lens of the above habits of mind, which areas are areas of strength/weakness? In what ways can we help strengthen habits that need more improvement? Is the immediate self-gratification inherent in technology counterproductive in managing impulsivity? How can we inspire awe and wonderment in students jaded by so many life experiences from early childhood on?
 * Habits necessary for success in school, work, and life.**
 * 1.** **Persisting**
 * 2.** **Managing impulsivity**
 * 3.** **Listening with understanding and empathy**
 * 4.** **Thinking flexibly**
 * 5.** **Thinking about your thinking (metacognition)**
 * 6.** **Striving for accuracy and precision**
 * 7.** **Questioning and problem posing**
 * 8.** **Applying past knowledge to novel situations**
 * 9.** **Thinking and communicating with clarity and precision**
 * 10.** **Gathering data through all senses**
 * 11.** **Creating, imagining, and innovating**
 * 12.** **Responding with wonderment and awe**
 * 13.** **Taking responsible risks**
 * 14.** **Finding humor**
 * 15.** **Thinking independently**
 * 16.** **Remaining open to continuous learning**

The author suggests that teachers use the “language” that identifies habits of mind with students, e.g. you really //persisted// with that problem. Teachers can help students climb the “metacognitive staircase” by posing questions to elicit ascending levels of thinking, the ultimate goal being self-directed learning.