Strategies for Curriculum and Instruction: Part 2

Strategies for Demanding and Supported Curriculum and Instruction

• Use tiered approaches
• Know that students should word toward the same curriculum standards, but also know each individual's readiness level. The sixth grade class I am in right now is working toward getting ready for end of year testing. They are all at different levels and the teacher and I are currently assessing where their gaps are and working with students in those areas where they are struggling. We are tiering them for how many different subjects they are not understanding.
• Use a variety of rubrics to guide quality
• Use rubrics for a unit, individual lessons, student goals, class goals, and share these with your students. It is important for them to know what you are expecting from them. I shared a rubric with my students for their argumentative writing, and I couldn't believe the increase in quality of their papers afterward.
• Aim high
• Students need to be pushed to try their hardest. We need to hold them to a higher standard so they have something to strive for. On the other hand, it needs to be a goal or standard that they can achieve. If it is impossible for them to reach that goal, they are going to become frustrated and stop trying.
• Take a "no excuses" stance
• This isn't meant as a punishment or to be mean spirited, but holding students to a higher standard. They are capable of turning in their homework on time, completed, and done to the best of their abilities.
• Become computer savvy
• Students these days know more about technology and how it works than I do. It is important to stay current with technology, especially because it has so much to offer in terms of education. The sixth grade class does a lot of their journal writing, and papers on chromebooks. They can share through google drive what they have created with the teacher and also with their peers.
• Directly teach strategies for working successfully with text
• This is something your students will be doing for the rest of their lives, so it is so important to teach them these skills. Once they can navigate through texts more easily, they will be able to comprehend more and become more interested in what they are learning. Teaching them basic comprehension skills like prediction, questioning, finding main ideas, locating key words, etc. will allow them to learn the information and be able to use it.
• Use small group instruction as a regular part of instructional cycles
• Small group instruction is great to get more individualized instruction, but it needs to be done regularly and in multiple flexible groups. By having various small, flexible groups, students can interact with many different peers who are all on different levels and work in different settings.
• Establish peer networks for learning
• Creating peer networks in your classroom is a great way to get students who have a harder time making those connections with their peers. It establishes friendships and camaraderie. In the class I am in, the teacher has set up table leaders at each table. Every week, they set goals in reading, homework, and service projects.
• Promote language proficiency
• For those students who are learning a language, you can label things throughout the classroom. Even if your students are not learning a new language, you still need to promote language proficiency. You can do this by being an example yourself and using elaborated words. You can also create lists with your students, or have students practice writing and reading dialogue heavy texts. Immersing students into a rich language environment helps them to broaden their vocabulary.
• Cue and coach student responses
• Encourage your students to elaborate on their responses. Do not always accept the first response they give you. By doing this, you encourage them to think deeper and focus their train of thought. It is also helpful for the students if you cue them into when you will be asking a question. This will give them some more time to think and come up with an intelligent and appropriate answer. I noticed my teacher using this strategy. He would tell the students to be thinking about something because he would ask questions about it later. He would then introduce the topic, or review it, and then ask the students a question. This produced great responses from the students and there were more hands raised than the times he did not do this.