How I use curriculum to guide my planning, instruction, and assessment
As I reflect on my current classrooms and the planning, instruction, and assessment styles within my practice, I recognize that I have evolved so much as an educator since my first time in a classroom in 1995. There have been so many shifts in education over the past 25 years and while I was out of the physical classroom for many of those years, my life experiences have allowed me to grow and develop as an educator and I have reassessed my beliefs and methods many times when dealing with today’s learners.
When I first began teaching I was 23 years old, still “wet behind the ears”, and I fell into the “Formality Fallacy” (Eisner & Vallance, 1974) believing that skills and the blueprints of curriculum were first and foremost my priority. I was working at a highly esteemed Private Institution so I was heavily focused on the academic side, ensuring I was providing students with the content that was expected.
I had the privilege of living in one of the student homes on campus as a “housemother” to a group of mostly International Students from Grades 9 to 13 so forming connections was something I took for granted within that environment and only many years later did I understand the true impact that I made on these young adults. To be told now, the positive impact I had on them has shaped me into the educator that I am today.
Back then I was so focused in the classroom trying to deliver prescribed learning outcomes and compile results to create letter grade requirements, that my now philosophy of Student Centered Learning, wasn’t quite yet fully developed. But as I mentioned, it seems that I already had that philosophy, I just didn’t know it yet.
In 2012, I had planned to get back to teaching and completed my AQ in Special Education realizing that I had great interest in understanding how to create and assess individualized goals, however, in 2013 we added to our family one final time with the birth of our fourth child and so, another halt.
However, I will say those studies were so incredibly valuable that I was able to sharpen my saw and had pure confidence adding this to my teaching toolbox, ready to use various forms of assessments based on my students needs, and comfortable planning my instruction to ensure I meet all student needs.
As I returned to the traditional classroom a couple of years ago, I found myself knee deep into the unprecedented times of the COVID-19 pandemic. I stepped into classrooms that were so vastly different than what I remember, because now terms like diversity, inclusion, modifications, accommodations, were all main stream focuses plus we had to pivot many times to sort out things like socially distanced classrooms, and mask wearing, etc., and I was so thrilled to be involved in the challenges of this kind of a classroom where all children were being noticed and valued even though I still didn’t know about the scope of Virtual Learning I was about to undertake.
The significant education disruption due to this pandemic deepened and accelerated inequities in education outcomes, and created an incredible amount of increased mental and physical health risks.
To say I understand many of these issues happening in our young students would be an understatement. I have 4 children of my own (2 girls and 2 boys, ages 22, 20, 17, and 8) and they were all impacted significantly by this turn of events over the last 2 years. My whole world changed having these special and so individually unique individuals in my life and I have always known I needed to be back in the classroom to help shape and influence young minds and create connections with children to help them love learning. To go through this crazy roller coaster with them has continued to shape me as an educator as well knowing how invaluable a connection is between teacher and student.
Every child can develop to their fullest potential by giving them choices, a voice, and preference of how to learn.
I have come to realize even more so through these readings, that I adhere to the progressive philosophy of the humanistic conception of curriculum. I strive to create a classroom based on respect with a balance between being the “resource center” (McNeil, 2009) providing teacher dominated and larger group learning and also but more often “providing warmth” and nurturing emotions (McNeil, 2009) which allow for socialization, cooperative learning, and a combination of independent and small-group learning.
My lessons are definitely shaped by sharing life experiences, encouraging creative problem solving, and active participation in learning and interest centers. I do put a lot of emphasis on socialization to allow students to relearn how to communicate with each other. I have said this many times this year to my students, “It is my responsibility to help teach you how to interact positively and respectfully which each other, so that when you go out into the world as an adult, you know how to function.”
I understand that there are times the Systemic approach using Standards based curriculum may be the only solution or a necessity. My 2 daughters in post secondary programs spent the last two years in this situation where technology and media are used to deliver the curriculum. It works if the goal is regurgitation of information but sadly it is not very motivating. I have personally taken many, many trainings this way and is only really appealing due to convenience.
The educator is reduced to a facilitator instead of delivering the knowledge, because they are just making pre-recorded lectures available to the student to be used when convenient. This is currently a reality for me as the expectation is that lessons delivered within the classroom are made available online for those students who cannot attend class on a given day.
I understand how the intentions behind this systemic approach to ensure equity however, the focus should include creating a supportive environment that caters to the depth of learning of all students regardless of abilities to use academic language.
I am proud of my approach that I used this year in September as I walked into two vastly different physical classrooms: one full of Grade 7 students and one full of Grade 8 students. Having taught virtually to a group of Grade 1’s the previous school year and realizing that many students haven’t interacted with another peer in perhaps as long as a school year. I decided that before I truly had an entire “plan” for the year, I would need to understand the needs of each of my students while also coming to understand my classroom as a whole. At the beginning of a school year, I made a conscious effort to make connections with students, coming to know their strengths, what gets them excited, what causes them concerns, and then find ways to get them excited about learning again.
I have come to know and understand who has social anxieties, who loves to read, who loves to collaborate, who likes to be more independent, who likes to be a “teacher’s helper”, and even who is strong in numeracy versus literacy. I let my students know that I come from a place of mutual respect and that they are important and I am here to help them however they need. This helps me guide my planning and instruction. I also focus on how the class interacts as a whole. How do students support each other, what are their needs when we are working on tasks as a whole group, who works well together?, etc.
While this information helps me with planning and instruction, it also helps me get to know what student needs will be when it comes to assessment.
As I reflect on my goals and aspirations for this year, I would like to focus on developing consistent rubrics for my students that takes into account the individualized varying needs in my classroom. I have mainstream students, ELD students that are working at a Grade One level of literacy, and many students with an IEP for various developmental and behavioral reasons. I am also very focused on the social needs of these students and would like to incorporate more self and peer assessment opportunities so they can take responsibility of their own learning and learn to give constructive feedback. This coincides with my focus on the Humanistic conception as it emphasizes students learning about themselves through self-reflection and ensures that we continue to work in a classroom of mutual respect for all.
Kathryn Featherstone 