The next cog: Curriculum and instruction

It has been a bit since we have talked about the cogs,

but no fear - we have another cog to make our classroom work.

Curriculum and Instruction.

What a hefty cog!

 I mean, isn't that the whole purpose of schools?

To teach the children the curriculum.

Isn't that the whole purpose of differentiation?

To alter our instruction to ensure every student is understanding the curriculum.

Brace yourself, because this is a cog you need to understand.

There is so much information that we, as teachers, must teach to our students in a year.

The curriculum information expands with each passing year.

Therefore, as teachers, we are always racing to get through the information.

However, that is not beneficial for students.

Being forced to retain information so you can move to the next topic is not effective learning.

Therefore, this chapter in the book helps us understand what to do and focus on in curriculum.

As always, there's a few elements that tie in with this cog.

Important. Focused. Engaging. Demanding. Scaffolded.

We have to ensure that the information we are studying is going to provide a roadmap towards
expertise in a topic and help to build student understanding.It has to be important information
that will help to further the children's knowledge and give them a foundation to build upon.

Everything that we do has to be designed in a way to get us where we need to go. Both the
teacher and students must know how parts of their work contribute to a bigger picture of knowledge,
understanding, and skills. Therefore, the information has to be focused on on specifics.

We all know that our instruction must be engaging in order to keep the students attention on the
curriculum. Students have to find their work intriguing, so that they are absorbed into it and value it.

It also has to be demanding. We know that students have to be challenged in order to grow.
Standards for work and behavior must be set high, and there isn't "loose" time while in class.

Lastly, the instruction must be scaffolded. The teacher teaches for success. Therefore,
criteria for success is clear to students, then the teacher must provide a variety of supports to
ensure that the students are being guided to reach the criteria.

It is often overwhelming to me as I think of all the things that are required to be taught to the students.
The tests that students must pass. The topics they must be knowledgable on. The weight I have on
my shoulders to ensure that the students get all of the curriculum throughout the year. However,
this chapter really helped me to feel more comfortable about the issue. There is A LOT to teach.
Yet, if we follow these elements in our instruction then it is possible for the students to understand.
They will be able to get the most of the instruction and really internalize the curriculum.

I guess the important part is becoming comfortable implementing these elements into curriculum,
and ensuring that we are differentiating to allow every student to truly grasp the content in the curriculum.

May the odds be ever in our favor,

Mallory