Planning and Managing - Chapter 4

This chapter gives a lot of great resources and methods behind developing a curriculum and lesson plans. I haven't really thought much about the criteria for selecting a textbook but I found the "Textbook Quality QuickCheck" to have a lot of great criteria for textbooks. Of the schools I have been in the text books are often selected district wide or by a committee and I don't know how much say I will have for my individual classroom. However, I think this checklist could be utilized for other books such as selecting non-fiction books or reading material to accompany a lesson. I found an article published by The Washington Post that speaks of the history of bad text books in... history. Titled "Bad History: Some Textbook Examples" it talks to the bias that can exist in textbooks and the harm that can be done when you present a trusting student with such textbook because logically everything in the book should be correct and based on facts.

This chapter also discusses Six Essential Elements to a good lesson plan. The first element is "Content to be Taught: Identifying What You Want Students to Learn". Although it seems fundamental this step can save a lot of headaches in the future of the lesson. This is a great element to develop an introduction around that explicitly introduces the topic to the students. 

The second element is "Identifying Misconceptions Commonly Held about the Core Idea". This is where a teacher can plan to presses and check for prior understanding. Like discussed in earlier chapters students will always have prior experiences and knowledge to bring into the classroom. These experiences and knowledge aren't to be ignored because they can be rooted in truth but may need modeling, discussion, or inquiry to address the misconceptions. 

The third element is "Performance Objectives" which we have practiced creating in other classes and asks teachers to identify the behaviors they wish students to exhibit during a lesson as well as a criteria to gauge level of performance. Performance objectives also include a condition which will correlate with the lesson. 

The forth element is "Concept Development" that includes engagement, exploration, and explanation. Very similar to the Five E's and I think you could argue that elaboration could also be included in the concept development. 

The fifth element is the final E, "Evaluation". We have learned throughout many of our courses that there are several ways to assess understanding including quick checks for understanding during the lesson, independent practices, the use of a rubric, making a portfolio, presentations, and many more. One method of assessment I am excited about using in my classroom is having students create an individual portfolio. I think if they know that their work will be collected and exhibited at the end of the semester or year as a collective work they will produce higher quality work and have more pride in the work they submit. 

The last element is "Accommodations" which is an important aspect of the classroom as a whole as well as integrated into the design of a lesson. When I was in school we were all expected to learn the same material in the same way. As teachers I think it is crucial to understand that learners have different needs and use concepts such as universal design and differentiated instruction to provide the content to all types of learners.