Every school has campus goals that they wish to thrive at even if they are short term or long term goals. One of those constant goals is instructional improvement. Instructional improvement is defined as helping teachers acquire teaching strategies consistent with instructional goals that increase the capabilities of students to make wise decisions in varying contexts (with regard to peers, adults, academics, and life) (Glickman, Gordon, & Ross-Gordon, 2010).
There are constant needs to improve classroom instruction. Instruction is defined as interactions among teachers, students and content, in environments (Cohen, Dewey, Ball, & Thurnau, 2000). The interactions occur in such varied settings as distance learning, small groups in classrooms, informal groups, tutorials, and large lectures (Cohen, Dewey, Ball, & Thurnau, 2000). Instruction thus is not created by teachers alone, or students, or content, but in their interactions (Cohen, Dewey, Ball, & Thurnau, 2000). There is not one strategy that will work to improve instruction that help reach students and help them succeed. It will take a collection of practices to help improve classroom instruction. Some of the practices are collaboration among teachers, improving curriculum, increasing the rigor of work, improving and analyzing assessments, professional development, and student writing.
Collegial learning opportunities allows teachers to work together, either one on one or in groups to help the teachers to learn from one another by looking over instruction work, student work and assessments (Peurach, Glazer, & Karen, 2004).
Curriculum allows schools and teachers to know what they are teaching. It is important to prioritize the curriculum and how to monitor it and un...
... middle of paper ...
...er data collection instrument would be to introduce alternative instructional strategies to help improve instruction. These could be introduced at faculty meetings or in-service trainings and give teachers hands on practice on these strategies and collaborate with teachers in their department and others at the school. As these new instructional strategies are being applied to instruction, administrators will take a close look at the lesson plans teachers are submitting and work on improving them and aligning them with the curriculum and the instructional strategies.
Lastly the final data collection instrument would be to analyze classroom, district and state assessments. It is vital to evaluate how students are performing on their assessments and make sure teachers are aligning their lessons with the curriculum and students are actually learning the content.
Stiggins, R., & Chappuis, J. (2008). Enhancing Student Learning. Retrieved from July 2009 from, http://www.districtadministration.com/viewarticlepf.aspx?articleid=1362.
William, D., & Thompson, M. (2007). Integrating assessment with instruction: What will it take to
Throughout this learning segment students will take part in various informal assessments that will help me monitor children’s progress. For example, for Learning Experience 1 students will be asked to look at artifacts and be asked to use their prior knowledge to think about what they represent. Then they will be read the book I am Jackie Robinson and asked to take part in a class discussion connecting the artifacts to Jackie Robinson and how it relates to their previous language arts story Luke Goes to Bat. Thus, these probes will serve as pre assessments. Students will also complete worksheets that require them to cut and paste the given objects or phrases and glue them in the correct chronological order. These worksheets will serve as formative
...ent rate then these students are used to. The teachers and educational leaders need to be encouraged and motivated to make the change and have the confidence that the strategies they are using can still be used to help students achieve the mastery of those standards. This book as a helpful guide will do both for struggling campuses, it gives them helpful suggestions to teachers and examples on how to use them in the classes. It also explains the importance of teachers working together in their subject area for increasing student engagement and achievement. I will use this book and will recommend it to other teachers to help them keep students on the path to high learning and high achievement on our high stakes tests.
While I find value in both sides of the argument on what effective instruction looks like I do believe that there is something to be said for a “something old and something new” approach. As an English teacher I appreciate the ability and encouragement for creative projects, collaboration, and the use of technology; however, I also have a great deal of appreciation for a more traditional approach such as handwritten rough drafts, research papers, and a novel study that is completed in class with students reading aloud portions of the book. In an ever-changing society I know that I must be open to change as no two days in the classroom are alike.
We need theorists and researchers to generate and refine learning-focused instructional design theories. Such theories will help educators and trainers to meet needs that focus on learning and that foster development of initiative, teamwork, thinking skills, and diversity. Instructional-design theory must involve stakeholders in the design process.
Effective classroom teachers use a variety of assessment instruments on a daily basis to determine student progress. Assessing the students is the easy part and can be ongoing or at specific times during the year. After any assessment is given, it is vital for the teachers to analyze the results of the assessment. Finally, teachers much continually monitor student progress in order to ensure student success. The assessing, analyzing, and monitoring requires planning on the teacher’s part. If teachers fail to plan, they plan to fail; this is the result in many classrooms today because teachers access their students and then do not analyze the data in order to monitor and document students’ learning.
All assessments will be purposeful, and the goal of the assessment will be determined before the assessment is given. Assessment and evaluation will be ongoing throughout the year to provide reliable information. Assessments will also be authentic during the natural daily schedule. I will assess by creating portfolios, observing the children, and taking anecdotal notes. The assessments will allow me to measure students’ success and development. I will gather data from multiple sources to ensure that the data is reliable. I will maintain ethical behavior in all forms of assessment and evaluation. I will also reflect on my own teaching practices to better myself for my
The leader who wants to improve school success through the use of data will provide ample opportunities for teachers to collect and analyze student data in professional learning communities, time to collaborate, and resources for professional development. She also utilizes data analysis to inform the building goals for the year ensuring alignment with the district goals. Data can tell the leader and the teachers where the students are, where they need to go, and provides opportunity to teachers and administrators to support student success. Collecting and analyzing student data is an important part of a school culture that supports and encourages collaboration as well as holding high standards for student achievement.
This artifact represents the thirteen videos I review on the Teaching Channel website as well as methods to implement the many strategies into my classrooms. In the videos, teachers presented a variety of classroom strategies designed for both improving instruction as well as improving classroom environment. Many of the videos reinforced what I had learned in previous classes, such as the importance of making learning personal, providing real world problems for students to investigate, and the importance of meeting with colleagues in the same discipline to collaborate on ideas and strategies. Especially interesting was the video about formative assessments. I have modified my own classes, by giving an “Attaway,” one M & M or one Skittle, to
Since the grading of a standardized exam is always performed uniformly, data can be compiled that illustrates how well a student, or a group of students, has grasped each individual concept. This data is useful to educators because it allows teachers to make small adjustments to their lessons if they notice that a majority of students are not responding well to the way a standard is taught. These organic changes in the way teachers present lessons to students can be very helpful to encouraging the success of students. Naturally, this focus on data collection also comes with some
Marzano, R.J. (2007). The art and science of teaching. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Lang, H., Evans, D.(2006). Models, Strategies, and Methods for Effective Teaching. USA, Pearson Education Inc.
Today I used a variety of instructional delivery methods to ensure that my students were able to accomplish the learning targets. Having different modes of instruction (direct instruction, individual writing, pair-share, small group discussion, large group discussion, etc.) allows students to demonstrate learning in a variety of ways. If students do not master a key skill, it also provides students to relearn, rework, and rethink key concepts. This type of instructional design also encourages engagement as it appeals to multiple learning styles and builds in time for me to interact with students in multiple ways (including one-on-one) (IE: Chloe can be quieter. I was able to touch base her to make sure that she understood the abstract vs. concrete exercise). Using multiple instructional delivery methods also provides me with opportunities to personally motivate students to be active in their learning (IE: Emily is very creative and likes small group work. IE: Taylor likes politics and would grasp the global climate change example IE: Big Mike works best when he has time to think individually before responding to a group. A notes handout helps him process key ideas before feeling pressured to apply them. IE: Several students enjoy speaking in large groups. Asking for examples and group participation appeals to the sense of camaraderie in the class).
Kameenui, Edward J., and Deborah C. Simmons. Designing Instructional Strategies: The Prevention of Academic Learning Problems. Columbus, OH: Merrill Pub., 1990.