Your essay should be about 500-600 words length (about 2-2 and 1/2 double spaced pages). You need not be so formal as to use a style manual, but do note when you use material from your readings or from additional readings or sources (including other classes in this program).
Topic: Teacher as a Maker of Curriculum
Use the following questions in developing your essay. I doubt that you can get a great deal of depth in 500 words, but do try to address the topics.
1. Just how do teachers make curriculum?
2. Describe briefly at least three specific strategies that teachers may use to improve learning and tell why you selected those strategies and how they may impact student learning.
3. A reflective thought: What role does teacher experience play in classroom effectiveness?
Sample including format:
Three strategies or qualities that teachers could use to improve student learning in the classroom are, being well prepared, using best practices, and knowing your students. Hammond and Berry referred to research when they said that studies show well-prepared teachers are important for all students. Teachers that are both well-prepared for the profession of teaching and well-prepared on a daily basis in their classroom will have a positive impact on student learning. When teachers have spent time learning the content material that they are going to teach they are better prepared to instruct their students. Likewise, when teachers are prepared for their daily lessons with all materials gathered and ready to go, less time is spent searching and more time is spent instructing.
Best practices, defined as innovative, creative and effective approaches to teaching and learning that show evidence of improvement or success, will improve student learning is used on a consistent basis. Best practices are not the easiest means of instruction and often take a significant more amount of planning than traditional teaching methods. Many teachers try using best practices, but often resort back to the “spray and pray” and “kill them with paperwork” forms of teaching. Best practices have been proven to improve instruction, student motivation, and student learning.
Liz Easley, reading specialist, stated that the number one factor in improving student achievement in the classroom is to know your students. Teachers that know their student’s likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, and academic needs are far more likely to plan effective instruction for them. Teachers can use a variety of methods to get to know their students such as surveys, conferring, progress monitoring, and general conversation. Teachers that know their students will have a greater impact on student achievement then those that simply show up for class every day.
Classroom management is the bedrock of any successful classroom. Teachers that have taught routines, procedures and expectations also tend to be organized and use every minute of their instructional time to teach their students. Too often classroom management is perceived as teachers having the ability to keep their students quiet. However, just the opposite is true. Classroom management is the ability to teach students how to be independent learners, how to talk and confer with their classmates about content, and continually seek knowledge.
Teachers make the curriculum each day in their classroom by making choices for their students. Two teachers within the same school, teaching side by side, instructing on the same phonics lesson can actually have 2 very different curriculums. The teacher makes her curriculum when she plans her lesson, chooses what materials to use to teach with, makes the decision on being prepared, and delivers her instruction. Despite teaching from the same pre-made lesson, those two teachers could have very different outcomes with their students.
