Curriculum Leadership Institute

Pathways to School Improvement

E-Hints Related to Instruction

Below is an archive of E-Hints related to classroom instruction and planning. We welcome you to use them to improve pedagogy in your classroom or share them with a colleague who might benefit.

Thank you for making learning fun for kids, even when it means stepping out of your comfort zone!

Teaching Tip - Follow every introduction of new learning with time for students to reflect and discuss. This way they'll have a more permanent stamp in their memory of what you're teaching them.

Cross-Curricular Instruction

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Teachers and students alike experience their day in a schedule of time based on various academic subjects. Your morning may consist of a block of English Language Arts, followed by science, social studies, and fine arts classes, and the day might end with Math. We spend a great deal of time learning these schedules and routines, perfecting them to make sure adequate instructional minutes are met.  Breaking up the school day based on subjects does seem to be a very manageable way of ensuring all students are spending equal amounts of time learning each disciplinary area. 

Perhaps just as important as making sure students are immersed in all subjects equally, is the importance of creating an authentic learning environment where students are able to apply the skills they learn throughout their scheduled-subject day. Another factor of importance is to deliver instruction in a way that allows students to connect their learning to real-world experiences. As adults, we find ourselves applying the skills and knowledge we learned throughout our educational experiences to navigate and survive in the real world. As we travel to the grocery store, we might use a map to get there (geography), need to assess our needs and wants as we navigate the aisles (economics), and calculate the amount of money we need to give to the cashier (math). All of these academic disciplines come into play together in one real-world experience. Using this example, we can already see the first of many benefits of cross-curricular instruction.

What is Cross-Curricular Instruction?

Cross-curricular instruction is an instructional strategy that offers a way for teachers to plan lessons that incorporate more than one disciplinary area. This allows students to broaden their lens of understanding and apply skills and strategies they learn in lessons to deepen their overall understanding and make authentic, real-world connections. Cross-curricular instruction also allows students the opportunity to learn skills in different contexts. For example, if a student has a passion for science, they may be more engaged and willing to take risks by applying concepts they have learned in math. If a student is apprehensive about writing, but passionate about history, incorporating writing into social studies lessons allows them to have a positive mindset and increases their engagement with the skill they are practicing. Cross-curricular instruction also lends itself to project-based learning. This authentic learning experience and strategy allows students to further put into practice the skills they have learned in their studies. Students are able to make meaningful connections to each curricular area, but also see the learning experience as a whole.

Planning for and implementing cross-curricular instruction may seem like a daunting task. Although we want to create meaningful learning experiences for our students, we are still tied to state standards and maintaining the fidelity of our curricula. To get started using cross-curricular instruction, consider using the following tips:

Have a Plan  One of the key steps to ensuring success with cross-curricular instruction is clear, long-term planning.  Mapping out priority learning targets for each curricular area will help those involved in the planning process have a clear vision. 

Clear, Natural Connections  Another important strategy is looking for authentic links between subjects. The connections between disciplines should be natural, not forced. Choose areas where the connections occur naturally and make sure that these connections are concrete enough for the students to understand.

Plan Thematic Units  Thematic units are a great way to get started with cross-curricular planning. You can take one idea or theme and tie it into many different subject areas. This strategy will allow those connections among subjects to occur more naturally. Once a theme is established, you can choose a key concept to guide instruction, and then lessons within that key concept from different subjects.

Reflect  As with any new initiative or strategy, reflection is by far the most important component throughout the process. The willingness to be flexible in your planning, to go back and reflect on different strategies and the effectiveness of lessons is what will bring your cross-curricular experience to the next level.

Using these strategies will help with planning and implementing opportunities for cross-curricular instruction. Finding a link across subject areas will allow your students to experience a truly authentic, engaging learning experience where they can apply new skills in a multitude of ways.

A Resource to Support the Local Curriculum

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Have you ever been in a conversation about learning targets, and the textbook was called the curriculum? At first, it may seem like a simple error of using the wrong term. However, a common belief among some educators is that the textbook or resource is a curriculum. The curriculum is the knowledge and skills students should know and be able to demonstrate. A resource is a tool used to provide instructional support to teach the curriculum.

Misconceptions about textbooks.

A textbook is a curriculum. Those who have not experienced local curriculum development may have this belief. A local curriculum should be aligned to standards, include scaffolding learning topics, and incorporate what is important at the grassroots level. An aligned resource needs to support the local curriculum allowing flexibility in instructional methods, but not be the curriculum. Resources are not limited to texts and may include manipulatives, equipment, online support, guest speakers, and field trips. 

Textbook authors always know best. Many well-educated people usually participate in developing a text, but do they really understand the student population for which the local curriculum is intended? Local teacher experts are more familiar with their school community population and are specifically trained to meet their needs. 

The entire textbook has to be covered in sequential order. This belief is to prevent possible gaps in student learning. While it sounds like a great idea, the reality is far from the intention. It is impossible to ensure guaranteed and viable learning with this approach. There are many topics included in the textbook to allow teachers some options and flexibility when teaching. Does covering the entire textbook even allow an in-depth study of essential topics? Maybe, but a concept of covering material and getting through the text could replace true mastery of learning.

This textbook is thoroughly aligned with my state standards. Textbooks are designed to be broad enough to address standards in many states. This cost-effective approach of lumping everything together is to obtain mass sales from potential customers. Textbook companies will provide alignment charts to show their product aligns to the standards from all states. Be cautious when accepting this document at face value. Do the homework yourself and find the cognitive level AND the entire content of the standard expectation. You may be disappointed to discover the only “match” is a word or two on a page.

What should we do now?

Selecting resources to support the local curriculum requires careful consideration of many factors. In the CLI Model, we recommend resource adoption after implementing and validating the draft curriculum. The resources should align with the curriculum, support student learning, and address the instructional needs of teachers. During validation of the curriculum, teachers have identified specific materials they have used to teach the topics and found some favorites. Carefully evaluate those materials for how well the entire curriculum is supported.

In order to make the best choice, teachers should use a rubric with qualitative descriptors to assist with the selection. Consider incorporating these questions: Was there information about all outcomes? Were there plenty of support materials, including online, to help with student learning? Were there formative checks of learning to help prepare for the next steps? 

After a thorough evaluation, the Subject Area Committee (SAC) brings their choice to the Curriculum Coordinating Council (CCC). If the SAC’s recommendation is accepted, the next step is for the CCC to go to the board to approve and adopt the chosen resource.

Using the adopted resource to support the local curriculum

How do you make the most of your newly adopted resource? First, it is a great idea to have solid professional development for all staff utilizing the materials. Arrange an opportunity for teachers to ask questions, try out the technology, and explore the support materials soon after the resource arrives. 

Good planning involves a variety of instructional strategies, differentiation for student learning, and checking student understanding. These areas are a part of CLI’s Instructional Planning Resource (IPR) and are in most resource packages. Also, consider using the suggested cross-curricular connections to maximize instructional time and relate academic content.

When developing local assessments, both formative and summative, teachers could review the resource’s test bank of questions for ideas. Questions should only be used as written if there is complete content and cognitive alignment with the local curriculum. Modification of the resource questions is also an option to create alignment. 

When is the best time to start a resource review?

It takes time to determine which resource is the best fit for a district. Utilize the first semester of the school year to carefully evaluate options so the SAC and CCC can recommend their choice to the board of education shortly after the second semester begins. If the board approves, a district can place the order right away unless there is a public review policy. Either way, the timeframe should still be in the window so materials can arrive by the end of the current school year. Proper planning for the implementation of the new resource can follow. 

While all of these steps are necessary, it is essential to remember that the goal is to support student learning of the local curriculum. Making the resource request with that goal in mind will increase the chances of student success.

Keeping Students Engaged Systematically Using the Instructional Planning Resource

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Virtual teaching is a challenge. Many teachers were not ready to conduct instruction using the internet. Much had to be learned to make the new medium work for students AND teachers.

And if that challenge was not enough, teachers were also asked to use what is known as a hybrid model. A term that means teaching occurs in BOTH classroom and virtual settings.

Back and forth.

Which is hard, especially when teachers learn students do not have computers or are not connected to the internet. Or both. And when parents do not allow their children to attend school for fear of catching the virus.

Meeting such overwhelming challenges has resulted in major disruptions in the continuum of student learning. Chances are good that conditions, while not as bad as the first stages of the pandemic, will be unsettled for months or years.

Therefore, contingency planning by curriculum councils should be vigorous and ongoing. Subject area committees, operating under the auspices of councils, should stay ready for any eventuality. The old idea that we can depend on a single medium for teaching public school students is no longer valid.

Client districts using CLI’s Instructional Planning Resource (IPR) can connect contingency planning to intentional forms of instruction. The IPR does not overcome the lack of personal computers, home-based internet availability, or willingness of parents to risk their children getting sick. But it does give structure to how teachers plan for variable instructional settings.

The IPR contains everything necessary for thinking-through and planning instruction, virtual or not. In clear and specific phrases, it includes the mastery purpose of the course, well-constructed unit outcomes, and their components. It provides information on how to formatively assess student performance. It describes teaching methods, student activities and resources to be used. Alternative or “differentiated” instructional techniques are inserted.

And the summative assessment is not just a one-off pencil and paper test, but a clearly described method to determine if students have indeed met criteria in each component.

Client districts using the IPR model know it to be challenging to create for teachers accustomed to writing and using daily lesson plans. It requires training wordsmith intentions for student learning accurately and comprehensively, and considerable imagination to project all possible variations as to possible methods, student activities, and resources to use.

But developing skills to write IPRs is worth the effort on many levels, not the least of which is a teacher’s cognitive engagement with the curriculum to be taught.

First, the IPR can be saved in a digital databank and used repeatedly. Because it is saved in a computer, it can be modified any time conditions require.  Portions of it can be shared virtually with students or on a classroom screen.

Second, an IPR eliminates the need to create elaborate daily lesson plans. Teachers can keep track of where they are in the margins. They can also code the IPR for use in pacing guides or individualized instruction.

Third, the IPR provides a quick glance at the amount of curriculum to be covered in a standard classroom setting, thereby giving teachers a clear indication of how much seat time is necessary. If the class is being taught virtually, the teacher can get a sense of how quickly students are progressing.

If instructional conditions are poor because of the medium being used, as in virtual formats, the teacher may need to delete part of an intended curriculum. Having to skip parts of an intended curriculum inadvertently happens now. The difference when using an IPR is that the portion deleted can be done intentionally instead of just “running out of time.” Having that option available is important for two reasons: (1) a deleted portion may be selected because it is the least essential element, and (2) knowing what was deleted can be revisited later when more time and opportunity are available.

The pandemic has taught us to be ready for almost anything. In addition, it is teaching us that virtual or hybrid forms of instruction do not need to be inadequate stopgap measures. They may not be perfect but, as with many other things in this “new normal,” those instructional settings can work if we plan ahead more thoroughly and precisely.

Returning to School During COVID-19 (Part Two)

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This E-Hint is the second segment in a two-part series providing suggestions for returning to school during the COVID-19 pandemic. The focus of Part One was on meeting the social-emotional needs of students and planning to instruct the curriculum. Part Two (this segment) delves into onsite and online instructional options and checking for understanding in an online environment. 

Instructional Options

Sadly, uncontrollable factors during the spring last year, caused a loss and possible regression in learning for some students. Although a quarter of onsite contact time was lost in the 19-20 school year, try to avoid reteaching the end of the previous year’s curriculum. Instead, consider these options and use those that work best for your students.

Find a baseline for content and skills. Use questions from your summative assessments to create a pre-assessment aligned to your local curriculum for this school year. Many companies promote standardized tests promising a quick gauge of students’ current abilities. While these cookie-cutter assessments may seem appealing as a fast, easy solution, unfortunately, they do not give accurate information about your local curriculum. Additionally, they are not an accurate diagnostic measure to determine individual student deficiencies. 

Provide a formative pre-lesson check. Ask a few brief questions to get a read on student understanding for each lesson. You’ll need a quick response, so use instructional technology like Quizizz or Google Forms to gather results and guide your next step. Formative checks are for learning, so it is a natural fit. Using this option requires you to have a couple of lesson options ready for the day. If students are prepared to move forward, go with Plan A, but if they are not prepared, go with Plan B.

Implement looping for the upcoming school year to increase tracking and development of individual student skills. Looping is the educational practice of assigning students to the same teacher for two or three consecutive grade levels. There are several advantages to looping students. On the academic side, teachers know their student’s strengths and challenges. By looping, you can save time without having to discover the best learning style of each student.   Instruction can be more focused and efficient, which will translate into higher student success.  Looping also creates social-emotional security for students as they already have relationships with their teachers and peers. Those relationships quickly grow in a familiar setting with familiar routines. Therefore, looping results in higher attendance rates. The sudden end to onsite learning last year robbed students and teachers a sense of closure. So, additional time together could change a negative situation into a positive one.

Use the Instructional Planning Resource (IPR) to plan your instruction. The IPR has been a part of the CLI Model for many years. It has evolved from hard paper copies to static electronic versions to real-time Google Docs. The IPR requires you to align your instruction to the local curriculum, and is often called an “educational toolbox.” Multiple teaching methods, student activities, and supplemental resources are included on the IPR to help you plan your instruction. The academic range of your students may have grown wider, so utilizing the differentiation feature on the IPR provides intervention and enrichment options to meet their needs. While teachers never expected to deliver so much online instruction, they did discover new tools to add to the old ones. Some even work better! Utilize new strategies, activities, and online tools as you move forward in a face-to-face setting. Not only will it give your instruction a fresh feel, but it will also create a sense of familiarity for students before there is a need to return solely to online practices. If you are currently planning for the new school year, create both onsite and online options for teaching the curriculum. Offering choices to your students is never a waste of time, and strategies that you don’t use for full group instruction may fit well with a smaller group who require additional options to reinforce their learning.

Use technology daily to support onsite instruction. Create student groups, establish classroom norms, and guide the use of technology while onsite. This way, you can provide immediate support and save time troubleshooting program features should you need to move to remote learning.

Checking for Understanding – Use Your New Tech Skills!

Solid instruction includes formative checks for learning and requires immediate feedback to the student. But, how can this still be manageable in an online setting? Here are some handy tech tools to help you be creative:

  1. Observe student work using the drawing features on a digital whiteboard. For example, when communicating through ZOOM, the student selects the writing instrument after the teacher assigns a task.  Student responses are written in their handwriting and viewed by the teacher on the student’s whiteboard. This feature works great with math problems, handwriting practice, or original graphic organizers. Teachers can see progress and offer input in real-time.
  2. Some online learning platforms include a polling feature that can be used similarly to the traditional bell ringer. When students enter class, pose them with a question. When submitted, their answer is accessible to you, the meeting host.
  3. Another easy check is to ask all students a question in chat mode. Students can respond directly to you, who can then provide feedback in real-time.
  4. Google Forms are a quick and easy way to gather student feedback.  Individual responses from students are collected, compiled, and organized with charts and graphs, quickly allowing you to determine the next steps for instruction.    
  5. Several standards require collaboration between students.  Google makes this expectation easier by sharing features.  Students can review a piece of work with you or their peers through Slides, Sheets, or Docs and offer suggestions.  Making digital comments is speedier than handwritten feedback!
  6. Finally, frequent emails to your students can keep them on target through personal messages.  You can include parents on your emails to help their kids at home and to keep them accountable.

The best approach for an uncertain future is to prepare with options.  Create a plan and provide structure for students and parents, provide opportunities for interaction and feedback, and address the social-emotional needs of your students.  Flexibility is a common characteristic of educators, so take a deep breath, do your best, and remember that you’re only human. You’re going to need to remain flexible, especially through the upcoming school year.

Teaching for Reflective Learning

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As anyone working in education can attest, a greater emphasis is placed on criterion-referenced high stakes testing than in the past. In response to this reality, including reflective thinking in a teacher’s toolbox of instructional strategies can help students think about their learning and ensure that applications are meaningful and relevant in an increasingly demanding world. Using CLI processes prompts for reflective learning can be written into unit outcomes and components. They can be explicitly addressed in the instructional planning resource in the context of methods, activities, resources, and assessments.  Proficiency scales also allow students to practice reflective learning as well as tracking their learning.

Proficiency

Measuring the quality and extent of reflective learning is more challenging than measuring simple recall. Therefore, the criteria for implementing reflective learning must be more extensive than past approaches.  When such criteria are met, however, the results have intense and long-lasting meaning.

In their reflection on learning, students will:

  • describe their personal strengths and weaknesses in the context of the skills and understandings required,
  • identify and question underlying values and beliefs in the context of the skills and understandings required,
  • acknowledge and challenge possible assumptions on which expressed values and beliefs are based,
  • identify and describe feelings of bias or discrimination, and
  • acknowledge fears and inadequacies in attempting to improve.

The reflection required to meet the above challenges is designed to improve self-awareness, the first step to positive change.  It defines learning as being something more than the cognitive accumulation of facts and processes, placing it within a student’s life in ways that make scholastic growth a part of meeting personal, professional, and vocational goals.  It gives students emotional tools to positively weigh what they do, so they can identify approaches that work well and reinforce good practices over time.

Methods that Encourage Student Engagement in Reflective Practice

Educational researchers, such as Robert Marzano, Benjamin Bloom, Thomas Good, and Jere Brophy, referred to reflection as being a means to stimulate higher-order thinking. Many authors who advocate the use of cooperative teaching and learning, as well as constructivist approaches, also consider individual reflective behaviors to be valid behavioral outcomes. Research suggests that extensive student writing and speaking (based on solid inquiry activities) are the best vehicles for allowing student expression that is reflective of engaged thought, beliefs, and emotions.  A Subject Area Committee (SAC) can write unit outcomes and components that are specific to this type of writing and speaking.  On an Instructional Planning Resource (IPR), or other lesson planning structure, teachers can include such methods as reflective journals and other self-evaluative tools, peer critique, debriefing techniques, and dynamic feedback in group settings.  These can show up in the IPR methods, activities, resources, and assessment blocks. 

Reflective Learning versus the Negative Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

We all know that students who are otherwise engaged in their surroundings reject subjects they “don’t like” or find “too hard.”  Consequently, they either fail those courses or just get by well enough to keep teachers and parents mollified.  For whatever reason, they simply don’t learn the subject well enough to make any kind of personal and lasting difference.  Without the personal connection to learning, assessment with formal exams or application assessments, a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy kicks in and they fail.  They justify performance with “I knew I’d fail because I’ve always hated that subject” or “I knew I’d fail because I’ve never been good in that subject.”  Sound familiar?  However, because reflective learning causes students to acknowledge their fears and inadequacies and to identify their strengths, question beliefs, and challenge assumptions – such negativity can be deflected before it becomes ingrained. 

The CLI Model offers an effective platform for addressing this more substantial and meaningful approach to teaching and student learning.  Both a Curriculum Coordinating Council (CCC) and a SAC can systematically build in processes associated with curriculum content and instructional techniques that make mastery real and student performance valid.

The End of the School Year is in Sight

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Yes, the end of the school year is in sight.  Teachers are worried about finishing the curriculum, checking in books, taking posters off the walls, entering grades, and all of their other year-end tasks.  Administrators are ticking items off of their unique building goal lists and sending out reminders and final instructions for the last days of school, all the while contemplating their summer worklists.  In anticipation of the end of the year, we experience a seemingly abrupt conclusion followed by a collective sigh.  Afterward, the thoughts of “Oh, no, we forgot… “ settle into our minds.

Let’s start now to check off the tasks and items that are complete or need follow-up.  

We can then take time to reflect and celebrate the positive accomplishments that we might otherwise overlook in a rush to the end.  The provided checklists are republished to serve as a guide to districtwide and classroom reflection and to remind us of all the tasks that require completion or monitoring to start the next year.