Final Thoughts

When I signed up for this class, I assumed I would be given several boring books written by people who died before I was born. I must say, I was pleasantly surprised. This class has truly pushed me to rethink my theories of education. I was amazed by some of the trends and statisitcs we studied in class. I cannot fully express how deeply I was impacted by the Shift Happens video we watched. As a result of this class, I have begun to reexamine what we teach and whether or not we are actually preparing our students for the future. Never before did I question the necessity of the major content areas. I have always just accepted the fact that students learn math, english, science, etc. Now I am beginning to see that it is possible that skills may be more important than content knowledge.

The curriculum project was also an eye-opening experience for me. I did not realize how much red tape exists in schools. It was unbelieveable to me how hard it was to gain access to information. Also, the degree of detail required in the budgeting process blew my mind. I can truly say that this class has given me valuable hands-on experience that will help in my quest to become an administrator.

Orange Middle School

The plan implemented by Orange Middle school has a lot of positive elements. The division into "houses" should promote a sense of belonging for the students. They will be closely monitored by a small group of teachers and should not easily fall through the cracks. I also thought the dress code was a good idea but not for the reasons given in the article. In urban areas, gang violence is a very prominent issue (even in middle schools). By forcing the students to wear uniforms, they will no longer be able to wear their colors and represent rival gangs. This step may go a long way in decreasing violence throughout the halls of the school.

My first suggestion for improvement to the plan is to include some sort of extra curricular activities. In order to truly build the sense of community that the school is aiming for, students must see each other outside of the classroom. By working/playing together, the students will view each other in a different light and should become closer. Another key factor in building this sense of community lies with the parents. The school must get parents involved whether it be through the creation of a PTSO or some other outreach program. Without parental support, any progress made within the school day can be easily forgotten when the students go home.

Curriculum Mapping

The purpose of curriculum mapping is to design a cohesive, linear program of study that focuses upon the main ideas students need to learn before graduation. My school does use curriculum mapping within each department. For example, my department (the mathematics department) will meet and discuss the skills needed for students to be successful in AP Calculus. Once we have established the necessary skills, we begin a top-down design of which topics/ideas should be covered in which year. The goal of this process in my school is to improve student achievement and better prepare our students for college.

Curriculum mapping is directly related to curriculum change and the ideas we have discussed in class. Curriculum mapping causes those involved to take a holistic view of what is being taught in the classroom. Thus, curriculum mapping forces administrators and teachers to focus on the big ideas and essential questions within each content area.