! Critical Denitions! ! i. Dene these general terms:! !

Nils I. Palsson! Pedagogy 1! Fall 2013!

1. Curriculum - For me, this word evokes the content of a class, and also the structure of delivery for that content. The word seems to be related to the Latin root currere, for current, like the ow of water. Asking whats your curriculum? is like, what are you teaching? or how does it ow? For me, this implies what textbooks are being used, types of assignments and assessments, and other aspects of how the teaching and learning happens in a given class.! 2. Learning - This feels like such a basic, primordial word or concept. It means to get knowledge. Consciousness is being con scious or with knowledge, so learning is an expansion of consciousness. It includes the acquisition of new understandings and skills. It is a transformative process. The etymology of learning is related to the proto-Germanic lais for path or track, similar to the concept of a current. ! 3. Goals - Goals are the ends, or at least the desired ends, of an action. They are our intentions and visions, that which we desire, whatever we would like to create. There are goals in every activity -- it is the object of our aim. The word goal also reminds me of soccer and other sports; scoring a goal is how points are gained and how games are won.! 4. Outcomes - This is an easy one, even if you dont know what the word means. Outcome are what come out of a given process. In other words, it is the result or product of what is done. If your goal is to make a basket in basketball, and then you shoot the ball, the outcome of the shot is what happens to the ball. Does it go in? Miss? Swish? Hit the ref in he noggin?! 5. Outcome Indicators - These are the pieces of data that come along the way to let us know what the outcome is, or how we are progressing toward our goals. These are the signposts along the way (scores, behaviors, even feelings) that let us know how we are doing, let us know about the outcomes along the way.! 6. Understanding - This is another fun one to break down. Under standing. To stand under. When somebody says I dont understand that, it is like they are saying they do not stand under it, i.e., they do not support it. A synonym that comes to mind for me is comprehend (com together, pre before, hend hand), to take hold of (an idea) and unite (in the mind). Comprehension or understanding is ones ability to take hold of an idea, to really grasp it, to be able to see it as if it is literally stood under.! 7. Meaning - Meaning is an important concept for me; it is a fundamental need we have as human beings. Meaning is signicance. Our world is made up of signiers and signieds, ideas and symbols used to communicate those ideas. Meaning is whatever is signied by the signier. Think of the word tree -- its meaning is whatever is meant or understood in relation to that word. Now think of

! !

yourself, your life experiences. What does all that signify? What does it all mean? These questions are implicit in most of our existence!! 8. Assessment - To assess is to test, examine, and evaluate something or someone. An assessment is not only the examination itself, but also the results of the examination and the process by which it is analyzed. In education, teachers perform assessments of their students and classes (and, thus, of themselves) in order to determine how much learning is taking place. ! 9. Scaffolding - As a former resident of Manhattan, this word evokes plentiful pictures of entire buildings surrounded by steel exoskeletons, these structures built right up alongside the building itself, a tower of rails and platforms, used by people working (often high up) on the exteriors of these buildings -- painting, washing windows, moving gracefully around the faces of these huge edices. I recall how, walking down the street, a given block could be covered, shaded, by scaffolding structures built up alongside a given building. Large poles coming up from the ground and criss-crossing beside us to support these ponderous structures above us. I used to swing on them like monkey-bars when I could, and sometimes, at night, climb up on them for a better view of my city. For me, the term scaffolding evokes a temporary structure that is adapted and built onto an existing structure for the purpose of improving it.! 10. Differentiation - Ive probably heard this word more in the last two weeks than in the rest of my life combined. And this is probably only the beginning. The last time I heard differentiation, it was in an environmental law class, discussing the differentiated responsibilities that various nations have under international law, the idea being that while there is a common law that applies to all, there are also distinct groupings of different entities with different needs and abilities, and that it made sense to identify and apply the most useful and meaningful ways of meeting the needs of each distinct entity. Differentiation seems to have a similar meaning in schools: we see that different students have different needs, and we really must teach to each by making each lesson and assignment relevant to the learning needs of every single student.!

ii. What is developmentally appropriate curriculum? What resources are you aware of for assisting in developing developmentally appropriate lessons and units?! Every human being goes through stages of development, which have been mapped out and given various types of nomenclature across culture and time. A modern and eclectic look at human development identies a gradual process of growth through various physical, mental and social phases. Developmentally appropriate curriculum refers to teaching content and methods that are suited to the specic locations of each student on the various continua of physical, social and mental maturation. It has to do with designing lessons that meet children where they are at, in relation to where they need to be going -- staying in their zone of proximal development and helping each child meet challenging yet achievable learning goals. For example, it might not be developmentally appropriate to present high-level college lectures to large groups of untracked high school students. It might not be developmentally appropriate to do certain kinds of

group assignments in classrooms full of rambunctious freshmen. In fact, within each group of thirty students, there will be 30 sets of needs, each calling for developmentally appropriate curriculum specic to each individual.!

! !

This world of terms and denitions is relatively new to me, and I have only begun my research into good resources for teachers. Id be glad to share what I have, and Id also love to add more resources to this list and develop a well-rounded arsenal of tools available to teach most effectively.! A simple internet search for developmentally appropriate curriculum resources yielded more than 1.5 million results, some of the most relevant of which appeared to be:! ~ The book Developmentally Appropriate Curriculum by Anne Keil Soderman - http:// www.amazon.com/Developmentally-Appropriate-Curriculum-Practices-Childhood/dp/ 0137035535 ! ~ Child Care Education Institute (CCEI) - http://www.cceionline.edu/newsletters/ May_08.html ! ~ Developmentally Appropriate Practices (DAP) web page by National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) http://www.naeyc.org/DAP ! ~Choosing Appropriate Curriculum - Ten Questions to Ask by Recognition and Response - http://www.recognitionandresponse.org/content/view/49/100/ ! ~Planning Developmentally Appropriate Curriculum article - http://childcareaware.org/ child-care-providers/program-planning/developmentally-appropriate-practices !

! iii. What are Teaching Performance Expectations (TPEs)?! ! !

The Teaching Performance Expectations, or TPEs, are the standards by which a candidates supervised teaching performance will be evaluated. There are thirteen TPEs, organized by six domains. (D.U. Teacher Prep. Handbook, 2013-2014, p. 52)! 1. How do they relate to the instructional cycle?! These expectations include standards on subject-specic skills essential for instruction, as well as other instructionally indispensable tasks as monitoring student learning, using assessments, making content accessible, engaging and supporting students, creating developmentally appropriate curriculum, teaching English Learners, learning about students, instructional planning, maintaining an effective environment for students, and developing as a professional educator. These TPEs and their domains refer to qualities essential in the classroom.!

2. How do they relate to curriculum planning and design?! Just as the TPE standards refer to qualities and skills essential in instruction, they refer to (and, later in the TPA, assess) qualities and skills instrumental to curriculum planning and design. The TPEs offer direct standards for this, including integration of students specic needs, classroom community goals, the needs of EL and other special needs students, and other aspects of the design of curriculum.! iv. What is the TPA?!

The Teaching Performance Assessment, or CalTPA, is an assessment that requires candidates to demonstrate through their performance with K-12 students that they have mastered the knowledge, skills and abilities required of a beginning teacher, as exempleed in the Teaching Performance Expectations (TPEs). (D.U. Teacher Prep. Handbook, 2013-2014, p. 62) At Dominican, the CalTPA is embedded in our coursework.