It's 2013. And each teacher, in each building, is charged with developing curriculum that meets a pre-defined core of standards in Iowa. Actually, that is true across the country.
Part of me is ok with that. I absolutely think that each teacher needs to make curriculum his/her own, and to stamp it with his/her passion and hobbies. One chemist looks at chemistry from an environmental lens, and the next relates the concepts in the context of auto mechanics.
And that's great. IF.
IF WHAT?
WELL, IF THE TEACHER HAS
- deep content knowledge
- great pedagogical skills in inquiry, learning cycles
- a deep understanding of the content standards
- an ability to utilize student-centered strategies for learning
- experience in Universal Design for Learning
- a wealth of formative and summative assessment experiences
- reflective, metacognitive processes for students and for himself or herself
But how likely is that? It certainly is not uniform across school boundaries. What if we could give teachers reflective practices and the opportunity to develop curricula in collaborative groups, along with an edu-coach with deep knowledge?
What if we could then leverage this content and turn it into project-based learning?
Isn't that one way to vision Beyond Textbooks?
It's coming.
Check out Ollie/Mollie.
Watch for Agora details.
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