Spring break is now here and many schools are still bustling. There’s not as much student laughter inside the school, but the parking lot is still busy. A fresh batch of snow has covered the local area and vehicle tire tracks have carved their way into the teacher section of the school parking lot. Many of the teachers inside and those at home are planning for the last few remaining months of the school year. My plan book for each class is now starting to fill up. Regardless of how I plan, student understanding of a particular concept doesn’t always align with my 3-inch plan book squares. Specific curriculum and lessons can be planned to a tee, but it doesn’t guarantee an ideal learning experience for the students. This break has given me time to think of how educators plan their instruction.
Before break I was able to have a conversation with my classes about learning. We discussed metacognition and analyzed how we learn best. The class had a conversation about what math concepts will be introduced in April. The conversation transitioned to what math activities are on the schedule for the months of April and May.
While discussing this I emphasized the words learning experiences instead of referring to the objectives that were posted to the board. I find that students can easily see written objectives on the board. Writing the objectives on the board is required, but I don’t believe many students actually internalize the meaning or they need more information to do so. The objectives may say something specific and some benefit from reviewing them, but I want students to be able to understand that they are participating in intentional learning experiences that will give them opportunities to question, make connections, and become better math communicators.
Many of my students and parents are aware of the implications of the PARCC assessments and CCSS. Common Core aligned material is everywhere. Marketing and advertisers are consistently promoting the newest aligned Common Core material. Many districts are in the process or have already purchased content that matches the CCSS and PARCC. Regardless of what district adopted curriculum is purchased, learning experiences that meet students’ needs should be high on the priority list. My colleagues and I are finding that there are many ways to follow the CCSS and still create engaging student learning experiences and activities. This year I’ve modified and used different learning tasks that were created by members of my PLN. Fawn, Dan, Julie and the MTBOS community have been generous in sharing their thoughts and resources. These experiences don’t have to be scripted word-for-word (like the first curriculum that I was given) and many supplement the curriculum that the district provides. These student learning experiences are what will create beneficial memories that students can use going forward. In addition, they will drive students to ask questions, make connections and develop math reasoning skills that will help them in the future.