It's time to reDESIGN

 It's time. If teaching during a pandemic taught us nothing, than why are we in education. Covid was the eye-opening, unexpected, much needed push to get some educators and professionals out of their comfort zone and into the learning seat. 

Comfort, by my own definition, is something that has been done for a long time providing routine and stability. 

Education, for the last two centuries, has been "done" pretty routinely. Pretty comfortably. 

It is time to look at redesigning K12+ curriculum. 

According to the Center for Curriculum Redesign "education curricula need(s) to be deeply redesigned for the four dimension of Knowledge, Skills, Character and Meta-Learning. Adapting to 21st century needs means revising each dimension and the interplay between them."

If my memory serves (10.5 years ago), I was not taught Universal Design for Learning, Culturally Relevant Teaching, or Individual Plan of Study.  I was taught, how to write lesson plans with a 'hook' and create assignments and assessments. When I first started teaching, 7th grade math, I focused on the content for that was all I knew.

A few years into teaching my family moved to a different state. Being at this new school really brought me up to speed in some regards. For professional development I read "Mathematical Mindsets" by Dr. Jo Boaler, but also witnessed first hand what "pushing" math too hard and too fast can do for students. Boaler does a wonderful job when it comes to explaining knowledge, skills, and character inside a math classroom and I am very thankful to have that experience of reading her book. I will not forget though, my 7th and 8th grade students thinking they were 'dumb' or 'behind' as they were taking age appropriate pre-algebra. I can see their perspective, for the district that they were at, had a "fast track"; students were taking Algebra 1 (normally a freshmen level course) as 6th graders. The school believed that this would allow for them to take more rigorous course. But from what I witnessed, this tracking created great anxiety, division, and burnout before those students were ever in college. 

Now that I am back in my home state, in a high school setting, I see how different things are when students have to 'earn' credits in order to graduate. Some of these teachers have been doing the same thing for over 15 years. They are comfortable. When covid hit, they were at a loss. Not ready to pivot, shift or adapt their practices to meet the needs of students. 

Covid most definitely showed that we (the country, the world) needs to redesign curriculum. That students need the freedom to learn at their own pace, or in a more friendly environment. That education needs to abandon school zones allowing for more diversity and equity. That reevaluating state standards is a must but also realizing that hands on learning and STEM needs to take a front seat.  

One might be overwhelmed with the idea of change (I know I am) it seems to large for one person or one classroom. Last semester I had the privilege of conducting and writing an action research paper over homework choice and growth mindset. This research taught me that I AM capable of providing change. Helping students see that math is more than just numbers and problems. That it's real life, just like the choices they make is real to their character. I was able to see first hand how discussing creativity, thinking strategies, and ownership shaped my students.

I know that by getting out of my comfort zone I was able to make a small, successful, change in my classroom.  Can you imagine if every teacher made one small change to become focused on the student of the 21st century? What would happen to education?

I like to ask a lot of questions, asking questions is how I dig deeper, investigate, and learn. Some further questions you might have or want to look into and that I plan on learning about as well include:

What do students need to know mathematically?
Why do we have school zones? Are they beneficial or harmful?
Why do we push upper level math? Is Algebra 2 really necessary?
What I am doing to help ensure equity among all socio economic levels?
Do I need to reevaluate my grading practices and procedures?
Am I using the exact same materials/curriculum as I did when I first started teaching? why?
Who do I need to speak with about making changes within my classroom?
What small action can change the big picture?

Image Credit

Curriculum Culture.... Culture Curriculum

Culture and curriculum. Other than the fact that words share a couple of similar letters. What do they have in common.... or do they have anything in common? 

Culture, simply put, is a collection of symbols, events, and social interactions for a group of people (in this case, a school). 

Curriculum, for this example, a high school, is the courses that a student takes and what they learn within a year of study.  

Having taught in 2 states, 4 school districts, and 3 different grade levels, I have seen a variety of culture and a difference in curriculum. 

My first year of teaching the curriculum was a mess. No one could help me figure out how to implement standards based grading into a middle school math class (yet it was required) and the culture was a dumpster fire too. Other teachers did not care for the rest of the staff, the administration was not true leadership and when the time came, I was ready to jump ship (honestly, I wanted to quit teaching altogether). 

I was able to teach for five years at a different district, prior to our family making a big move. This district showed me how a department and a building can get a long. How staff can treat each other with respect and learn and lean into helping each other. Having a strong team helped guide me into a more successful teaching role and the curriculum became second nature.  

Now, going into my tenth year of teaching at a high school, I am 'coming into my own' and really see the value of culture. 

Culture to me is the environment I want my students to experience. Sadly, the culture in my classroom does not 100% match that of the building (from what I can tell). I have had students tell me that my classroom is safe, fun, and inviting. That learning math can be fun! They know that my expectations are high, but also realistic. I think there are times that my "middle school roots" shine, and I focus more on my students' big picture as a humanitarian instead of 'just a teacher'. Yes, graduation is important. Yes, making good choices is important. However, realistically, the courses I teach do not have all the lawyers and doctors. I want the students to know that they are loved, that I am proud of their hard work, and that they are capable of greatness.  

Once students start forming a rapport with me, is when true learning begins to take place.

If I had to change one thing in our building, it would be using our PLC time to discuss more about culture and not focus so much on data of test scores. There are changes happening in our building, and who knows what a new principal might bring. 

But, I do know that we all can do better. That if we want to see our students grow, we (as educators) need to grow too. 

And just for 'good measure' I am including the image of my "curriculum crunch recipe"