Reflective Essay

Master of Science in Education, Walden University
EDUC 6602: Designing Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment
June 28, 2020

Reflective Essay

The act of teaching has progressed significantly over the years. Most recently, educators worldwide may have been teaching in a way that is not as familiar because of COVID-19. Switching to virtual learning reinforces that teachers must be flexible and must be able to effectively deliver content to students despite not being physically in a school building. Persevering through these challenges and adding to our professional toolboxes proves that teachers must continuously evolve and do everything possible to meet students' needs.

Navigating through this course has helped me define my role not only as an educator but also as a curriculum, instruction, and assessment designer. Within my classroom, I must acknowledge, include, and accommodate the various cultures, skill levels, and abilities because a more profound understanding of my students will help me support them better. In a previous course, I learned about constructivism, but reading about how constructivism aligns/works with multiculturalism and educational reform takes it to another level. The reading department chair in my district had stated before that we did not need to give students background knowledge about topics and themes within our curriculum. Although I still provided my students with it, my research through this course has reinforced that background knowledge is crucial in learning experiences and the retention of learning material. I was also proud to realize that I have already incorporated a couple of the activities, such as small group work and student-centered work, that are “considered essential by constructivists and multiculturalists” (Henson, 2015, p. 5). I have always found it important for students to work collaboratively and actively participate in discussions. With a better understanding of how constructivism, multiculturalism, and education reform work together, I believe I will continue to evolve as an educator and curriculum designer.

One goal that remains relevant is my aspiration goal that focuses on integrating technology and research to support student learning. I hope to incorporate more technology effectively in my lessons in the fall. A significant trend in the 21st-century classroom is technology. I plan to keep learning and to find more ways to use it so my students are equipped with the skills they need to be prepared beyond the classroom. Another goal that remains relevant is my skill goal of collaboratively working with my department to find and use new learning strategies. Our population of students is ever-changing so we must find new ways to differentiate and accommodate their needs.

A key benefit of differentiating curriculum, instruction, and assessment is determining what I need to do to help my scholars access the texts, questions, and prompts. Dr. Jacobs (2016a) states that curriculum designers need to keep in mind who they are writing for and make decisions based on data (Laureate Education). This is why understanding who my students are is important. To improve my differentiation for the next school year, I will need to modify the preassessments given to my students to get a more accurate depiction of their needs. A limitation in my school setting is beginning next school year in a modified hybrid learning environment and the uncertainty of how this will look. Cooperative groups, stations, book clubs, and writing partners are typical aspects of my classroom. I will need to adjust how these will look through Google Classroom and in the building when I see students face-to-face. As stated before, a current trend has been integrating more technology. So far, it has been helpful to upload audio texts and access the online textbook, plus it is easier for me to grade. However, the way I meet with small groups and have writing conferences will need to be adjusted. I think that over the summer, my colleagues and I will meet to discuss how we can still include collaborative conversations and small groups into our lessons. Mr. Grover (2016b) suggests it may be beneficial for colleagues to plan together to see how more content can be covered, evaluate if the strategies and resources currently used are useful, and make sure the curriculum relates to the big understandings in order to address gaps in learning (Laureate Education). One goal I want to focus on next year is to be consistent with modification tools and strategies for all reading levels in my classroom. By the beginning of September 2020, my goal is to continue creating modifications to support all my students throughout the year.

In my Instructional Plan (Appendix A), I made a few adjustments. First of all, I added in a Professional Disposition, Diversity, and Technology Proficiency since I forgot to add them. Each one chosen relates to the standards addressed in the lesson. I also added links to the resources I used, such as the text, the Google Slides Presentation, and the chart that my ESOL teacher and I created to accommodate ESOL students who needed it. Next, I added in the description of the Performance Task (Appendix B) which was slightly modified because I made the characterization paragraph optional due to time. Overall, students did very well on this assignment and enjoyed it. Initially, I wanted students to work in groups, but there were difficulties doing so virtually, so students worked in pairs. Next time, we will consider how to effectively have students work as a group virtually outside of class time.

References

• Henson, K. T. (2015). Curriculum planning: Integrating multiculturalism, constructivism, and education reform (5th ed.). Waveland Press.
• Laureate Education (Producer). (2016a). Designing curriculum, instruction, and assessment: Curriculum for your students [Video]. Author. https://class.waldenu.edu
• Laureate Education (Producer). (2016b). Designing curriculum, instruction, and assessment: Unwrapping standards [Video]. Author. https://class.waldenu.edu

Appendix A: Instruction Plan Template

Candidate’s Name:
Setting/Grade Level: 8th Grade
Subject(s): Reading/Language Arts
School: DFMS
Date: June 7, 2020
Theme/Title: What is the power of a single voice?

1. PLANNING

STANDARDS ADDRESSED

• RL.8.1 Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
• RL.8.3 Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story or drama propel the action, reveal aspects of a character, or provoke a decision.
• W.8.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
• SL.8.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 8 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own.

Diversity Proficiency:
4. Planning, Instruction, and Assessment: The candidate designs, delivers, and/or facilitates instruction and assessments that meet the diverse learning needs of all students.

Technology Proficiency:
Communication and Collaboration: Candidates use digital media tools in communicating and working collaboratively with students, families, colleagues, and community stakeholders to improve and/or enhance student learning.

Professional Disposition:
Communication: The candidate uses effective verbal, nonverbal, and technological communication techniques to foster active inquiry, improve collaboration, and create positive interactions in the learning environment.

2. METHODOLOGY

Introductory/Anticipatory Set:

Our text is the drama “The Diary of Anne Frank.” For this lesson, we will review what we have learned thus far from reading the play (i.e., Act One Scenes 1-3) by answering the 5-W’s: who, what, where, when, and why.

Building/Applying Knowledge and Skills:

Students will work together in small groups editing the same Google Slide that will contain their character sketch. Each group will be assigned a character to focus on. Within the group, students will create a character sketch model analyzing their assigned character. They must answer the guiding question, find a piece of text evidence (dialogue or stage direction) that supports their response and explain how the evidence supports/connects to their answer. (RL.8.1, RL.8.3, W.8.9, SL.8.1)

I will work with each group to ensure they are on track with their analysis. After completion, students will take a virtual “gallery walk” (i.e., I will post each of their completed models from Google Slides) to view and evaluate each character sketch. As a group, they will come up with one more relevant detail to add to each sketch and leave constructive feedback for each group. (RL.8.1, RL.8.3, W.8.9, SL.8.1)

Extension/Enrichment/Transfer or Generalization of Knowledge:

At the beginning of the unit, we talk about how we assess one’s character in real life. Students said that you can evaluate their words and actions. With character analysis, we look at words, actions, thoughts, appearance, and others’ reactions about the character in order to develop a more thorough conclusion. Students can also use these criteria to evaluate a person’s character. I also emphasize looking for these things in more than one point in the plot because how a character interacts in one portion will not tell us their true nature. We must synthesize. This conversation brought up the quote, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” So, by taking a deeper look into a person (same as with a character) as opposed to just the surface, students can better understand who the person is and how they are perceived.

3. ASSESSMENT

Performance Task:

At the end of the lesson, students will submit their collaborative character sketch Google Slides presentation to the Google Classroom assignment folder.

Evaluation Criteria:

• Analysis of character is thorough, well-supported, and includes text evidence.
• Presentation is organized, clear, and demonstrates understanding of character development.
• Feedback is constructive and relevant to enhancing understanding of characters.

4. REFLECTION

What worked well:

Students enjoyed using Google Slides and were able to collaborate effectively. The virtual gallery walk allowed for constructive peer feedback and enhanced understanding of different characters.

Areas for improvement:

I need to refine the group work process to ensure all students are actively participating and contributing. I will also explore additional ways to incorporate small group interactions in the virtual setting.

Appendix B: Performance Task Description

Performance Task Description:

The character sketch Google Slides presentation will include the following components:

• Character’s name
• Character analysis (who, what, where, when, and why)
• Text evidence supporting the analysis
• Explanation of how the evidence supports the analysis
• Peer feedback on each character sketch

Modifications:

For students with special needs, ensure that the character sketches are accessible and provide additional support as needed (e.g., graphic organizers, one-on-one assistance).

Assessment Rubric:

• Excellent (4): Thorough and insightful analysis with strong text evidence and clear explanations.
• Good (3): Clear analysis with adequate text evidence and explanations.
• Fair (2): Basic analysis with some text evidence but lacking depth in explanations.
• Needs Improvement (1): Incomplete or unclear analysis with insufficient text evidence.

Appendix A: Instruction Plan Template
Appendix B: Performance Task Description