Curriculum & Instruction Flashcards
Curriculum
the collection of lessons and academic content that are taught in a classroom
Purpose of Curriculum
is to provide not only learning standards that educators need to meet while teaching a class or subject, but also details, lessons, and supporting materials that can aid teachers in conveying the content needed in order to ensure that students meet the learning standards in question.
Written Curriculum
a curriculum that is a physically collated body of information, activities, lesson plans, and teacher guidance. It can be printed or accessed electronically. Educators can teach directly from a written curriculum over the course of a school year or the length of a course.
Tested Curriculum
is one that is driven by student evaluation methods, which can range widely based on learning standards in a region, teacher preference, student skill, and resources available.
Instruction
the act of teaching in the classroom.
Purpose of Instruction
is to connect learners with content in such a way that they absorb it.
Instruction Methods
a teacher use of method is informed by their own strengths and knowledge bases as well as their awareness of student likes and dislikes, bridge the gap between the content itself and learning comprehension
Types of Instruction
indirect, arts based, direct, universal design for learning, inquiry based learning
Indirect Instruction
a student-centric form of instruction wherein students interact with the material in order to generate understandings and questions.
Arts-based instruction
a student-centric form of instruction that centers on creative activities as a means of learning.
Direct Instruction
a teacher-centric instructional style focused on teacher dispensation of information to listening students.
Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
a student-centric model incorporating different forms of instruction with the intent to “teach to every student.”
Inquiry-Based Learning
a teacher-guided but student-led style of learning that encourages students to design their own projects and conduct research.
Standard
a goal for students to achieve based on what they should know and what skills they should have at a given grade level
Standards-based Curriculum
one that combines predetermined standards of knowledge and experiences with assessments to ensure students are meeting those standards.
Curriculum Maps
are indexes or diagrams that show what is taught and at what level in a student’s education, in addition to any gaps in educational coverage or any redundancies that may be present. A similar practice, called scope and sequence, also helps them form lesson plans.
Interim assessments
tests that are given at periodic intervals throughout a school year to assess gaps in student knowledge.
End-of-year assessments
tests that determine if a student has met the learning objectives for the year.
Curriculum Alignment
brings teams of teachers together to plan instructions
Vertical Alignment
is when teachers who teach the same content area meet across grade level bands
Horizontal alignment
is when teachers at the same grade level meet to coordinate learning activities
cross-disciplinary instruction
an instructional approach in which teachers of different content areas work together to align concepts.
Rigor
means to maintain high expectations in the classroom and to support students to help them meet those expectations
higher-level questions
These are questions that ask students to analyze, evaluate, or synthesize information in the lesson.