Deciphering the Curriculum
What I am puzzling about in my placement this week is how to get enough of a handle on a whole new set of curricula in order to be able to have an authentic teaching experience in such a short amount of time in our current "mini" dyad placements. I am curious as to how other teachers and teachers-in-training approach this challenge, whether it be for a new job or a short-term assignment such as the one we're facing, or even as a substitute. The curricula for math and reading, in particular, are so robust and multi-faceted that it is hard to find a point of entry. I'd like to start dipping my toes in the water by implementing basic pieces and then layering on more complexity as I master the various tools available.
The fact that the curriculum authors give you more resources than you can possibly use is both a blessing and a curse. It presents great flexibility and also great confusion. I find myself wishing for a "Getting Started" or "Quick Start" guide like you typically get with a new camera or laptop computer that simplifies the multitude of options and features into a manageable portion with which to get started. Certainly I will work with our cooperating teacher to decipher the choices, but I wonder if anyone has any "tricks of the trade" in how to best approach a new curriculum.
I have also been wondering this past week about my role in our dyad placement for this Fall. It is interesting to come into a classroom a month into the school year, where the routines have been created and the community has begun to come together. I feel like a new student myself trying to navigate this classroom, what are the rules, norms, and culture and where do I fit into it all? After spending two full days in the class, I felt like I was getting the rhythm of the class, but there are still so many questions. I have also been thinking about finding that entry point and how to break into this third grade curriculum. When discussing our read aloud assignment with my teacher, it comes down to a combination of how we make my needed assignment and the class’s curriculum come together. It is an interesting challenge to be faced with and I suspect that this is only the beginning of it.
ReplyDeleteHi dyad buddy! Your post is looks fantastic! I think you've hit on one of the great things about our placement experiences. The fact that we get exposed not only to a variety of different curricula, but to the different manners in which our master teachers choose to use these tools is a wonderful thing. While Teacher A may like using the text website with her students, Teacher B may choose to avoid computers altogether and keep her kids working exclusively out of a workbook. Rather than having to sample the curriculum buffet and hope we make the right or best choice, we get to learn from what our master teachers have already experienced and make a more informed decision. Yay us!
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