Written Reflections: Trans Gen

Written Reflections: Translating General Statements Dianne J.E. Kraus Wilkes University

Written Reflections: Translating Gen In reviewing and reflecting on the process of translating state standards documents,

district curriculum documents and district essential learner outcomes into learning goals for the classroom, I found that the most difficult portion of this activity involved determining what was required by the standard. The standards and curriculum guide statements are very broad and it is important to turn the standards into specific goals for the students. The standards and curriculum guides do not provide clear target knowledge for the teacher to follow or for the student to understand their learning goals. There is a wide range of content (declarative knowledge) that can be included as part of each statement and there are multiple skills (procedural knowledge) required for the students to master this content. We also must be cognizant of the requirements for scaffolding both declarative and procedural knowledge so that students can build on prior knowledge. Another problem is the differences in skill base of each individual student as they are all coming into the classroom with their own unique educational experiences. So not only do we need to write the learning goals for the standards we also need to differentiate the goals for the different range of learners within the classroom. Based on the curriculum guide for the district which is written to meet the state standards, we must decide what content or skills that a student must know in order to successfully complete our course. In our district the teachers have developed common assessments for biology and also common unit assessments for all three high schools to accommodate the diversity differences between school populations. In order to develop the learning goals for the course it is important to understand how the students will be assessed. The learning goals can then be written based on the assessment, and then referenced back to the standards, as well as to the curriculum guide for the scope and sequence of the district.

Written Reflections: Translating Gen

In our Biology department we were struggling with developing the learning goals for our school due to the inability to agree on what is important for students to learn and at the level where different declarative or procedural knowledge be introduced. Due to the complexity of this task we have agreed to start with what all students in biology must learn and then we will work on the level differences at a later time. The Honors level will require more in-depth learning and the learning goals will need to be broken down further to incorporate more complex content and research skills. Over time and discussion in our PLCs we have developed our must knows for each unit of study and we have developed learning goals that we all adhere to when planning our instruction. We are still revising these goals on a yearly basis as we work through the issues of state standardized tests and student achievement results by analyzing data that we collect and we change classroom instruction to improve effectiveness. We have worked together as a team to develop new learning goals based on research-based strategies such as using the four-point rubrics in order that we can write learning goals that are differentiated for students. The entire process of developing learning goals is overwhelming even when you have a team of professionals to work with and I cannot imagine working through this process without the support of my biology team colleagues. The other problem that we have encountered is how to focus our time on learning goals. As a group we have agreed that procedural knowledge in science is more important than declarative knowledge, however, we must focus on both in order to meet the requirements of the state standards and the district curriculum. We feel that in order for students to graduate as scientists and prepared to contribute new innovative ideas to society then they must actively do what scientists do. We have moved away from learning content to designing learning goals that are procedural and that are

Written Reflections: Translating Gen

imbedded or based on declarative knowledge. We are also struggling with writing assessments that test a students ability to use procedural knowledge as opposed to declarative knowledge only because we find it more difficult to assess procedural knowledge on common assessments. The multiple test questions do not suit the needs of a procedural test that is hands-on and we need a well-designed rubric for scoring the students performance. Overall, the assignment for this class has effectively tied in with what we are struggling to achieve at our bi-weekly PLC meetings. There is so much change occurring and with the new Common Core Curriculum in its final draft, it seems frustrating that we must once again begin to re-write the learning goals for our school based on the new standards. The process of writing learning goals is never ending and I must admit that it is not what I look forward to designing as I drive to work each morning. I struggle to remember to write them on the board each day and I must remind myself to go back to them during the lesson to give the lesson a sense of purpose in the eyes of the learners. However, I do understand their importance in providing target knowledge for the teacher and students to follow, and learning goals provide a map or pathway to follow as we provide daily instruction.

Written Reflections: Translating Gen APPENDIX MATRIX: Practice with State Standard Conduct controlled experiments or simulations to test hypothesis. General Statements Declarative or Procedural Both declarative and procedural

Learning Goal Students will understand the difference between an independent variable, dependent variable, constants, control group and the experimental groups when designing an experiment. Students will be able to design a controlled experiment using the scientific variables to test a hypothesis based on a biological concept given in class. Learning Goal Students will be able to design a well-controlled experiment including the following: a) Identifying the parts of experimental design. b) Identifying the causal agent as well as its effect on one variable. c) Write a hypothesis in the If independent variable then dependent variable because interpretation format. d) Prepare a data table to collect and analyze data. e) Prepare a graph and analyze the results

District Curriculum Document Understand and follow procedures relating to scientific investigations, including understanding the design and procedures used to test a hypothesis, organizing and analyzing data accurately and precisely, producing and interpreting data tables and graphs, performing appropriate calculations, applying basic statistical methods to the data, identifying appropriate conclusions, making

Declarative or Procedural Declarative and Procedural

Written Reflections: Translating Gen predictions, and evaluating competing models. f) Write a conclusion using data as evidence to support any claims made g) Use the data from the graphs to make predictions for future investigation. Learning Goal The student(s) will be able to design a controlled experiment including development of a testable hypothesis that is supported by background research. Students will be able to identify the independent variable, dependent variable, control group, experimental groups, and constants, and will understand how to use scientific instrumentation to measure and collect accurate data to support their claims. The students will be able to make a data table and a graph to illustrate their data. Students will understand how to analyze data to form a conclusion that is supported by qualitative and quantitative evidence that may or may not support their hypothesis.

District Essential Learner Outcome

Understand the methods and tools used in a simple experiment

Declarative or Procedural Declarative and Procedural

Written Reflections: Translating Gen REFERENCES Dundee-Crown Sharepoint (2011). High school curriculum: Biology outcomes and components. Retrieved on September 10, 2011 from www.sharepoint.d300.org.

Illinois State Board of Education (2011). Science goals and standards. Retrieved on September 10, 2011 from http://www.isbe.state.il.us/ils/science/standards.htm