Designing the Classroom Curriculum Designing the Classroom Curriculum | Page 50

Designing the Classroom Curriculum to build. Imagine trying to teach algebra to a student who has no understanding of number or teaching reef ecology to someone who has never seen the sea. These scenarios illustrate how students have to know certain things before they can learn something new or increase the depth of existing knowledge while they are at school, college or the university. As Marzano puts it: “…the research literature supports one compelling fact: what students already know about the content is one of the strongest indicators of how well they will learn new information relative to the content… the reported average correlation between a person’s background knowledge of a given topic and the extent to which that person learns new information on that topic is 0.66” (Marzano, 2004, pp. 1-2). In simpler terms, this means that in about 66% of teaching episodes, the individual student who has a relevant knowledge background is more likely to be successful in achieving the desired learning outcomes. Figure 5.1 Instructional Learning Outcomes organised at LMQ2 in a learning management plan--- which in this case is indicative of one or two lessons. The arrangement of SLOs and ILOs varies in a Term and Unit of work planning template given the scope of teaching / learning work in such longer time frames. LMQ2: What do I aim to achieve in students? Syllabus Learning Outcome (SLO) The student will be able to:- NS1.3 Use a range of mental strategies and concrete materials for multiplication and division Declarative Knowledge D1: count by ones, twos, fives or tens D2: describe collections of objects as ‘rows of’ or ‘groups of’ D3: recognise and names the symbols , ÷ and = Procedural Knowledge P1: solve multiplication and division problems using a number line or hundreds chart P2: use an array to model multiplication problems Key verbs: see Table 5.7 for examples Instructional Learning Outcomes- organized into the declarative and procedural knowledge ‘bits’ enmeshed in each SLO and sourced from the syllabus ‘indicators’ that inform each SLO (1) The Role of the Syllabus and Instructional Learning Outcomes As detailed previously, in deciding the component pieces to be taught in a classroom curriculum the teacher must appreciate the centrality of each key learning area (KLA)/ subject ‘syllabus’ and its role in classroom teaching situations. The mandated syllabus is the chief reference for what is to be taught (the content) and in deciding when (the ‘stage’) in a KLA/ Subject. The syllabus also provides guidance on what constitutes successful student learning (the ‘indicators’) in each KLA/ Subject. This part of the syllabus --- ‘the ‘indicators’ --- is helpful when developing ‘Instructional Learning Outcomes (see a section which follows) and when engaging in student assessment, as is a section in the syllabus that makes assessment suggestions. 50