Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with curriculum

How do I differentiate instruction?

Elagabalus — Sun, 31 May 2009 20:46:37 -0800

Can you recommend a good book (or journal, or webpage) on differentiated instruction? Without going into too many specifics and writing 5 pages, I'm going to have to teach several "levels" of high school US history in the same room at the same time. Imagine regulars, honors, and mega-double-secret-honors in the same classroom, but with 3 separate (but at least fairly similar) classes going on, getting ready for 3 separate sets of exams at the end of the year.

So...what can I do to address my teaching to each individual's specific needs and target instruction at their "level", rather than have everyone do the same activity or same discussion, when they are not going to benefit from the same things? I mean, some stuff certainly benefits all students, such as analyzing primary source materials or interpreting charts and graphs, but some stuff is only going to be relevant to 1/3 of the class, like a particular essay that only 1/3 of them have to learn how to do...

Good books to recommend? I want to do right by my students and give them what they NEED, not just what is easiest for me.

There should be a 4th "R"- The Real World

sixcolors — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 16:49:56 -0800

Why aren't life skills taught in schools? I guess I'm talking about knowledge and skills that pertain to finances, work life, domestic life, social/dating life, the internet, and the law. And...how the education system works, itself. Pretty much the same categories we have here on AskMe.

Wouldn't life be so much easier for us if we learned those sort of things in school or in college?

I mean when I was in high school there was ONE course that taught such things, but it was really really basic stuff. I am speaking of more comprehensive programs.

I'm trying not to get all philosophical here, I am aiming for more concrete answers...like is it a funding problem or what? Not enough hard science or research behind those areas? Those are my guesses. For those who are familiar with the educational system, what are some more concrete reasons why such programs are rare?

Picking Short Stories for a High School Literature Class

John of Michigan — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 15:00:31 -0800

If you could plan a high school course introducing freshmen to the short story, what stories would you recommend? I'm designing a ninth-grade class, Introduction to the Short Story, and I've got a rough idea of what I'd like the students to read, but I've had a lot of luck polling Metafilter users in the past, coming up with a lot of texts I wouldn't have thought about, so let's try this again. (Yes, I've spoken to reference librarians, other teachers, and a couple of professors at a nearby college, but, c'mon, there are tens of thousands of readers on this site, so . . . .)

In addition to building reading comprehension and improving students' use of reading strategies, I'm going to focus on plot, character, theme, point of view, and setting, so, Metafilter, what stories do you think I should teach?

(Reading levels will vary, from third grade- to college-level readers, with a couple of ESL students, too.)

Once upon a time in the ancient civilizations, there were...uh...

Anonymous — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 19:11:57 -0800

Ancient Civilizations Crash Course: I have to teach a course beginning in February...and I don't know anything! I will be teaching a grade 11 History class next year for a month (substituting for a teacher) and have no idea what I am doing. In high school, I learned Canadian History and American History but learned absolutely nothing about ancient civilizations. I think the course I will be teaching is the one outlined in this document (starting on page 145).

Do I have to know Greek/Roman mythology? I never learned that either, and feel incredibly stupid when others pick up on allusions to a Greek god and I look like a deer in headlights. I can teach Canadian, American, and European history dating back until the early 1700s but before that, I'm lost.

What should I read to brush up on the subject? What will help me most? Any brief, straightforward texts I should have? Specific suggestions welcome, general teaching ideas also appreciated.

Throw away e-mail: teachitlikeyouknowit@gmail.com
Thanks in advance!

How to teach a microbusiness workshop in the Philippines?

cusr0002 — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 15:35:45 -0800

What are some good resources on teaching micro business in developing countries? I've been invited by the charity that I volunteer for to help facilitate a leadership retreat for high schoolers in provincial areas of the Philippines. Being a recent business school grad - I'd like to come up with a 2-3 hr workshop on basic business skills thats fun and engaging but have no place to start. Most of these children will go on to become farmers so anything in the agricultural field will be helpful too. Does anyone have any resources or references on putting together a curriculum of this kind?

I'd also like to hear from any peacecorp workers out there that are helping out with entrepreneurship too!

No assembly required?

Zinger — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 10:07:21 -0800

Can anyone recommend a good secular homeschool science curriculum package that includes materials needed for experiments? I'm homeschooling my boys but I'm not satisfied with the way our science work is progressing - and I regard science as a critical part of what they should be learning in the 21st century.

Part of the problem is that the books I've been using suggest several demonstration experiments, but they all require various random bits and pieces that need to be purchased and assembled well ahead of time - ie., ziploc bags, which we don't normally have on hand, or iron filings, which are apparently impossible to get from the local hardware stores these days, etc. I'm finding it really difficult to get the time to find and purchase all of this stuff.

So what I'm hoping to find is a complete package where there are books and all the stuff you need to do the experiments in the books all in one box. Right now I need K-8 material. Any thoughts?

Distributed computing as "volunteer work"?

tybeet — Sun, 11 May 2008 15:27:00 -0800

Has anyone ever considered listing their distributed computing contributions (i.e. BOINC or Various@Home scores) as "volunteer work" on a C.V.? I won't have to write another C.V. for a while, but it occurred to me that participation in distributed computing could certainly act as an addition to one's C.V. provided it was pertinent to one's field of interest. I'm not trying to say this is what piqued my interest in participation as I've had my cpu churning out work units since before I even cared to look for a job, but wouldn't it be a convenient payoff?

Consider the example of someone interested in a career path in artificial intelligence: setting up your computer rig(s) to contribute all of its flops to to the A.I. System BOINC program would be a worthwhile endeavour to science.

Am I wrong in thinking that this sort of "volunteer" work shows an interest and reflects one's character perhaps in terms of conscientiousness, or dedication?

The fallout of such an assumption is clearly in its passive nature where no man hours or labour is involved, and perhaps in the fact that if such a system were adopted by persons who review C.V.s it would be something entirely biased towards the upper class who can afford better hardware than the poor (and thus, produce a higher ratio of work units: time). Perhaps the solution to such a problem would be to consider all amounts equal, and take it as merely the "thought that counts"? I'm not sure...

This question may not have an answer, but I'm curious what others think!

Looking for articles on a particular philosophy of education

tzikeh — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 14:25:54 -0800

I'm writing a monstrous paper on the "cross-curricular" teaching method for middle school and high school. I have searched ERIC, JSTOR, and psycINFO with all kinds of keyword combos, and I'm still not coming up with decent theoretical or empirical articles. I really need the help of the Collective BrainFilter. I'll explain further inside... This philosophy of this method suggests that relating the subject matter you teach (math, history, etc.) to other subjects that the students are studying (literature, science, etc.) and to the "real world" (current events, local news) is a smarter way of teaching than simply concentrating on your subject and your subject alone I can't find anything that explains *why* this theory is a good one; it feels like common sense, but I need to back that up with articles. It's a theory discussed and practiced in many schools, but as far as I can find, there's no data on why we should teach this way -- why it's positive, why it's better than not, etc. I'm looking for both empirical, peer-reviewed studies, and/or articles on the theory itself ("theory suggests that..."). I'm at a loss. Why did I think grad school was a good idea, again?

Looking for citizenship education resources

imposster — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 09:43:47 -0800

Creating a citizenship class for ESOL students: any web resources, books, or other forms of support out there? I'm working with a local refugee and immigrant organization to set up weekly citizenship classes. We're putting together a curriculum and trying to find existing resources that might be of help. I've been able to find a few things on the web including:
- Citizenship Educator Orientation Packet
- Citizenship resources
- CAELA resources
- and the USCIS page

Most of the students will also be taking ESOL and language be emphasized in the course. Are there any other great resources out there?

Help me design a science competition!

Paul KC — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 10:47:32 -0800

I have been given the task of designing questions for the biology portion of an 8th grade science competition. Unfortunately I don't know what today's 8th graders are learning in biology, and the people running the competition aren't being much help. It has been a decade since I was that age, and I would imagine that today's 8th graders are learning more about biology than I did as an 8th grader. Because of this, I'm having trouble coming up with questions that are the correct difficulty level and pertinent to a common 8th grade curriculum. I am also having trouble finding resources to pull information from.

Here is an excerpt from from an email from one of the organizers:

Description: This event is a lab-oriented competition involving the fundamental science processes of a middle school life science/biology lab program.

Competition: This event will consist of a series of lab stations. Each station will require the use of process skills to answer questions and/or perform a required task such as formulating and/or evaluating hypotheses and procedures, using scientific instruments to collect data, making observations, presenting and/or interpreting data, or making inferences and conclusions.

Possible stations include:

1. Formulating and/or evaluating hypotheses and procedures.

2. Making predictions.

c. Making observations and collecting data by measuring length, volume, temperature, pH, and mass using a variety of tools–both traditional and/or electronic (i.e., rulers, calipers, pipettes, graduated cylinders, balances, thermometers, and electronic probes).

d. Using compound microscopes and stereomicroscopes as measurement and identification tools.

e. Interpreting data in the form of tables, charts, graphs, food labels, food webs, flow charts, pedigrees, karyotypes, etc.

f. Making simple calculations such as area, density, percentages, averages (mean, median, mode).

g. Determining genetic ratios and probabilities.

h. Using or formulating a taxonomic/dichotomous key.

i. Using indicators.

j. Making inferences and conclusions based upon data and observations.

I would really appreciate any insights the hive mind has as far as potential questions, topics, or resources I can explore to get started.

Learning how to teach according to development level of students

peripatew — Fri, 30 Mar 2007 08:45:53 -0800

I'm interested in learning about curriculum development. More specifically on understanding what types of information different age students can understand and be challenged by, without "going over their helmet". In religious circles, and maybe others, there is the idea of spiral curriculum. Which is where the entire body (all age groups) is learning the same material, just at different levels. So while elementary students are learning the basic stories, and important factual information necessary to establish a foundation upon which to learn, the college student is learning the deeper theological issues associated, and how this story connects with the Bible at large (more abstract thinking).

What I'm wanting to know, or begin to understand, is what are the best ways of assessing whether certain "Students" will be able to comprehend the depth of the content being taught.

So, to continue with the religious example, say someone is teaching through the book of John. What is the best way to go about determining the level and the depth and the breadth of the teaching?

I'm looking for books, artciles, websites, personal experience.

And I'm also thinking more generally than just 1,2,3,4...10,11,12 grades. More in these groups: 7th and 8th, 9th and 10th, and 11th and 12th grade groups.

I also know that development comes down to individual students, but generally most students are within a similar developmental stage.

Visual, I see having some paradigm of questions in a staircase diagram. I want the students to progress to their goal. So the goal of public education perhaps would be to be adequately prepared to attain and maintain a job, or be prepared for college.

Sorry to ramble, developmentally I'm at the stage where I think more words = better post. :D Thanks MeFi.

(The helmet reference was from Spaceballs... in case anyone was wondering)

Help me start my guitar teaching side biz

snsranch — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 17:58:36 -0800

Last week AskMe helped me decide to start giving guitar lessons. I've taught many people how to play, but never formally or for pay. I live in an urban area surrounded by schools and rec centers, so getting the word out by flyer will be easy. In order to be properly prepared there is ... What I need help with is:

1. The Flyer: How much info should it include?

2. Pricing: I have 2 hours a day M-F, but I have no idea how much I should charge or how long a typical lesson is. 1/2 hr?

3. How much should I cater to parents? Because of where I live, I imagine some parents are going to want to see lesson plans and stuff. Should I care or just teach my way? (I do have lesson plans, but every kid is different, so I would like to avoid giving parents false expectations.)

4. Is there any reason to avoid adult students? And/or should I charge them more?

I'm really excited about this, but nervous too. Any thoughts, ideas or inspiration is appreciated.

How to distribute a civics curriculum?

mammary16 — Tue, 30 May 2006 11:04:37 -0800

High school (civics) teachers - how do I distribute a civics curriculum? I am working with an organization that has developed a high school civics curriculum (for grades 9 & 10) based around the bill of rights - specifically first- and fourth-amendment issues.

I am trying to distribute it in the state of Minnesota, and having little luck getting school district officials to incorporate it into the official curriculum. So, instead, I am trying to offer it to teachers directly as a supplement to the official curriculum. (After following the proper protocol of informing curriculum directors first, of course!)

This question is pointed towards high school teachers anywhere - what events and conferences do you go to where those interested in presenting their curriculum have a chance of getting it into your hands? I have already looked into the State Social Studies conference, but am interested in any kind of event where teachers tend to congregate. Additionally, what websites do you often look at for supplemental curricula?

Interesting, meaningful, profound short fiction for a thought- provoking final response?

ronv — Wed, 08 Mar 2006 08:49:27 -0800

a short story by a continental european writer that directly addresses or suggests conflicts within human nature-- the desire to perform "good" acts vs. our tendency (the temptation) to commit "evil" ones? as a high school british lit. teacher, i always want to challenge students to compare/ contrast their ideas and perspectives with those suggested by the events and characters of the literature we cover; as part of one of our end- of- the year assessments, i would like to present them with a "fresh" piece to explore-- some work of short fiction that they've never encountered-- in order to challenge them to compare it with a work with which they've already dealt.

my overall goal is to allow them the chance to compare/ contrast their own perspectives on human nature with these two works.

it's ambitious but meaningful, i think.

what i'm looking for are some suggestions for the "fresh" piece.
what short pieces might allow them to confront such a challenge?

(and, in case you're interested, we've discussed these kinds of questions before with: "Macbeth" by Shakespeare, "The Fifth Child" by Doris Lessing, "Lord of the Flies" by W. Golding, and "1984" by Orwell...)

Physics Curriculum

mischief — Wed, 22 Sep 2004 21:55:43 -0800

PhysicsFilter: Some years ago, I heard of an undergraduate curriculum that introduced physics at the quantum level using linear algebra and that did not reach classical mechanics until late in the second semester. From an educational perspective, this method is supposedly more intuitive. What textbooks employ this teaching method?