2-CURRICULUM

The Heuristic View

CI Masters degree graduates understand that curriculum should be

relevant, engaging, challenging and integrative for the learner. They
know how to select, adapt and reflect on theories and engage in
reflective practices in light of curriculum standards, theories, models
and learners.
The ability to plan yearlong curriculum that engages students while
meeting standards is paramount in an effective teacher. If students
enjoy the material then they are more likely to retain the information
and work hard on their assignments and participate in classroom
activities. Though the standards and the accompanying government
sponsored tests do dictate some of the curriculum, after observing
several teachers and planning some units on my own I have come to
appreciate the generality of the standards and the freedom that can be
found within their bounds.
Relevant, engaging, challenging and integrative curriculum reaches out
to all types of learners from a variety of backgrounds. As a biology
teacher, I believe that my curriculum and the core values of science
support an interconnected view of the world in which the value of all of
species is recognized and celebrated. All human DNA is 99.9% the
same regardless of ethnicity, religion, gender or learning ability.
A good curriculum incorporates appropriate assessment to gauge
learners progress. Topics covered on the tests should match those
covered in class. Students should be able to do well in a class if they
show up, pay attention, use resources, and put in a little extra work
outside of class. Ideally, students will be able to extrapolate core
concepts to solve a variety of problems.
As part of reflective scholarship, teachers should be able to
gauge the effectiveness of a lesson based on student performance.
Lessons or units that do not accomplish the assigned objectives should
be revised or replaced. I try not to get too attached to any one lesson
because the individual needs of classes or students may require
adaptation.
I aim to plan one field trip per unit in order to feed curiosity and
creativity of my students. A change of scenery does wonders for
attention and reinvigoration. Field trips are a great way to involve the
community such as visiting local farms, laboratories, zoos, etc. I think

that if the resources are available it is also really enriching to have

guest speakers on occasion to broaden or deepen understanding of a
particular topic.

I am very passionate about biology which is reflected in my curriculum.

I would never want to be accused of being a boring teacher or have
students say why are we learning this? I strive to inspire students by
doing interesting labs and presenting engaging PowerPoints (or
Nearpods or Prezis) with videos and pictures. I hope students tell their
parents and friends about the fascinating things that they learn in my
class.

The Service View

I can create a comprehensive curriculum that meets standards while

also fostering curiosity and hard work in my students. I have observed
and taught several units worth of material and I know I can plan and
implement a years worth of curriculum with appropriate activities and
assessments. In this case, field experience has been the most helpful
and empowering for me. I have been praised by my mentor teachers
for my content knowledge and lesson planning which has given me
confidence.
I am more aligned to the COE mission through competency. The CARE
framework aims to create competent teachers that offer students the
best learning experience. I believe that I am one step closer to
becoming a master teacher through my understanding of and ability to
create effective curriculum.
I currently have material for 4 full units; DNA and protein synthesis,
Animals, Plants, and Genetics. I can build upon and change these units
to meet the individual needs of my classes and have a solid framework
on which to build future units. I know how to utilize resources such as
textbooks, labs, and digital sources and have a variety of different
ways to teach each topic.

The Learning View

I was very nave when beginning this goal. I had no idea what went
into planning and synthesizing curriculum and I did not know which
activities would work well and which would not. Though I still have
much to learn, I feel better prepared after accomplishing this goal and
look forward to teaching using my newly acquired skills.

I write my unit tests first. This lets me focus on specific topics and
ensure that I cover them fully. I base many of my questions on End of
Course assessment or standardized test topics so that I know that I am
meeting state standards. I assign NGSS standards to all of my
units/lessons. I provide a variety of activities throughout the unit and
throughout each week; one day students may be working on
computers, the next on a lab, and the next taking notes on a lecture,
etc. This way the topic is being covered in a variety of different ways
that speak to a variety of different learners.
unit assessment, unit test, virtual lab, unit plan, socratic seminar, lab
day, lab assessment, warm-ups, socrative, nearpod, kahoot, prezi,
schooology, weebly.com, district website, google classroom, etc.