Monday, August 23, 2010

Posting Your Position Papers

One thing we will do as a class is have position blogs posted here. This course will almost be entirely paperless.

When your document is completed, you can sign in to this blog then post your position blog here with three easy commands on your computer: Control A will highlight your document; Control C will copy it in its entirety; and Control V will paste it in the blog's Customize/Posting/Create section. You can also type your document directly onto the blog if you so choose.

Classmates can review your posting and leave comments.

As more posts get added, your entry begins to scroll down the blog. By the end of the course, we will have every position blog and series of comments posted here for your future use...and the future use of classes yet to be formed.

The network begins!

Suggested Reading

The books below are suggested readings for anyone who intends to enter the field of curriculum. When this class is long over and your post-graduate work ends, I recommend that you add some of these titles to your personal reading library.

As the course progresses, feel free to recommend other titles as we come across them.

Basic Principles of Curriculum and Instruction - Ralph Tyler
Written in 1949, this book still sets the framework for curriculum writing.




America's "Failing" Schools - James Popham
Written in understandable terms for an audience of parents, Popham covers areas of assessment that curriculum workers need to know.



A Framework for Understanding Poverty - Ruby Payne
Payne explores cultural reasons for the achievement gap.




The World Is Flat - Thomas Friedman
Plenty of valid reasons why we need to teach differently and prepare students to be globally competitive.




Classroom Instruction That Works - Robert Marzano
Finally, a science to teaching! Research-based evidence of teaching practices that increase student achievement.


Writing With Spice - Mike Devono
Local southern NJ author shows how he developed a method to improve student writing achievement based on 30 years of practical in-classroom applications.


Understanding By Design - Grant Wiggins & Jay McTighe
The book shows how to design a curriculum by starting with the core curriculum content standards and essential questions. Wiggins recently helped NJ revise and align its standards.