Monday, September 17, 2012

Blended Learning: Unit Process

I'm building a blended learning math curriculum that includes paper/pencil practice, videos, projects, problems, games, and other online venues.

I'm hosting the curriculum on a Google site.  It is and will continue to be a work in progress; hence the process is critical.

The process I am currently using to utilize this curriculum to best meet students' needs is the following:
  1. With an eye on the standards and students' knowledge, interests, and needs, I will revisit the curriculum unit by unit.
  2. At the start of each unit, I will review and revise the unit plans to best meet students' interests, needs, and knowledge as well as current teaching goals, standards, and available tools.
  3. I will add/delete unit materials as I teach the unit with the focus on keeping a coherent, multi-modal guide for learning in mind.
  4. I will publish and share the unit with colleagues near and far, family members and students. 
So, unit-by-unit I'll transfer almost all of my curriculum materials and information to Google sites which will serve as the host platform for my teaching program.  I will utilize the texts, guidelines, and other materials set forth by the school system and State, and I will add timely tech venues and other learning activities to the units.

Basically the process is one that teachers have enacted year after year.  However, now with the wonderful tech venues we have available that process becomes much more transparent and multi-modal with 24-7 access for the entire learning team: colleagues near and far, family members and most of all, students. 

Is this the process you use to reflect, revise, and renew curriculum with a focus on student learning?  Am I missing any steps?  

Establishing a pattern of reflection, revision and renewal helps to keep curriculum timely, responsive and engaging, don't you agree?