Curriculum & Instruction

• Co-Teaching

• Inquiry Learning

• Design Thinking

• Personalized, Self-Paced, and Self-Directed Learning

• Social-Emotional Learning

• Assessment

Curriculum and instruction can be incredibly varied and numerous as educators and researchers become aware of student needs.

· Assessment has been an instructional necessity for an incredibly long time, and for the past few decades, standardized testing has dominated this part of instruction. Teachers long have known that teaching to a test is not effective to produce a well-rounded education, even though a test can be an effective strategy when done correctly.

· Social-emotional learning is the current iteration of conflict mediation or character education and impacts students positively in the short term, as well as long term success.

· Personalized, self-paced, and self-directed learning have similar elements, but are each specialized. Self-directed learning lets the student choose what they learn, self-paced lets the student determine the pace, and personalized is a combination of both. Each of these have potential to positively impact students in motivation.

· Inquiry learning is already a part of many schools in some iteration, but its potential is greatly underused. True inquiry, with student choice and the knowledge and skills built up in students, can really let students engage in learning that is especially meaningful to them. The skills that are necessary for inquiry are also essential for the rest of their lives.

· Design thinking is a process that any organization, including students, can use to alter one’s thought and action processes to make real change. The design process is a flexible one, and a process that necessitates developing a growth mindset, as well as empathy and collaboration. What is more, it is a process that can motivate students, produce real change and results, and prepare students in their future careers and lifetime pursuits.

· Coteaching seems to be something that teachers love or hate. The benefits of coteaching is real, however. Two heads can be better than one in planning, alleviate the burden of grading, and assist more students with more perspectives. Developing trust, time for collaborative planning, and consistent communication is key to making it work.