Subject Matter

Subject matter is the heart and soul of a secondary teacher's classroom: however, passion is not all it takes to pass on our beloved content knowledge to students.

Rather, to effectively communicate (and help students retain) content, we must modulate it to student needs (for example, by upholding IEP and 504 accommodations, planning lessons with EML students in mind, and including multiple modes of instruction) and make it relevant, interesting, and engaging. Additionally, each teacher must be aware of the connections between his or her content area and other disciplines, drawing connections and supporting the learning of all students in all content areas.

See below a few of the ways I support the learning of all students by preparing well, prioritizing relavence, and supporting academic language development.

Writing rigorous and explorative lesson plans

Unit Plan_ Math 2E, DPHS.pdf

Planning and designing instruction before teaching is the first step to a great lesson. A key part of the planning process is creating developmentally-appropriate learning goals that reflect state standards, and then ensuring that every "teacher move" is aimed at increasing student understanding.

Taking into account students' prior knowledge, consulting current mathematical pedagogy, and creating cohesive learning sequences are things I prioritize and practice in my own teaching, as seen in the unit plan above.

Learning to use technology productively & responsibly

In a world that constantly asks students to use and understand technology, it's crucial to provide opportunities to practice using technology productively and responsibly in the classroom context. Canvas is a prime example of that: ensuring that students know where to find the resources they need for your class (because all teachers arrange their Canvas classes slightly differently!) is a key skill.

Above are a few student responses to fill-in-the-blank scavenger hunt questions intended to help them practice navigating our class Canvas.

Adapting subject matter to support academic language acquisition

Although students are intended to learn each subject matter in a different course, it's important to understand, acknowledge, and take into account the connections between disciplines. There are many, but the one that often affects students the most is the connection between each subject and language. The reality is that although students have an English class, they are being taught (and expected to perform in) the English language all day, every day. Whether a student is English Only, an English learner, or has a learning disability or other learning need, creating learning activities that support the acquisition of academic language within your content area will always support all students.

To do this, I place heavy emphasis on the formation and practice of academic language. One activity that exemplifies this emphasis is the around-the-room stations activity you see above, where students rotated around the room and worked in groups of 4 to fill in the blanks with their group's color marker. This was a great way for students to practice defining terms we use in class so that they could, later on that day and in future classes, feel more equipped to use the terms themselves.

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