To know the students meta-cognitive process is to know how specific instructional strategies are applied. To create learning environments where students mental abilities are challenged at the correct level of complexity and difficulty means that teachers must apply professional standards of classroom practices. In order to accomplish this task we must bring the fundamentals of professional pedagogy to the forefront of how instructional interaction supports leaning. The key to a successful learning experience is not at the stand alone knowledge level which in many cases classrooms of today formulate through mastery of concepts and to a lesser degree on the idea of scaffolding for reasoning.
To ensure that students are prepared for the 21st Century we must continue to revisit theses practices and grow with experience. Teachers will be introduced to a new instructional strategy every nine weeks that support site and district goals. An instructional practice website will be established with resources including videos, and definitions for each of the targeted instructional practices. Principal, assistant principals and instructional coaches will meet on a regular bases to define practices as they develop a common language among teachers and teams. Principal and assistant principals will work with teams each nine weeks to follow-up and initiate a new instructional practice by defining and establishing a common language for the practitioner. Instructional evaluation pre-conferences and post conferences will be developed around the common language needed for defining instructional practices.
Assessments (Mastery Check’s)
At Dodge City Middle School we
believe that mastery checks are essential to show student knowledge of
assessed content. These assessments are an integral part of our
educational process. A tremendous amount of time is dedicated to ensure
that our students strive for mastery of essential indicators. Students at
this level are generally motivated by extrinsic factors such as
grades, which are readily understood by parents and students. We also
recognize that students come to us with different ability levels, and
learning styles which we are able to accommodate by providing
additional learning opportunities however, we do recognize the need to
maintain high standards and performance.
Tying benchmark assessments such
as mastery checks to grades become an important component in holding
students accountable for their own successes and increase the probability of
accurate data and proper placement for extended learning opportunities and
enrichment that are available to the students at DCMS.
Links to Curriculum Standards and
Pacing Guide
No comments:
Post a Comment