TOUCHSTONE 1: I use standards to guide every learning opportunity.
Explanation
Using standards to guide learning opportunities within our classrooms as educators is the first of the twelve touchstones. By using standards to help students set high expectations of themselves as learners we are elevating the bar as educators for students to meet our higher standard of expectations. Unpacking standards is absolutely critical to disseminate what students must learn, it also aides the teacher in clarifying what students need to do to show mastery of the content standard. These major concepts of standard mastery can be classified into procedural knowledge and declarative knowledge. In the complicated nature of common core standards, we as educators can look for the big ideas that are embedded within standards and develop essential questions that can guide our lesson and unit plans. When using standards in planning we must form a checklist with the following:
1) We as educators must identify the focus of the lesson.
2) We as educators must determine how we will assess the learning, both formative and summative.
3) We as educators must factor how we will engage the student.
4) We as educators must engage students in learning and mastering of content.
5) We as educators need to establish how we close a lesson.
In the book the 12 Touchstones of Good Teaching, author Brian Goodman describes using standards as both a rearview mirror and as a windshield. This is a fantastic metaphor during planning a lesson to first review what knowledge a student already has or often case what they are missing, because in the building blocks of knowledge we can easily thrust forward as educators expecting students to move on without foundational skills and knowledge. We must also look ahead in our planning to know where we need to take students in our content area so they are prepared to move on in their educational journey. Standardized principles in education sets guidelines in a student’s educational pathway and provides targets for teachers, while allowing them to focus on creativity in the delivery of content. The key to using standards effectively and appropriately is finding balance. Using standards to challenge students with prior and future learning, keeping them engaging and personal and incorporating autonomy so students want to rise to the challenge of learning.
Application
For the purpose of this lesson I will utilize the following standards denoted in the Colorado Department of Education Gifted Education Leadership standards. I have unpacked the standards to objectives, learning targets and skills students will have to demonstrate to secure mastery in goal setting. This will be one unit of a blended learning Captains Course for eleventh and twelfth grade students selected or elected to team leadership in one of our many varsity sports at Bennett High School.
Colorado Department of Education Gifted Education Leadership Standards
4.1 Student understands the process of setting and achieving goals.
4.2 Student identifies types of goals.
4.3 Student employs the skills necessary to evaluate goals.
Learning Targets:
Students Will Be Able To understand the purpose of goal setting.
Students Will Be Able To write realistic goals that align with individual and team philosophy with appropriate actions steps to achieve those goals.
Students Will Be Able To advocate goal setting to fellow peers and teammates on the basics of goal setting and encourage others to develop goals in their athletic and personal lives.
Students Will Be Able T0 distinguish differences of short-term and long-term goals.
Students Will Be Able To balance set goals in multiple areas of their lives.
Students Will Be Able To monitor and adjust set goals and how to acknowledge achievement of goals.
Additional Resources