AWM 10-Curriculum Development

D. Hollatz

EDU 707 MSE Curriculum Design Assignment Dave Hollatz

February 18, 2013 University of New England

AWM 10-Curriculum Development

D. Hollatz

Introduction and Challenge In Canadian high school assessment, a major focal point on student academic achievement is the final exams that are written after all course work has been taught. Final exams are meant to be an assessment of learning and are summative: that on a given date they represent the level of mastery that the student has or has not achieved from that course. In British Columbia, finals can be given in thirteen high school courses: five in Grade 12, two in Grade 11 and six in Grade 10 and count for 20% of the overall course mark. In School District (SD) # 83, there are 5 different provincial exams that you could take in grade 10 (English, French, Foundations and Pre-Calculus Math 10, Science and Apprentice and Workplace Math 10). All courses have had their curriculums updated between three and five years ago. Currently, we have two very different math 10 courses that can be taken: Foundations and Pre-Calculus (FMP), which gears students up from university math, science and engineering degrees and Apprentice and Workplace (AWM), that tries to focus students to understand the prerequisite skills for direct entry into the workforce or possible entry into trades school (BC Association of Math Teachers, 2011). From the most recent data collected in the Provincial Required Examinations Final Marks Summary there is some very alarming evidence to further change the Grade 10 mathematics curriculum: Apprentice and Workplace students are first, twice more likely to fail this course than if they were to take either the English or Science 10 courses. Second, students in this course are nearly 50% more likely to fail the AWM final exam than Foundations and Pre-Calculus students and finally, AWM 10 is tied for first, with the most final exam failures than of all the thirteen provincial examinable courses (BC Ministry of Education, September 2012). As a result of these cumulating results in high school exams and in the provincial education system as a whole, Educators say the current curriculum has too many objectives to cover and with so many objectives it can in some ways restrict student learning (BC Ministry of Education, Transforming BCs Curriculum, 2011). Thankfully, the provincial government is listening to these concerns. In 2011, the BC Ministry of Education launched the BC Education Plan in order to have K to 12 students get the best education possible and to be able compete with other international students on a global scale. Specifically,

AWM 10-Curriculum Development

D. Hollatz

Under BC's Education Plan, our system will be more flexible, dynamic and adaptable to better prepare students and that we will have a more personalized approach to learning that is already happening in some schools around the province so now, we want all B.C. students to share in these changes (BC Education Plan website, 2011). Only since the end of 2009 has our school district started to talk about taking these changes to heart because we are Beginning conversations on differentiated instruction and we will continue the promotion of current assessment strategies and differentiated instruction strategies in new curriculum through workshops in numeracy and assessment (D. Pearson, July 2011). Research Just over two years ago the BC Ministry of Education began looking into what it takes to transform the provincial education system into a more differentiated environment so students are ready for the complex and ever changing job market they will step into after graduation. The approach that government is specifically taking is to: o o o Reduce the volume and prescriptiveness of the current curricula while still ensuring a consistent focus on the essential elements of learning Allow teachers and students the flexibility to personalize their learning experience to better meet each students individual strengths and needs Focus less on imparting facts and the information- based details of what needs to be learned and more on the big ideas or concepts that students need to master to succeed in their education and lives. (BC Ministry of Education Overview document, 2011)

The above highlighted key points of the curricular changes coming in BC fit well with what Differentiated Instruction is all about: teaching that is relevant to the individual and engaging yet challenging. C.A. Tomlinson, in her book How to Differentiate Instruction in a Mixed Ability Classroom states that: In a differentiated classroom, the teacher proactively plans and carries out varied approaches to content, process and product in anticipation of and response to student differences in readiness, interest, and learning needs (2001, p. 7). Here we see the importance of the big picture aspects of the WHAT is changing in education (the curriculum) and the WHY (to personalize it) it is changing, but we need to further look at HOW (the curriculum) needs to change. To summarize important changes that need to be made around how to change the curriculum, there are ten fundamental prerequisites that have identified by the North Central Regional Educational Laboratory (NCERL, which is cited in Chapter 4 of Curriculum Development by J.W. Wiles and J. C. Bondi) that support this essential personalized learning paradigm shift happening in BC. It is clear that curriculum must: Nurture Intellectual Competence: help the student activate prior personal knowledge.

AWM 10-Curriculum Development

D. Hollatz

Transfer Knowledge: knowledge is active, flexible and organic. Include Multiple Intelligences: students can have core aptitudes but also stream in/out of other forms. Identify Various Learning Styles: Teachers must help students learn how to learn for their future. Be Differentiated: personalize the learning to each and every child. Be Cooperative: In the global age, being able to work with a variety of different people is critical. Be Interdisciplinary: students should learn core concepts across multiple different curriculums. Include Problem- Based Learning: students are the central focus and in control of the learning process. Have Mentors: students are supported by adults who can relate their experiences and personal views. Involve Service Learning: to encourage students to live and think outside the class about societal issues. Curriculum Map Background In Canada, each province is responsible for the design, delivery and accountability of educational standards to the public, charter and religious school students from Kindergarten to Grade 12. Five provincial ministries of education in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and the three territorial ministries of Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Yukon Territory decided to enter into a partnership called the Western and Northern Canadian Protocol (WNCP) for collaboration in the delivery of basic education services. Specifically, this also exists in Mathematics as well so that The framework identifies beliefs about mathematics learning and teaching, general and specific outcomes, and achievement indicators agreed upon by the seven jurisdictions (WNCP, 2008. p. 1). The following nine pages list and describe both the Specific Outcomes or Prescribed Learning Outcomes (PLOs) that the teacher is mandated to teach and the Achievement Indicators that could be used to assess the student on their ability of the PLOs (BC Ministry of Education, 2008) . In the AWM 10 course, the Geometry unit is the most difficult yet rewarding for students to finally understand the importance and practical use of the Pythagorean Theorem. The Algebra unit or strand is general weaved into the other units and is the show your work or longer problem type qu estions to answer on quizzes and tests. I would keep the Measurement Unit (A), and the Algebra Unit (D) as they are but I would change parts of

the both the Geometry Unit (B) and Number Unit (C). Since I have taught math 8, 9, 10 and 11 I feel my perspective on this course has value. This AWM 10 course is better than previous Essentials Math 10 and Applied Math 10 courses because this course has more engaging sections but more importantly it has the fundamental goal of

AWM 10-Curriculum Development

D. Hollatz

understanding ratios and proportions. These two skills are found in almost every type and form of work and nearly every-day in your day to day life, in units that compare, convert and relate such units as speed, time, distance, mass and temperature (especially in Canada, where for example we have to bounce back and forth with Km/hour Miles/hour, and degrees of Celsius and Fahrenheit). Both measurement and algebra units are critical big ideas (in themselves) that allow the learner to identify: their knowledge with prior experiences, helps them practice the listening, writing and problem solving skills needed for future math courses and it allows them the hands on skills they will need for the job site. In Geometry, I would remove both (B1) the Analyze puzzle and games that involve spatial reasoning section because I find it difficult to assess a student on how they either played the game or solved the puzzle and (B5) solve problems that involve different types of angles and lines because there far too many abstract rules and procedures for these students to remember. I believe that we do not need to replace these learning outcomes, nor do we need to add to these outcomes because with the new learning plan it is more important to help students dig deeper to understand the most important math 10 learning outcomes. In the Number Unit, I would only remove the option of the Achievement Indicators (C 2.7 and 2.8) Determine CPP and EI deductions as well as, Determine net from deductions such as health plans. because these are not done manually anymore but rather electronically. It is important to understand how employers calculate these types of deductions, but instead of using these tables of deductions, it would more beneficial to have students know how to apply decimals, fractions and ratios to figure out how much of a loss you have for income tax, union dues or medical plan fees. *** Please see the complete AWM 10 PLOs and Achievement Indicators and highlights that follows:

AWM 10-Curriculum Development

D. Hollatz

AWM 10-Curriculum Development

D. Hollatz

AWM 10-Curriculum Development

D. Hollatz

AWM 10-Curriculum Development

D. Hollatz

AWM 10-Curriculum Development

D. Hollatz

AWM 10-Curriculum Development

D. Hollatz

AWM 10-Curriculum Development

D. Hollatz

AWM 10-Curriculum Development

D. Hollatz

AWM 10-Curriculum Development

D. Hollatz

AWM 10-Curriculum Development

D. Hollatz

Unit This AWM 10 course is normally covered in one semester, or approximately 18 weeks of school assuming a four block (at 80 minutes per block and five days per school week) daily rotation schedule. Generally speaking, I sketch in 25 days per Concept (Measurement, Geometry and Number Theory) while recognizing the academic need to regularly review the course work covered every week or two. This built in continual review allows my students not to feel as rushed or forced to move through this course that might be too fast paced for them because we are trying to enhance their ability to rely on themselves or their self-efficacy, especially in a course that is sometimes challenging (Dean, Hubbell, Pitler and Stone, 2012). In addition, this pause and reflect time gives the learners the ability to contextualize and develop personal meaning to the course material. I also finish the course somewhere between 7 to 10 days before the end of the course so they have time for concept review and practice writing previous provincial final exams. This pre planning is vital to making sure all material has been covered and practiced prior to the provincial exam. The provincial exam is 2 hours in duration, with 60 multiple choice questions broken into two parts, A and B. Part A has 12 questions that is mental math, meaning no calculator allowed. In part B, there rest of the multiple choice questions is calculator friendly. The exam is broken down by PLO and Unit (A, B, C, and D) coverage as follows: Concept A is worth 30%, Concept B is 40%, and C is 30%. Concept D or Algebra is integrated into the other three concepts typically as word problems or solving for an unknown variable such as X or a degree. The exam content is 40% Knowledge, 47% Application and, 13% Reasoning ability. Before I detail curriculum changes, I must further explain the problems with this grade and course. The AWM 10 course has the highest levels of failures combined with three shocking results from the most recent 201011 Public School Satisfaction Survey that states these key findings (all percentages are the lowest for their category or question in 5 years of data collected) about AWM and grade 10. 1. 2. 3. 53% of grade 10s said that they are getting better at math (BC Ministry of Education, July 2011, p. 2). 38% of grade 10s said they are satisfied with what they are learning at school (BC Ministry of Education, July 2011, p. 7). Only 57% of parents are satisfied with their childs math development (BC Ministry of Education, July 2011, p. 14).

Unfortunately, this course is one of the first that many students (whom might be vulnerable and at risk) will take to begin their grad program and that it gets worse before it will get better because all students will need to take at

AWM 10-Curriculum Development

D. Hollatz

least a second Apprentice and Workplace math course in Grade 11(no provincial final) to graduate. Quite possibly, and unfortunately, these same students who struggled in AWM 10 and 11 might need the Grade 12 AWM course as well depending on post- secondary needs. Therefore, and again I stress that it is crucial to make it the best course possible. As mentioned in the Curriculum Map section, I find that from experience students find the most challenging yet ultimately rewarding component of AWM 10 in the Geometry Concept so this is where I will focus my curriculum change at PLO (B2): where It is expected that the student will be able to: Demonstrate an Understanding of Pythagoras and its Theorem (WNCP, 2008, p. 22). Combined with such possible Achieve Indicators (2.1 through 2.7) where students can show their learning of PLO (B2) (WNCP, 2008, p. 22). I would focus a minimum of 7 days for this unit. And I would begin this Right Angle Triangle Unit with an appreciation for an renewed culture of learning in my AWM 10 course so that the PLOs and Achievement Indicators are neither too general nor too exact but rather specific (Dean et al, 2012). This appropriately specific learning focus can be seen from this helpful sketchpad activity: http://www.dynamicgeometry.com/JavaSketchpad/Gallery/Geometry/Pythagoras.html from Open School BC (2010) where we can see why this math theorem only applies to an appropriately specific type of triangle, the right (90 degree) triangle. After we explored this introduction activity, I would demonstrate Right Angle Triangles in my lessons using the SMART board (SMART Technologies, 2012) where there are lessons like: http://exchange.smarttech.com/details.html?id=530ba5fa-6a27-4409-bd08-d46763a3f276 and other activities designed for beginning to advanced learners on the different applications of this math fact and the Pythagoras theorem. Connected to this introduction would be another day of supports that would include a lab where the students will be handed a variety of colored paper that has the special 3:4:5 sided triangles printed on them and having them cut out these triangles and having the students do a hands on lab to demonstrate and further specify this appropriate PLO. After this lab we would do an exploration day where we would explore how and where right angle triangles are found in our school such as in the shop class, the stairwell, the gym and outside of the building to continue our Pythagoras focus. At the end of this week of learning (introduction day, lecture day, lab day) there would be a quiz for assessment to see if further lessons or activities are needed. I have also had students so excited

AWM 10-Curriculum Development

D. Hollatz

about learning about these triangles that they want to do a project and build something out of wood, cardboard or wooden sticks to show their comprehension of this PLO. In order to appreciate how these days would operate, it is helpful to see what happens within each class. I start my AWM 10 class of with a personal greeting to each student, and then after they have picked up the mini white boards (about the size of a 8.5 x11 piece of paper) and have been seated, I describe the 3 Daily Review questions that I have posted on the front white board or SMART board for them to work on. These review questions take only 3 to 5 minutes to complete and are linked closely from the work of the previous day are meant to help add foundation and further develop personal and meaningful understanding of the chapter we are working in. Once they have the answers, correct or not, I go over the questions with the answers and I ALWAYS DO THE MATH FOR EACH QUESTION A DIFFERENT WAY, OR STYLE SO THAT STUDENTS GET MORE OUT OF THE REVIEW THAN JUST THE CORRECT ANSWER. This short duration Daily Review routine is done so that students can practice their concepts so they can concentrate on mastering the skill [and] develop the greatest amount of learning (Dean et al, 2012, p. 111) possible. After we have gone over the Daily Review and students have asked questions on the math questions then we review any questions they might have had from their earlier IN- CLASS homework given out last class. The inclass questions that have been assigned are meant to make connections with the teacher lead discussions and are done to help every learner find ways to extend and apply what they are learning. In AWM 10, there are multiple times when the chapter material can be confusing or challenging to comprehend and in those cases, I often rely on the similarity and differences techniques of Comparing, Classifying, Creating Metaphors and Analogies that are described in Classroom Instruction that Works: Research- Based for Increasing Student Achievement (Dean et al, 2012, p. 118). Comparing and Classifying is a done in the Geometry Concept when we identify and describe the properties of Right Angle Triangles and then further break them down into what makes the unknown side lengths or angles that I am asking the students to solve either belonging to the specific properties of Sine, Cosine, or Tangent values. * Please see the attached papers labeled Assessments, Activities and Rubrics that have been sent separate to this assignment. Professional Development and Support

AWM 10-Curriculum Development

D. Hollatz

Differentiated Instruction should be implemented provincially across grades and courses from K to 12 so future learners have the best possible opportunities for success at school and life. I also believe two fundamental components must exist for the positive advancement of this course: first, changes needed to be made to the amount of Prescribed Learning Outcomes mandated for teachers to cover (and students to learn about) and second, that more district collaboration time must be available to implement the BC Education Plan and everything that it entails form the big concepts of Differentiated Instruction to ways that AWM 10 can be changed for the better. The driving focus of AWM 10 should be: less and not more (PLOs) required to be covered in British Columbian schools and classrooms. The new provincial changes coming to all schools repeat the same message that modern education should be more about personalization and not about being too perspective and narrow, especially in a time of globalization and thanks in part to the explosion of the development of new types of technology and how they can help advance our awareness and knowledge of our world BC Ministry of education (2010). Second, all school district math staff need to become actively engaged in learning more about different ways of teaching to different learners. Here I meant that in schools across our district there might already be ways that teachers have adapted there classroom techniques in order to target those students that might have challenges in this course. For example, at Eagle River Secondary in Sicamous, BC or ALF high school in Enderby, BC or PVSS (Pleasant Valley Secondary School) in Armstrong, BC there might be regular field trips to businesses, or guest speakers that are being used to help support these students and as a result these activities are already making an impact with the math students. The problem exists when I do not know or hear about these great advances in student learning practices. Ideally, there needs to be a monthly math meeting that all high school teachers from the district can attend in order to brain storm and plan future events or changes to a course. From an administrators perspective, I understand this is costly and challenging but so is having so many failures and students that might not graduate because of courses like Apprentice and Workplace Math 10. Perhaps every fourth Friday, all of our high school teachers could get together in their respective departments and collaborate on important issues.

AWM 10-Curriculum Development

D. Hollatz

References BC Ministry of Education, (January, 2008). Apprenticeship and Workplace Math Grades 10 - 12. Retrieved February, 11 2013 from http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/irp/pdfs/mathematics/WNCPmath1012/2008math_app_work1012.pdf BC Ministry of Education, (July, 2011). Province of BC Public School Satisfaction Survey 2010/11. Retrieved February 10th, 2013 http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/reports/pdfs/sat_survey/public.pdf BC Association of Math Teachers, (2011). Changes to the mathematics curriculum in BC pathways. Retrieved February 10th, 2013 http://www.bcamt.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/New-Curriculum-Pamphlet.pdf BC Ministry of Education, (2011). BC Education Plan. Retrieved February 10, 2013 from http://www.bcedplan.ca/theplan.php BC Ministry of Education, (2011). Overview of BC Curriculum plans. Retrieved February 10, 2013 from http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/irp/docs/overview.pdf BC Ministry of Education, (September, 2012). Provincial Required Examinations- 2011/12 Blended Final Marks. Retrieved February 9, 2013 from http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/reports/pdfs/exams/req/prov.pdf Pearson, D. (January, 2011). Superintendents Achievement Report to the North Okanagan - Shuswap Board of Education. Retrieved February 5, 2013 from http://www.sd83.bc.ca/About%20Us/suptreport2011.pdf SMART Technologies, (2012). SMART Exchange. Pythagorean theorem. Retrieved February 16, 2013 from http://exchange.smarttech.com/details.html?id=530ba5fa-6a27-4409-bd08-d46763a3f276 Tomlinson, Carol Ann. (2001). How to differentiate in mixed ability classrooms (2nd ed). Alexandria, VA: ASCD. Western and Northern Canadian Protocol, (January, 2008). The common curriculum framework for grades 10 - 12 mathematics. Retrieved February 11, 2013 from http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/irp/pdfs/mathematics/WNCPmath1012/2008math1012wncp_intro.pdf Wiles, J. & Bondi, J. (2011). Curriculum development : a guide to practice. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.