You are on page 1of 9

MY PERSONAL CURRICULUM PLATFORM

Douglas Van Pelt

November 24, 2014

AIMS FOR EDUCATION:


My personal aims for education begin with my leadership philosophy of providing a
great education for all students. I believe education is the medium to change the world it
can take gifted students to the highest levels of discovery and innovation and can provide
the opportunities for disadvantaged students to transition out of a difficult environment. I
believe education SHOULD be THE priority issue for local communities. As professional
educators, we should adopt a no-excuses philosophy of ensuring that every student has the
opportunity to receive an equitable, challenging, and fulfilling education.
I would have to begin any discussion on personal aims by mentioning the high
expectations I have for my students, based on the belief that all students CAN succeed. I
believe this is the most important characteristic any administrator or teacher can possess. I
will not accept a student telling me, I just am not smart. I cant ever earn anything above
a C average. I believe success is individual and cannot be fully measured with a G.P.A. It
is my experience that a student can be a great success with a 75 percent average and
another can be a failure with a 90 percent. I believe student growth is the most important
measure of a successful educational environment. I value effort above all else; subscribing
to Thomas Edisons definition of success as being, 1% inspiration but 99% perspiration.

I believe our society often falls into the trap of creating self-fulfilling prophecies in
our young people by limiting their creativity and squashing their initiative to dream. Ralph
Marston once said, Excellence is not a skill, it is an attitude. If we look at the various
surveys of school environments, the lack of student motivation and the resistance to using
creative new approaches are two of the most pressing problems administrators deal with. I
currently teach a personal development class where we constantly reinforce the ideas of
having students see the big picture and establish a positive attitude of gratitude. I believe
the key to changing a students perspective on their scholastic experience is to change their
attitude and the best way to do this is to PROMOTE their individuality.
Another of my favorite classroom related quotes comes from Oliver Wendell Holmes,
Once a mans mind is stretched to a new idea, it never goes back to the same shape. As
classroom educators, we strive to stretch our students minds in a variety of directions as
we present new ideas and information. I believe administrators and teachers must
approach educational much the same way. We need to encourage our teachers to grow
through professional development, peer observations, and exposure to cutting edge
methods and technology. We cannot continue to do things as we always have done. To
compete with all of the external distractions our 21st century students deal with, educators
must adapt and incorporate rather than condemn and ignore.
PREFERRED SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT:
Relationships characterize my idea of a preferred school one in which students
are excited to come into the building. Students study core subjects but do so in a way in
which they are empowered and respected. Vibrant relationships are emphasized with
each student assigned a personal mentor to provide guidance and support. A
preferred school creates a culture of high expectations and will intentionally celebrate
student accomplishment.
2

Preferred schools prioritize staff collaboration and intentional professional


development. Preferred schools are proactive not reactive and embrace change as it
comes. Preferred schools do not hesitate to admit mistakes but will not allow setbacks
to dampen the enthusiasm for inspiring and exploring new ideas and strategies.
IMAGE OF A TEACHER:
I believe a great teacher is a role model. A role model is a person who inspires and
encourages us to strive for greatness, live to our fullest potential and see the best in
ourselves. Students learn through them through their commitment to excellence and
through their ability to help realize personal growth. I believe a great teacher is a
visionary, a catalyst for change never content with status quo, always looking for a
better way. Teachers who take on the catalyst role feel secure in their own work and
have a strong commitment to continual improvement. They pose questions to generate
analysis of student learning.
I believe a great teacher is an instructional expert, using their knowledge to help
students construct meaning and understand important ideas and processes. Great
teachers guide student inquiries into complex problems, texts, cases, projects, or
situations. Their methods are questioning, probing, and process-related commentary.
I believe a great teacher is a coach seeking to support the learners' ability
to transfer their learning to succeed in complex and autonomous performances. The
teacher/coach establishes clear performance goals and supervises the development of
skills and habits through ongoing opportunities to perform, accompanied by specific
feedback and modeling. Great teachers are in their classrooms early and ready to teach.
They present lessons in a clear and structured way. I believe great teachers set high
expectations for all students. They expect that all students can and will achieve and they
don't give up on underachievers.
3

NATURE OF THE LEARNER:


I believe most students come into my classroom as curious, plastic learners
ready to learn, to be molded, but skeptical of the personal connection of the new
content! I find it an exhilarating challenge to work at making those connections and
instill in my students a similar passion for the content I teach that I have.
I consider myself to be a lifelong learner I love to discover new information and
skills. I often find myself asking why or how or when. I enjoy debating and
discussing various issues and viewpoints (driving my wife crazy in the process!). These
characteristics have shaped my classroom environment. I love to create lesson plans
where students interact with each other, debate ideas, and create their own projects. I
enjoy students who question, suggest new approaches and discover. With an innate love
of history, I have found the field of social studies lends itself well to my teaching
persona. I have been driven to create class curriculum that takes some of the boring
out of my subjects.
PREFERRED PEDAGOGY:
To address the task of defining my preferred pedagogy, I decided to first determine
what the phrase means to me and in my research, the definition that most reflects my
values came from Steve Wheeler. Wheeler states, pedagogy is leading people to a place
where they can learn for themselves. It is about creating environments and situations
where people can draw out from within themselves, and hone the abilities they already
have, to create their own knowledge, interpret the world in their own unique ways, and
ultimately realize their full potential as human beings. Good pedagogy is about guiding
students to learning. It's about posing challenges, asking the right questions, and
presenting relevant problems for learners to explore, answer and solve.
4

I believe the best plan to achieve this educational plan has been created by Dr.
Robert Marzano and associates at the Marzano Institute. Marzanos instructional
model, detailed in his book, The Art and Science of Teaching, was designed to ensure
effective instruction by balancing research-based data with the equally vital need to
understand the strengths and weaknesses of individual students. He articulates his
framework in the form of 10 questions that represent a logical planning sequence.
Marzano states, for classroom lessons to be truly effective, educators must examine
every component of the teaching process with equal resolve (www.ascd.org).
Marzanos instructional model includes the following design questions:
1. What will I do to establish and communicate learning goals, track student progress, and celebrate
success?
2. What will I do to effectively help students interact with new knowledge?
3. What will I do to help students practice and deepen their understanding of new knowledge?
4. What will I do to help students generate and test hypotheses about new knowledge?
5. What will I do to engage students?
6. What will I do to establish or maintain classroom rules and procedures?
7. What will I do to recognize and acknowledge adherence and lack of adherence to classroom rules
and procedures?
8. What will I do to establish and maintain effective relationships with students!
9. What will I do to communicate high expectations for all students?
10.What will I do to develop effective lessons organized into a cohesive unit?

Beginning in the fall of 2012, six staff members and four administrators were sent to
the six-day Marzano Academy training sessions. In the fall of 2013, 32 additional
teachers and the three building principals were sent to a second round of the six
sessions. The initial group of six staff members provided half-day introductory training
for teachers who were not able to attend the Academy. The Central City Public School
Board and the School Improvement Process team requested initial implementation of
the training sometime during the 2013-2014 school year.

IMAGE OF THE CURRICULUM:


I believe a schools curriculum represents the vital ingredients of Americas 21st
century mandate to provide an excellent, equitable education for all students. My ideal
high school curriculum would include a specific, data-driven base of core subjects and a
variety of supplemental content-area courses designed to support a diverse graduation
tracking plan which will more appropriately meet the changing needs of our 21st century
students. The curriculum calendar will be created each year by the primary instructor
with student input and will likely include summer projects.
I envision offering five graduation tracks for students to select when they are
planning their four-year high school career. Students will be required to successfully
complete 240 hours of content materials to graduate. The hours will be subject to the
requirements determined by graduation track core subject instructors. Middle school
staff members will provide recommendations for all eighth-grade students and parents.
A general informational meeting will be scheduled during the first two weeks of May
during the 8th-grade year to begin the planning process. The students and parents will
be invited to meet with the HS guidance team, consisting of the counselor, principal,
and the curriculum chairs during the first week of August to select the appropriate track.
The five tracks include: a basic general track, offered for a small number of
students, including those in the alternative education program; a STEM track (science,
technology, engineering, and mathematics); a Industrial Technology track; a Fine Arts

track; and a Business track diploma. I would propose 100 hours of core requirements,
including 20 hours of language arts, 20 hours of fine arts, 20 hours of math, 20 hours of
science and 20 hours of social studies. Each specific track would complete the
remaining 140 required hours of content material.
6

EDUCATIONAL ISSUES:
I believe the key issue of today revolves around the need to balance assessment with
relevant 21st century content. Educators live in a highly mobile, increasingly diverse
world with intensifying expectations from politicians, business leaders, and parents.
The competitive, must-see-results-now American public has little patience for changes
that take several years to reach fruition. The challenges school districts across the
country face are more complex and more diverse than ever before. As a potential
administrator in this rapidly changing environment, traits I feel are critical include
creativity, flexibility, and the ability to maintain focus despite inevitable changes to
original plans.
The mission statement for the Central City Public Schools is to educate, challenge,
and prepare students with lifelong skills for the world around them. With this
statement as our true north, the district identified three key issues. First is the
implementation of appropriate technology. To address this concern, all district teachers
received a MacBook Pro laptop for instructional use in the fall of 2013. Teachers also
received technology updates on common software, such as Microsofts Office platform;
while learning the benefits of using Googles various features like Gmail, Docs, Drive
and Earth. The districts technology team has considered the benefits of taking the
middle and high school to a one-to-one status with each student receiving their own
laptop, but this decision has been postponed for the time being. Each building has at
least two laptop carts and at least one computer lab available at this time, all of which
provide coverage for most of our current tech. needs, but new policy decisions are being
researched in an attempt to place the district ahead of the curve.

A second key issue involves the rapidly changing demographics of the area and the
district in particular. Central City is experiencing a significant growth in the number
and spectrum of students with special needs. The English Language Learner population
is also increasing to the point of compelling the addition of staff with specialized
training to meet the unique cultural requirements of these children. The Bison Advisory
Team, an administrator/staff leadership group, has recently held discussions, which
would address these issues. One possibility includes the addition of Coordinator
positions in the Special Education and Technology departments and the development of
an ELL transition plan to aid immigrant students with language acquisition needs.
The third key issue for Central City Public High School involves the design of
programs to help struggling students succeed. Currently, the district maintains an
alternative education program, which provides indirect instruction through the
Odysseyware platform. Central Citys alt. ed. curriculum mirrors the graduation
requirements of the general population but requires half-day attendance with
accelerated content units to allow students the opportunity to maintain a full-time job.
Central City also offers a credit recovery program for students who have failed a course
more than once or who have experienced health or other personal issues, which have
significantly set them back in the regular environment.
Discussion of such services always centers on equity vs. rigor. I would like to revise
our existing alternative policies to ensure the general education standards are being
followed while continuing to provide struggling students with their second chance.
CCHS is also in the process of designing a summer school program based on the Grand
Island Senior High School package to provide one more opportunity for students to
remain with their cohort.
8

REFERENCES:

Ornstein, Allan; Pajak, Edward; and Ornstein, Stacey. (2015). Contemporary Issues
in Curriculum. 6th edition. Boston, MA.

Central City, Nebraska. (2014). [Website]. Retrieved July 13, 2014 from:
http://www.ccne.com/ccne

Nebraska Department of Education. (2014). [Website]. Retrieved November 21,


2014 from: http://www.education.ne.gov/

Central City Public Schools. (2014). [Website]. Retrieved November 21, 2014
from: http://www.centralcityschoolsne.org/

The Meaning of Pedagogy. (2014). [Website]. Retrieved November 24, 2014


from: http://steve-wheeler.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-meaning-ofpedagogy.html

What Makes a Great Teacher. (2013). [Website]. Retrieved November 30, 2014
from: http://www.greatschools.org/improvement/quality-teaching/79-whatmakes-a-great-teacher.gs

Ten Roles for Teacher Leaders. (2013). [Website]. Retrieved November 30, 2014
from: http://www.ascd.org/publications/educationalleadership/sept07/vol65/num01/ten-roles-for-teacher-leaders.aspx

You might also like