CURRICULUM MAPPING GRADES 3-5 As a classroom teacher you have begun planning a unit on plants. Your classroom is filled with students who have different learning styles and one of your major focuses is to continue to improve student achievement. You want to make sure that the unit you develop takes advantage of all the resources that are available to you. You have a unit that you have used in the past, but you want to enhance it and begin moving beyond the way you have traditionally taught this unit. Or maybe you are teaching a unit on plants for the first time and you do not have a lot of resources in your classroom. You are very open to trying something different and you're interested in learning about resources that you have not used with your students in the past. You have some really good ideas that you would like to implement, but you are not really sure where to begin. You are wondering, are there additional resources available in the media center? What technology resources, such as software will your students benefit from the most? And what about the Internet? You are thinking about arranging your classroom also. Should you only work with your class as a whole? Or could your students benefit from working in cooperate groups using learning centers set up in the classroom, media center, or computer lab? You are excited about the endless possibilities, but how do you get started? Will you have to do this alone or is there anyone who can assist you? You have read a classroom scenario from an IMPACT school model. Now, let's take a closer look at your school and its resources. Who do you have as a Media/Technology resource at your school? Choose one:
The use of technology as a learning tool can make a significant difference in student achievement as measured by standardized tests. (Mann et al., 1999) |
