Blog posts about how to implement instructional materials effectively to support the district’s curriculum and/or instruction
In addition to Earth Day, today is Ralph Tyler’s birthday—an important day for Learning List because of Tyler’s influence on curriculum design. Tyler was born on April 22, 1902, and is recognized as the principal developer of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). His thinking also influenced the policies that were formalized in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act …
Last week, EdWeek ran an article about a study by two professors evaluating whether commonly used K-12 textbooks are aligned to the CCSS. Though the study has not yet been released, the article seems to suggest that the professors found none of the textbooks to be suitably aligned. I applaud the authors of the study and the article for cautioning …
This is the time of the year when all hands are on deck to help struggling students achieve. We, as educators, have a tendency during the crunch time before state testing to work harder and faster but not always smarter. Due to this sense of urgency, teachers often give students stacks of worksheets designed in the same format as the …
A recent post on EdWeek’s Digital Education blog underscores the value of Learning List’s service verifying publisher-provided alignments to the Common Core State Standards. In the post, Benjamin Herold reports on current research indicating that many instructional materials that claim to be aligned to the CCSS are only “modestly” aligned. His post cites research results indicating that many CCSS-aligned instructional …
As discussed in our previous post on student engagement, educators hold different views of what it means for students to be engaged in learning. Not surprisingly, research has identified several dimensions of student engagement. These include behavioral engagement, emotional or psychological engagement, and cognitive engagement. When students are behaviorally engaged, they participate in the academic as well as the social …
Most policy makers and educators agree that student engagement is a critical to improving learning outcomes. However, as we have learned, student engagement is a multifaceted construct that lacks a clear definition. In developing Learning List’s editorial reviews, we interview educators who have used featured products with students, and we ask interview respondents to explain how products engage students in …
In order for students to progress academically each year and have the skills to be successful in the future, all educators at the campus and district level need to unite in their efforts to ensure that every student is learning the TEKS to the depth and complexity required. When teachers develop units and lesson plans, do they keep the TEKS …
One of the keynote presentation speakers at the recent Texas ASCD Conference was Dr. Jackie Walsh. Her presentation was, “Questioning for Thinking: Helping Students make Connections”. Dr. Walsh talked about the importance of asking quality questions and developing effective questioning strategies to activate, support, and sustain student thinking. Dr. Walsh shared the impact that teachers have on student learning when …
When choosing instructional materials, it is imperative that we educators carefully consider if the materials are aligned to the standards. Too often, we make the mistake of choosing an instructional material by merely considering the content of the standard (what is being taught), such as ending punctuation or cause/effect. We often neglect to pay attention to whether the materials address …
Are you confused about the difference between standards, curriculum, instructional materials and lesson plans? Well, you’re not alone. At Learning List, we often hear educators and publishers confuse the terms. Hopefully this will help you distinguish their meaning and, more importantly, understand how each is an invaluable component in helping students learn. State Standards are the state’s pronouncement of what …
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