Tennessee STEM Content Clarifications
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STEM Education Apps 
Content Clarifications
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Proof Points…In explaining why teachers have adopted standards-based practices at such a slow pace Lynch (1997) stated “many educators simply do not understand its principles and implications, rather than not buying into the goals of reform.” Thus, for most teachers implementation is not a matter of resistance, but rather, associated with insecurities at being adequately prepared to address standards in their classrooms.For the substantive changes called for in the standards-reform movement to succeed, there must be accompanying changes in curriculum and instruction. Fortunately, much progress toward this end has been realized during the past fifteen years. Among teachers and administrators, basic knowledge about standards has dramatically risen. Access to curriculum materials that really delve into standards implementation has similarly increased. In addition, standardized tests and classroom assessments are generally aligned with the standards being taught. The simplicity of the expression “standards-based reform” lies in the implications that follow from its literal translation. A standards-based system is one that is directly and fundamentally based on standards! The initial step of standards-based teaching and learning is, by definition, anchored in a deep understanding and commitment to standards. Teachers should first grasp the content knowledge associated with a standard. Additionally, there is a tremendous educational research base that teachers can access to help them understand and address difficulties that students at various age levels often have in grasping particular topics. Also, teachers can apply research findings and “craft knowledge” to develop the most appropriate methods for targeting specific challenges to learning with students. A Content Clarification is a three part analysis that investigates the critical components of instruction: the content knowledge base and information related to both learning and teaching. As with the STEM Curriculum Framework Crosswalks, this procedure relies heavily on online versions of the national standards documents. In our opinion, these documents have been terribly underutilized by practicing teachers. Teachers who complete Content Clarifications have been astounded by the impact that the national standards resources can have on their understanding of their state standards. The Way it Works...The Content Clarification templates found in STEMresources.com offer an in-depth research strategy for analyzing a standard, the associated grade or course level expectations, and any state performance indicators that are linked to this concept. A Content Clarification reveals why developers of the national standards believed that this particular topic or concept was sufficiently important to be designated as something that all students should know or be able to do.The primary materials referenced in this inquiry-based approach are the national science standards documents for science and mathematics. The discovery process associated with completing a Content Clarification provides a strong foundation for planning successful standards-based instruction. This protocol enables a user to follow the development of the “learning progression” for a concept or idea over the full K-12 educational continuum. It provides deep insights about what students should already know by the time they reach the classroom door and information about how learning should evolve into more advanced levels of concept sophistication over time. If this procedure is thought of as a pre-planning activity, then the tremendous potential of this process becomes clear. A systematic process such as this provides a wealth of information about the content knowledge associated with a standard or benchmark, research into student learning, and guidance for teaching effectively toward these standards. It also helps to generate preliminary ideas for developing a comprehensive assessment plan that is aligned with the targeted standard. Classroom Adaptations…The Teacher Work Samples section of STEMresources.com includes several examples of Content Clarifications prepared by practicing teachers. Keeley (2005, 2006) prepared Curriculum Topic Studies for mathematics and science that work nicely in conjunction with the Content Clarification tool. Topic studies are valuable because they pinpoint the exact sources of information needed to understand about specific standards in terms of the science or mathematics content and ancillary issues associated with teaching and learning.References
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