Steven Katz (n.d.) “There is no single bigger predictor of student learning and achievement than quality of classroom instruction that kids are exposed to.” The onus of student learning and achievement falls on the quality of my classroom instruction. If I teach poorly they will likely do poorly, but if I teach well, does this ensure my students can achieve success? How do we determine success? Learning is a continuum, so I expect progress to be made. Is progress good enough to qualify as academic success? Another challenge is that learning requires “permanence” (Katz.n.d.). Katz lays out a framework to inquiry-based instruction “Theory of Action statement in the form of an if-then statement” (n.d). Considering the importance of quality of instruction and student achievement, here are a few action statements I need to consider.
If my students do not understand my lesson, then I must consider how I can improve the quality of instruction. If I need another perspective to tackle a problem, then I must reach out to my teaching-peers and collaboratively find a solution that can meet my students’ needs. If at first we don’t succeed then try, try again. I believe in learning to mastery, so I must give all my students the opportunity to reach proficiency. If some of my students need more time to reach mastery, then I must give it to them. Let them practice more and do formative assessments to ensure all students understand the math/science big ideas and competencies. If some students have already achieved mastery, then I need to differentiate the lessons to challenge them. Ensuring equity of learning will be an ongoing challenge for me, as every student learns at a different pace and has different strengths. UDL can help with the method of delivery, but students need time to hone their math skills. I will need to consider multiple ways of teaching the same math concept while simultaneously ensuring students can practice their foundational skills.
References
Katz, S. (n.d) Learning Exchange — Theory of Action. Retrieved from https://vimeo.com/87242143