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No one can do the job without proper tools. Those may be skills, they might be rubrics, they might be collegiality.
That's where we are today.
- What are some examples of Quadrant C and D that happen in your classroom?
- What will allow you to assess your curriculum for Quadrant D infusion?
- How much time will you need to plan?
- Who do you need to pair with?
- What else can we do?
Please post your reflection in the blog.
Thanks..
11 comments:
Based on what I perceive Quadrant D to be, I see that every PowerPoint presentation created in Word Processing II is in the Quadrant D corner.
1. 30 Second Television Animation similar to a 10 ten list created for the David Letterman show.
2. Animated Bowling lane PowerPoint similar to one that might be scene at the opening of a video.
3. My World Presentation. An oral presentation with original digital images presented in the form of a multi-media presentation used for informing co-workers.
4. Broadcast News. This is an informative two-minute multi-media presentation simulating a news break seen between cable television shows.
5. Maze Craze. This interactive gaming presentation shows the process for planning and creating gaming software.
6. Final Presentation. A presentation that involves detailed planning in the development of professional -looking three-minute multi-media presentation that either informs or entertains a focused group similar to one used in the workplace.
What will allow you to assess your curriculum for Quadrant D infusion? I need the opportunity and ability to come in contact with real life scenarios that can be simulated and recreated in the classroom.
How much time will you need to plan? The planning is ongoing and never ending. As technology changes so will how the students are trained.
1. What are some examples of Quadrant C and D that happen in your classroom?
I would say that several activities in the Spanish classroom are either quite Relevant or quite Rigorous, though a concise definition for Rigor still seems to allude me. Spanish IV has discussions regularly about different subjects of interest to the students and this is a very relevant and also rigorous activity in that it provides the opportunity to discuss subjects that the students might normally discuss in English while challenging them to maintain such a discussion in Spanish.
Spanish IV also completed a writing exercise where they had to write an additional chapter for a chapter book we recently completed. This takes their knowledge of the characters and situations in the rest of the book and provides them the opportunity to apply that learning in a creative and expressive way.
2. What will allow you to assess your curriculum for Quadrant D infusion?
It would be useful to see some Foreign Language Quadrant D lesson plans already drawn up.
3. How much time will you need to plan?
It will probably take several times meeting with Dale to assess curricular elements for Quadrant D exercises or to develop a new lesson.
4. Who do you need to pair with?
I would like to work with Dale Sperfslage to develop a Quadrant D Activity for Spanish 2.
5. What else can we do?
Nothing I can think of at the moment.
My small group defined Rigor as: Hard enough to challenge our students yet not so hard that they can not succeed.
1. What are some examples of Quadrant C and D that happen in your classroom?
There are many ways that I use all the quadrants especially C and D in my classroom. Visual expression ties into the rigor/relevance framework perfectly. I think it was written especially for the disciplines that teach problem solving and self expression while doing a variety of activities in the classroom.
My entire curriculum for my college Art Appreciation class is designed around quadrants C and D.
During the term my students are introduced to many visuals from time periods throughout history. Through reading and discussion my students are required to critically analyze , compare, justify, formulate, and examine 2 and 3-D visual art, while doing a variety of assessments.
Many of the assessments are in written self expression through critical thinking processes. Others include; quizzes, play, invent, art projects, essay, evaluate, and debate.
2. What will allow you to assess your curriculum for Quadrant D infusion?
Unsure
3. How much time will you need to plan?
To truly teach Quadrants C and D properly to my Art Appreciation students (a 1 term class) the class needs to be extended to 2 terms. More classroom time.
4. Who do you need to pair with?
Area art colleges and professors, art museum directors, area artists.
5. What else can we do?
Provided students the funding so they have the opportunity to go farther for a museum visit. Minneapolis, or Chicago for example.
Testing
1. Examples of Quadrant C and D in the classroom.
We continually examine cultural similarities and differnces. Then we assess or evaluate some of these aspects to see if they would be valuable to incorporate into our society.
In Spanish II we are going to create brochures using information that they have researched over a particular country of their choosing. The brochure is supposed to influence or persuade people to visit that country.
In Spanish III we have many discussions or debates over topics that happen to be relevant.
2. Kevin's PowerPoint has been very helpful in helping me start to understand the quadrants, as well as rigor and relevance.
3 and 4. Christopher Arp and I plan to work together to create a quadrant D activity for Spanish II. It will take several meeting times, but we have the same planning period, so it will not be a problem.
5. At this time I do not have any other questions.
testing
I am sure that I use some C and D Quadrant lessons in my classroom. We incorporate several activities that take the History we are studying and relate it to todays world. We also expand on these ideas with questions on the benchmark tests. Once I completely understand Quadrant D lesson plans it will help me in assessing my current lesson designs. I have been utilizing the information given to us by Dr. Mimi Dyer to help me understand the terminology etc...As Kevin mentioned the time to plan part I think is a never ending process, I just need to focus on kickstarting into the process. I would like to work with my department in the initial phases of development. We share many classes together and if we were all on board with terminology and interpretation of lesson plans I think it would work smoothly. As of now, no more questions
I have alot of performance based quadrant D activities during the final 4 benchmarks of Bio2 (biotechnology, genetically modified organisms, medical applications, and the human genome)and throughout the stoichiometry and electrochemical benchmarks of Chem2. I could assess my curriculum for Quad D infusion while I am rewriting it over the next 1 1/2 years. I still need to spend time learning how to better "formalize" my quadrant D lessons, and will need alot of time analyzing and upgrading lessons in Chem1, Chem2, Chem3, and Bio2. I suppose it be best if I do some of this with Kathy N on the Chem lessons, and the Bio1 teachers on the Bio2 lessons. We need to slow down and do the Quad D lessoning planning right. I don't know of any "quick fix", it's going to be very time consuming, and will have to be a major focus. But, with first things first, may have to remain in the background until we've been through the Hawks Habits for one complete cycle. Maybe focusing on Relevance first, Rigor second, and then Quad D Gold seal lessons third would be a practical way to approach R,R,R, & R at this time.
Based on what I perceive quadrant D to be, I see that labs presented in an inquiry format would be a quadrant D lesson, as they are rigorous as the student is doing the thinking, planning and doing and not the teacher, and they are relevant in the sense that they can be set up dealing with real world issues or issues done in a real world setting. That would probably be the first thing that I need to know is whether this line of thought is correct. We listened to a good presentation at the high school summit by some teachers from the PRice Lab in UNI and they gave some very good examples of Quad D and didn't make it seem like it was all that foreign or complicated, so I am trying to keep it simple, and so that is another thing that I need to know...do Quad D lessons really need to be multi step multi complicated or can they exist as simple entities? I wrote some up and found that I didn't know what "essential skills" meant on the planning form and I also was unsure of what differentiated a Gold seal lesson from a quad D lesson...are they one in the same or are gold seal lessons the really good quad D lessons and who decides that anyway?
1. What are some examples of Quadrant C and D that happen in your classroom?
I try to make my lessons as relevant as possible. I think it is important to help students make real world connections and it helps them understand the materials. At times rigor is difficult. When working with students that struggle with his or her reading, writing, and math skills, I may not get farther than working on knowledge and comprehension based skills. Many of my students struggle with trying to go beyond those skills into application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation. That does not mean those skills aren’t addressed or tried but I do look at the students ability and differentiate based on readiness.
2. What will allow you to assess your curriculum for Quadrant D infusion?
I would like to see how other special education teachers are infusing Quadrant D lessons. I would also like to see if they are allowed to help within the regular education planning and if the students with special education IEP’s are still required to work within Quadrant D or if they stay within the other Quadrant expectations.
3.- 4. How much time will you need to plan? Who do you need to pair with?
Once this becomes more familiar and we do this more frequently, I am sure we will all realize that we are all doing Quadrant D lessons to some extent. I don’t think there is any “time” formula that would allow this to occur but it would be nice to have some common time to plan with others. For example, I would like time to plan with the other special education teachers and also the regular education classroom teachers in which we “co-teach” with in their rooms. Together, I think that you could come up with great lesson plans that take students with special needs into consideration.
5. What else can we do?
Overall, I have been impressed with the people sharing information. I appreciated the materials that BLT provided and the email that Kevin sent. I would encourage that people continue to do so. I have been trying to research more information on Rigor/Relevance and I would like to see more lesson examples (specifically special education based). When reading an ASCD article on Rigor, I was frustrated when even the classrooms that were observed were all AP chemistry, AP US Government, AP English, or Algebra II. I was frustrated because the students in those classrooms are all college bound students and don’t address students with educational difficulties. I looked at the 7 “survival skills” (1. critical thinking and problem solving, 2. collaboration and leadership, 3. agility and adaptability, 4. initiative and entrepreneurialism, 5. effective oral and written communication, 6. accessing and analyzing information, 7. curiosity and imagination) that this article suggested kids need to survive in the 21st century and these are skills that my students will need as well and we try to address them with our students. Unfortunately, many of my students have difficulties with concrete answers and struggle, get frustrated, and give up on anything abstract that requires problem solving and critical thinking. So, I would like to see how to provide the rigor for my students without overly frustrating them. I have high but realistic expectations for my students and I don’t want to see a situation that is set up for them to fail before they even get an opportunity to succeed.
1. In my creative writing class the majority of it is designed/ influenced by the Quadrant C/D areas. The class in itself is quite rigorous and in essence based around courses that I had in college that were extremely strenuous and precise. I deduct from the explanations of Quadrant D lessons and the research of rigor and relevance that I’ve done that the majority of the papers that I assign in the course fall into these categories. These pieces are of a significant length but also must include elements of creative writing fiction which include: theme, plotlines, metaphors/ similes, strong protagonists, etc.
2. The powerpoint that was sent out earlier in the week helps out significantly. In order to attempt a pigeonhole of the projects that I assign, there is a difficulty in truly pinpointing whether or not it fits into the curriculum described by Quadrant D rules without a clear cut explanation.
3. A couple of planning periods.
4. No one.
5. Just continue to explain thoroughly what is expected of us, the faculty.
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