Content Knowledge, Instruction, and Design

Standard 4. A teacher knows the teacher’s content area and how to teach it (design of curriculum

and instruction).

Candidates demonstrate their ability to plan and design instruction that supports every student in

meeting rigorous learning goals by drawing upon knowledge of content areas, cross-disciplinary

skills, and pedagogy, as well as knowledge of learners and the community context. The

Candidate demonstrates the understanding and use of a variety of instructional strategies to

encourage learners to develop deep understanding of content areas and their connections, and to

build skills to apply knowledge in meaningful ways.

Carol Ann Tomlinson, educator and author of The Differentiated Classroom: Responding

to the Needs of All Learners (2014) defines content:

Content is what a student should come to know (facts), understand (concepts and
principles), and be able to do (skills), as a result of a given segment of study (a lesson, a
learning experience, a unit). Content is input. It encompasses the means by which
students will become acquainted with information ( through textbooks, supplementary
readings, web-based documents, videos, field trips, speakers, demonstrations, lectures,
computer programs, and a host of other sources) (Tomlinson, 2014, p. 72).

It is vital that we have a solid knowledge base for the content that we are teaching, and that we

are both competent and confident in doing so. “Experts use the essential skills and concepts of

their disciplines at a demanding, high-quality level” (Tomlinson, 2014, p. 55). However, to be

effective teachers we must combine our content knowledge with our pedagogy to ensure that we

are teaching more than merely facts. “The details, the facts may be important building blocks to

understanding, but when they are gone, no longer recalled easily, what is left? It is to this larger
arena, to the deeper understandings, that we should turn more of our attention” (Perrone, 1991, p.

23). For the unit of my TWS, I wanted my students to understand how to use evidence and

support from text to justify their claims and inferences. Wiggins & McTighe (2011) assert that

“We expect the student who has understanding to realize which facts to use and when…

understanding requires self prompting and self-selection from ones own repertoire of knowledge

and skills” (p. 49). We can assist our students in reaching success by giving them opportunities to

apply their learning to relevant situations. The more interconnected our content areas are and the

more they relate to our students’ lives outside of the classroom the greater their understanding

with be. “Genuine expertise in a subject area is not so much mastery of facts as it is the

application of insights and skills” (Tomlinson, 2014, p. 54). Our students need authentic

opportunities to think deeply about content and apply essential skills. “When subject matter is

dynamic, intellectually intriguing, and personal––when it bestows power to the learner––the

“details” also become more important and memorable” (Tomlinson, 2014, p. 53). This suggests

the importance that educators know their students well, and that they maintain high expectations

for all learners. “Presenting a robust curriculum with appropriate supports to a broad range of

students communicates the teacher’s belief in the capacity of each of those students to grow

dramatically as learners” (Tomlinson, 2014, p. 56). For this unit, some supports I provided were

hard copy and audio versions of the text, graphic organizers, and student choice. When

instructing I utilized mini lessons and followed the gradual release of responsibility method.

Although it was interrupted by the abrupt closure of schools, I created this Teacher Work

Sample (TWS) for a unit I designed using literature circles. The TWS includes a full
Understanding by Design (UbD), known also as the backwards design, lesson plan. The idea of

backwards design is eloquently explained by Stephen R. Covey:

“To begin with the end in mind means to start with a clear understanding of your

destination. It means to know where you’re going so that you better understand where

you are now so that the steps you take are always in the right direction” (as cited in

Wiggins & McTighe, 2006, p. 1).

The structure and process of backwards design can be divided into three stages:

Identifying desired results (goals and objectives), determining acceptable evidence of results

(assessments), and planning learning experiences and instruction (content and pedagogy)

(Wiggins & McTighe, 2006, p. 17-18).

In creating this unit I first looked at the contextual factors of my students. This included

community, classroom, and individual student characteristics. I reflected upon my continual

goals for students, and then using fifth grade English language arts standards as a guide I

identified two learning goals for the unit. Standards are the guiding principles that teachers must

follow in their practice. They assist teachers in knowing what is expected and what should be

accomplished. Within these standards learning objectives will be created that keep lessons on

task, inform students and parents what to expect, and allow for assessment. Once I had

determined the goals I was able to make decisions about how and when I wanted to assess

students. While the unit was unable to be finished due to Covid-19, I planned for pre- and post-

assessments, formative assessments through discussion checklists and role sheets, choice

performance tasks, and a summative assessment using the author’s theme response template. I

continually referred to back to the big idea of the lesson while simultaneously considering the
contextual factors of my current class. “If assessment is to be supportive of students’ learning, it

must be developed to fit with the learning targets you have for students” (Taylor & Nolen, 2008,

p. 41).

Educators must consider what knowledge and skills students will need in order to be

successful in mastering the goals and objectives. This requires teachers to have a firm

understanding of where they want their students to be, where their students are currently, and

how to get them to the desired level of mastery. “Students vary in readiness, interest, and

learning profile” (Tomlinson, 2014, p. 18). Readiness can be likened to the background

knowledge and prerequisite skills that students have. Lesson design should accommodate the

natural variability of entry points for students. “Interest refers to a learner’s affinity, curiosity, or

passion for a particular topic or skill” (Tomlinson, 2014, p. 19). A learning profile is the way in

which an individual student learns best. “When we have in-depth understanding for how our

students learn, there is a major impact on diagnosing student needs and planning effective

supports” (McCarthy, 2014, p. 1). To meet the needs of all learners, teachings should

differentiate curriculum and instruction while maintaining high expectations for every student:

[T]he teacher in a differentiated classroom believes in the capacity of every student to

succeed, works from curriculum that requires every student to grapple with the essential
understandings or principles of a discipline and to be a thinker and problem solver in the
context of that curriculum, scaffolds the next steps of every learner in a progression
toward and beyond critical learning goals, and creates a classroom that actively supports
the growth of each of its members (Tomlinson, 2014, p. 27).

As demonstrated in my TWS, decision making is an integral part of instruction. For this unit, I

used data informed decisions in both individual and whole class instruction. Providing additional

tools, such as an audible version of the text, and teaching mini lessons on areas in need of growth
were decisions I made in response to formative assessments. Lessons plans should be flexible to

the needs of current students while maintaining the original goals and objectives.

The fluidity of content knowledge, instruction, and design is paramount for teacher and

student success no matter which content area is being taught. I am confident in my ability to

become an expert in the areas I teach, and will continually strive to adapt my strategies and

techniques in teaching knowledge and skills in response to the students I serve.

 References

McCarthy, J. (2014, August 12). How learning profiles can strengthen your teaching. Edutopia.

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/learning-profiles-john-mccarthy

Perrone, V. (1991). A letter to teachers. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers.

Taylor, C. S. & Nolen, S. B. (2008). Classroom assessment: Supporting teaching and learning

in real classrooms. 2nd ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Tomlinson, C. (2014) Differentiated classrooms: Responding to the needs of all learners, 2nd

ed. ASCD.

Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (2006). Understanding by design. New Jersey: Pearson Merrill

Prentice Hall.

Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (2011). The understanding by design guide to creating high-quality

units. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.