GADS 501 - Collaboration Dr.

Luke

Week 5 Learning Activity

Tammy Mitchell

Week 5 Learning Activity: Outline the steps that you would take in preparing for your first six months on the job. Include information from the readings and lesson planning guides to shape your decisions. Support each step with rationale from your readings.

The scenario places me in a new position as a Curriculum Supervisor for a school district interested in teaming teachers for interdisciplinary learning. They are interested in implementation at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. As a newly hired administrator, there are several steps I would take in the first six months as a Curriculum Supervisor. Step 1 As a new member of the faculty, I would want to have an understanding of the culture and climate of the district as a whole as well as in each of the individual buildings. This knowledge will help to guide my planning and preparation to integrate interdisciplinary learning. To get an understanding of this, I would first meet with each building principal. I may then send an email to all faculty and staff introducing myself and including a brief survey. The purpose of the survey will be explained and a token reward will be offered on the first in-service day for those who complete the survey. Step 2 Before the school year begins (assuming I was hired in the summer) I will present an outline of my agenda for implementation to the administrators and school board which in its most basic form will follow Jacobs (1991) recommendations of (1) conducting action research on current best practices, (2) developing a proposal for integration, (3) implementing and monitoring a pilot program, and (4) adopting a program and continuing to assess it. Step 3 When school begins, I will take the opportunity to formally introduce myself in each building and my short-term and long-term vision for the district which includes interdisciplinary teaching. I will then make use of one to two in-service days in August and/or September to instruct teachers and administrators on the philosophy behind interdisciplinary teaching, present some statistics that show both positive and negative aspects of interdisciplinary teaching, and provide examples of what implementation would look like at their respective levels. Below are some activities I would use to instruct faculty and administrators: y Create a WebQuest Integrating Heidi Hayes Jacobs workshop titled Interdisciplinary Learning in your Classroom (teachers will work in pairs or small groups to complete)

GADS 501 - Collaboration Dr. Luke

Week 5 Learning Activity

Tammy Mitchell

y y

Use Activity 3: Myths and Magic of Interdisciplinary Instruction Tasks 1 &2 (teachers will work in pairs or small groups to complete) Divide teachers and administrators up into groups of 6 (including a member of each content area specialty in secondary including special areas) Give each group a different topic such as Volcanoes, Holocaust, Egyptians, etc. and have them complete a Planning Wheel on poster paper to be hung around the room when complete for a gallery walk.

I will present an agenda of implementation to faculty and my ideas for their specific grade levels. In addition, I will reinforce the fact that this is a process that will not happen overnight and that the principals and I will be available for any questions they have or additional information they may need. Step 4 Over the next six months, teachers will work together during faculty meetings or preferably one in-service day per month. They will work in grade levels or teams that are determined by the building principle and I after considering the needs of the students. The teachers will begin by Thinking about common Themes they could use and essential questions to drive their planning and instruction. They will use Heidi Hayes Jacobs Unit Planning Document to begin to think about their Theme Unit design working through one theme at a time. They will start with a theme that could be worked in towards the 6th or 7th month of school so that theme could be piloted if possible within the established schedule. Step 5 Throughout the 6 months, I will continue to meet with the building principals and groups working on Theme development to provide assistance, guidance, and encouragement. Several groups of teachers will pilot their theme and will evaluate and provide feedback throughout. After observing and receiving feedback, the building principals and I will begin establishing changes in the schedule for the following school year to accommodate the curriculum integration process. I will have the teams who piloted the interdisciplinary teaching present positives and areas that still need worked out to the rest of their building or grade level.