PTS : Understanding and Organizing Subject Matter for Student Learning
Element: Organizing curriculum to support student understanding of subject matter
Indicators
As teachers develop, they may ask, “How do I…” or “Why do I…”:
- Use my knowledge of development to organize and sequence the curriculum to increase student understanding?
- Use my subject matter knowledge to organize and sequence the curriculum to increase student understanding?
- Use my knowledge of the subject to plan units and instructional activities that demonstrate key concepts and their interrelationships?
- Organize subject matter effectively to reveal and value different cultural perspectives?
- Incorporate subject or grade level expectations and curriculum frameworks in organizing
subject matter?
- Organize curriculum to ensure that students develop a deep understanding of core concepts in each subject matter area?
Descriptions
Examples may include, but are not limited to:
- Building students’ understanding of a concept over time by sequencing activities to connect new learning to prior learning
- Aligning lessons with state and citywide standards, and grade benchmarks
- Helping students connect subject matter to real world applications (e.g., using percentage to determine how much tax you will pay, using measurement to build scenery, using language arts skills to compose a letter to a local official)
- Providing students an opportunity to experience concepts and ideas through multiple perspectives
Problems of Practice
Challenges with this element frequently include:
- Teaching content out of sequence, or teaching a topic for which students do not have enough background knowledge- and failing to build that knowledge (e.g., teaching mitosis before students have an understanding of cell structure)
- Attempting to teach concepts by presenting students with unrelated information, facts and figures
- Expecting students to be able to apply new knowledge and skills independently, and dismissing the fact that there are students who do not yet have the ability to use this new information