EDUC 771 - Curriculum Change Plan Part 3 - Core Decisions

.docx

School

Liberty University *

*We aren’t endorsed by this school

Course

771

Subject

Mathematics

Date

Feb 20, 2024

Type

docx

Pages

Uploaded by MateFlag4267

CORE DECISIONS 1 Curriculum Change Plan: Part 3 - Core Decisions Angela J Tippett School of Education, Liberty University Author Note Angela J Tippett I have no known conflict of interest to disclose. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Angela J Tippett Email: ajtippett@liberty.edu

CORE DECISIONS 2 Goals and Standards Three of the measurable goals developed for the curriculum change plan in sixth-grade math all pertain to using prior skills and knowledge to further students’ understanding of critical foundational concepts in mathematics. Goal 1, after 10 months of instruction and learning, students will be able to apply and extend previous understandings of multiplication and division to divide fractions by fractions. Goal 2, after 10 months of instruction and learning, students will be able to apply and extend previous understandings of numbers to systems of rational numbers. Goal 3, after 10 months of instruction and learning, students will be able to apply and extend previous understandings of arithmetic to algebraic expressions. Critical thinking is a skill found most lacking in my middle school classrooms. There are a variety of reasons this may be happening, but it is a skill which they must possess in order to excel in mathematics at a higher level. There are two theories which speak to this necessity, Ausubel’s learning theory and the Theory of Realistic Mathematical Education (RME), both of which address the need to build upon previous knowledge and have the ability to apply that knowledge in real-world problem-solving (Adhikari, 2020). Ausubel proposes that “...learning is a process of linking new information or material with concepts that already exist in one’s cognitive structure.” (Ulandari et al., 2019). Mathematics requires learners to always build on prior learning. Being able to link the new learning with prior knowledge is the core concept of RME, creating real-life problems for students to solve, building a review of prior knowledge into the instruction, and then requiring students to analyze the problem based on what they know to discover what they do not know (Van den Heuvel-Panhuizen & Drijvers, 2020). In mathematics, RME creates a platform for continuous learning and review, which allows the students to create

CORE DECISIONS 3 more vital links between their previous knowledge and the new information being presented. (Tiruneh et al., 2018; Ulandari et al., 2019; Adhikari, 2020). In creating this curriculum change plan, it is important to base it on North Carolina state standards, to best prepare students for end-of-year assessments, but also to properly align this grade level learning with the scope and sequence of the K-12 mathematics curriculum. The goals chosen align with NC State Standards for 6 th Grade Mathematics as follows:  Goal 1: NC.6.NS.1 – Use visual models and common denominators to: o Interpret and compute quotients of fractions o Solve real-world and mathematical problems involving division of fractions  Goal 2: NC.6.NS.5 – Understand and use rational numbers to: o describe quantities having opposite directions or values o Represent quantities in real-world contexts, explaining the meaning of 0 in each situation. o Understand the absolute value of a rational number. As its distance from zero on the number line to:  Interpret absolute value as magnitude for a positive or negative quantity in a real-world context.  Distinguish comparisons of absolute value from statements about order.  Goal 2: NC.6.NS.8 - Solve real-world and mathematical problems. By graphing points in all four quadrants of the coordinate plane. Include use of coordinates and absolute value to find distances between points with the same first coordinate or the same second coordinate.

CORE DECISIONS 4  Goal 3: NC.6.NS.9 - Apply and extend previous understandings of addition and subtraction. o Describe situations in which opposite quantities combine to make zero. o Understand P + Q as the number located a distance Q from P, in the positive or negative direction depending on the sign of Q. Show that a number and its additive inverse create a zero pair. o Understand subtraction of integers as adding the additive inverse, p-q=p+(-q). Show that the distance between two integers on the number line is the absolute value of their difference. o Use models to add and subtract integers from -20 to 20 and describe real-world contexts using sums and differences. (North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, 2018) Each of these goals will require students to think critically about the application of prior knowledge and create links within their memory to the new material being explored ( Altaylar & Kazak, 2021) . Without these critical thinking skills more adequately developed, the students will continue to struggle with foundational concepts in every other mathematics course they are required to take (Ulandari et al., 2019). Organization Plan One of the most effective ways to build critical thinking into a mathematics lesson is to plan the lesson with the outcomes and objectives in mind from the beginning. Using the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) model for planning and organizing instruction in the new mathematics curriculum being planned ensures that critical thinking will be assessed throughout the lessons and will be an expected outcome for all the students (Root et al., 2020). With UDL,

Your preview ends here

Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version

Access to all documents
Unlimited textbook solutions
24/7 expert homework help