Curriculum & Technology
Transforming Teaching and
Learning Through High-Level
Thinking Skills
Charlottesville City Schools
December 2012
Strategic Plan: Objective 1.2.1
The Three-Story Intellect
By August 2013, revise
GPS documents and noncore curriculum guides to
ensure the inclusion of 21st
century skills and higherlevel thinking strategies (as
defined by Costa’s Threestory Intellect, for example)
in each unit of instruction.
Level 3
Evaluate
Predict
Assess
Judge
Idealize
Forecast
Level 2
Compare
Apply
Solve
Analyze
Reason
Infer
Examine
Contrast
Explain
Level 1
Label
Identify
Define
Spell
Choose
Name
Select
Restate
Match
*
The Work We've Done
• Last Spring
o
Identified 21st century and
higher-level thinking skills to
include in GPS documents.
• Last Summer
o
Had curriculum writers in the
core content areas identify at
least two high-level thinking
strategies in each unit of study.
• This Fall
o
Introduced teachers to thinking
strategies in the GPS.
Challenging All Students
Teachers can differentiate
Content
Process
Product
According to a student’s
Readiness
Interests
Learning Profile
through a range of instructional strategies such as
tiered assignments
complex instruction
flexible grouping
learning centers
problem-based learning
independent study
choice board
varied text
literature circles
Elementary English
•
School Year 2011–2012
o
Researched materials that
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Aligned with new English standards
Supported 21st century skills
Stressed Costa's high-level thinking strategies
Spring 2012
o
o
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Selected Benchmark Literacy for Tier 1 instruction
Matched curriculum and assessments to new
resources and Costa's levels
Increased teacher awareness of new resources
prior to implementation
Elementary English
•
Fall 2012
o
Implemented new curriculum aligned with 2010
English standards
o
Trained all teachers on resource materials
o
Provided on-site coaching at schools
o
Offered site-specific professional development
Secondary English
June 2012
• Summer training on new resources
• Curriculum planning with the best turnout to date!
August–November 2012
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Training on new resources (live, virtual, ongoing)
Increasing rigor in instruction and on assessments
Encouraging collaboration and communication
Increasingly integrating technology
Secondary English
D
a
s
h
b
o
a
r
d
Assignment Tracking
Direct Feedback
Personal Portfolio
Secondary English
Rigor, Communication,
and Collaboration:
Live & Virtual
Discussion - A Raisin in the Sun
Moodle Chat - Huckleberry Finn
AVID one-pager
"The Green Gulch"
Moodle Forum - The Scarlet Letter
Reading Groups - Something Upstairs
Historical Thinking Skills
1. Chronological thinking
2. Historical comprehension
3. Historical analysis and
interpretation
4. Historical research
capabilities
5. Historical issues-analysis and
decision-making
The Language of Mathematics
•
•
•
Aligned GPS to new math content standards (2009) and added
process standards
Increased rigor with multiple choice questions
Focused more on open-ended questions & performance tasks
o
o
Math Olympiad questions
Quest boxes
o
o
Technology Enhanced Items
Exemplars
Math Exemplars - An Example
The Rigors of Science
The Relevance of Science
Students think like a scientist
as they…
• Partner with scientists in the
community.
o White coat ceremony
o UVA students and faculty
•
•
Have meaningful, interdisciplinary
field experiences.
o Monticello
o Camp Albemarle
o Buford garden
See themselves as scientists.
How We Support Learners
•
•
Students and teachers report improved tablet
image — faster, more responsive
Tablets received software & updates via SCM
o Audio drivers
o Shockwave updates
o Shortcuts for calibration
o Wireless repair
•
Tablets received site-specific testing profiles
that support test application requirements
o IA, MAP, and TestNav
Tablet Issues from Help Desks
(Oct. 1 – Dec. 3)
How We Support Staff
•
MAP and IA testing issues reported from
numerous sites
o Not limited to specific hardware or location
o Challenges were more global
o IT responses included

Wireless assessments

On-site support

wireless network repairs and improvements

Image/profile updates for tablets to ensure acceptance of
browser plugins from testing providers
How We Support Staff
•
The work we are doing
o Established web-based help desk solution for
better reporting and tracking of issues
o Provided Citrix Virtual Desktops setup to mirror
programs available on Tablets
o Have loaner Tablets prepped and available to
coordinators and teachers
o Offer ongoing evaluation and feedback via Blast
committee, TACC meetings, and informal sessions
o Meet regularly with school and division leadership
How We Support Hardware
•
Improved Tech support at schools
o Help desks are staffed during all school hours
•
Established a Help Desk ticketing system for
tracking issues
o System is populated by Help Desk staff
•
Completed Fujitsu self service agreement
and training
o Tablets are now repaired on-site
Instructional Technology Team
•
•
The Team
o Division Coordinator
and 5 ITRTs
Their Skills
o Instructional specialists
 Explore, plan, implement effective teaching strategies
o Curriculum specialists
 Understand, integrate, link curriculum and standards; model and
co-teach lessons
o
o
Resource specialists

Provide instructional materials – websites, lessons,
assessments
Professional developers

Provide on-demand support, demonstrations, hands-on training
Technology Integration
Our goal is to transform teaching and learning
experiences by integrating technology seamlessly
into instructional practices so that the technology
becomes a transparent and integral tool to teach
the core curriculum.
Curriculum and Technology
•
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Communicate
Collaborate
Organize
Manage
Research
Practice
•
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Present
Assess
Reflect
Invent
Innovate
Access
information
Why Integrate?
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Improve student learning by
creating richer lessons
Increase rigor of academics
and quality of learning
Stimulate curiosity and interest
Engage and motivate learners
Improve how all students learn
content
Why Integrate?
•
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Differentiate instruction
Project-based learning
Formative assessment with immediate
feedback
Communication
Employing technology provides a variety of new ways
to learn, and in the process, fosters independent
thinking, problem solving, and collaborative learning.
Walker 6th Grade
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30% of teachers have a web presence
Daily use
Think Through Math
socrative.com
Online math games
Research projects
Blogs
Writing assessment
Buford Middle School
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93% of teachers have a web presence
Photostory
GIS/Mapping Tools
TEIs
Moodle Forum
Reading comprehension tools
www.freerice.com
ST Math and Think Through Math
Research
Charlottesville High School
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90% of teachers have a web presence
Blended learning in action
Flipped classroom
Comprehensive use and integration of
tablets…
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in every course

for all content areas

throughout classroom practices
Curriculum & Technology at Work
Probing scientists
Reading at the iPod Cafe
Hard at work
Working with graphing calculators
Exploring together
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