Clinical Field Experience B: Aligning Lessons

Curt McCollum

EAD 520 - Strengthening Curricular Programs to

Promote Continuous School Improvement

Grand Canyon University

February 23, 2022

Dr. Patterson
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Clinical Field Experience B: Aligning Lessons

Teachers’ engagement enhances the implementation of standard-aligned curriculum,

instruction, and assessment to improve students' academic performance. School leaders should

discuss curricular, instructional, and assessment approaches with their faculty staff to evaluate

their alignment with the curriculum standards and the school’s mission and vision (Cassata &

Allensworth, 2021).

I interviewed Coach Baucom, a public high school teacher, and Deborah Dunford, a

charter elementary school teacher, to understand how different teachers plan lessons. They

both teach ELA/SS/GT with a special education certification. Ms. Dunford teaches fourth

grade English where she does six class periods of students, while Baucom teaches English for

10th and 11th graders and has seven periods. We discussed instructional challenges and demands

of a specific content area or grade level. We also covered the methods for planning lessons and

the tools. I also asked them about their strategies to differentiate learners and apply technology

in teaching and learning. Our discussion also focused on the relationship between the

curriculum and instruction and the school’s vision and mission. Finally, we reviewed the

administration support the teachers received.

Instructional Challenges and Curricular Demands

Both interviewees highlighted the COVID-19 pandemic as the most significant

challenge they faced. Ms. Dunford and Baucom explained that the federal and state regulations

for controlling transmission forced their schools to close down for a long time. Teachers and

students had to cover the curriculum when learning resumes, but it has been challenging
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(Ressa, 2021). The teachers quoted the lack of time to plan and prepare for lessons as the main

challenge. They stated it was hard to meet the curriculum scope and sequence. However, they

also use the weekends and evenings to plan their schoolwork. They also ensure students attend

classes unless they are in quarantine to improve coverage and learning outcomes.

Lesson Planning Methods and Tools

The teachers described their approaches to lesson planning and the tools they used.

They said they met with their grade level team to standardize the lesson plans from class to

class. The interviewees said they both have a PLC period (professional learning communities)

to discuss teaching issues, including planning lessons. Common features of a typical lesson

plan include prior knowledge review, anticipatory set for new learning, I do, We do, and You

do approaches, essential questions, feedback opportunities, and student assessments/activities.

Concerning the teachers' tools in developing lesson plans, Baucom stated she used TEKs

Resource System’s Year at a Glance for pacing. The teacher also uses TEKs specificity feature

in line with the state accountability-assessment requirements (Implementing TEKs Resource

System, n. d.). Both teachers added that they applied gradual release of responsibility

instruction model to make students independent thinkers (Fisher & Frey, 2003). Nonetheless,

they noted lesson planning is time-consuming but relevant.

Differentiation Strategies

Both teachers talked of having a special education teacher in their classroom. Ms.

Dunford has a special inclusion aide, while Baucom has a special education co-teacher. Baucom

and co-teacher Koets use the team-teach and parallel instruction model (Buckingham et al.,

2021). The interviewees reported that the special education teachers enabled them to meet the

learning needs of the special students. They added that the PLC has allowed them to collaborate
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in creating individualized educational plans for the students. Ms. Dunford has a background in

special education. She works closely with the inclusion aide to manage special education learners

in small interventional groups. She stated that her expertise in special education and the special

education aide had boosted the students’ performance.

Technology Use in Instruction

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the teachers reported that they have been using

technology in all their classes. Dunford and Baucom said they had used Google Classroom to

assign classwork to their students and monitor attendance. Baucom highlighted they have been

applying flipped classrooms in high school. The students watch lectures online, engage in online

discussions, or research class content at home. The learners also participate in classroom

discussions on curricular concepts with a mentor's guidance. I asked how the students perceived

the new flipped classroom. Both teachers said the students were responsive because the

technology allowed them to review coursework multiple times at home, allowing more time for

new learning in the classroom.

Curriculum and Instruction Relationship with Vision/Mission and Continous Improvement

Plan (CIP)

The two teachers participate in their respective schools’ professional learning

communities. They discuss the school’s vision, mission, and the CIP when setting teacher and

student goals and daily lesson planning. Baucom said that during their District Data Meetings,

they match the results of the quarter assessment with the state standards of Meets Measure. They

also align lesson planning with the CIP plan. Baucom added that each end-of-course tested area

must analyze their progress towards CIP goals and provide justifications. She felt the process

was overwhelming but highlighted it had made her a better teacher.

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Support and Guidance

Both teachers said school administrators supported their classwork. They explained that

during PLC meetings, the teachers and the leaders discussed strategies to use common

assessments and data to inform future re-teach opportunities. The campus administrators are

present in all critical PLC meetings, and they pop in and observe in most sessions where they

provide feedback when necessary.

Review of Lesson Plans and Supplemental Materials

Both Ms. Dunford and Baucom’s lesson plans meet the requirements. They are detailed

lesson plans and follow the TAP Rubric model for instruction. The lesson plans have a clear

student learning objective (SLO) that comprises a skill, the reason for teaching, and the mode of

achieving mastery. Both teachers use a gradual learning approach. Ms. Dunford reviews

vocabularies before reading passages while Baucom reads and breaks down passages. Baucom

has a worksheet for assessing the students' mastery of concepts in each chapter. After guided

practice, the teachers assess the students individually. Having evaluated the two lesson plans, I

believe they can score well after the SWP evaluation.

How the Teachers’ Lesson Planning Strategies Incorporate PSEL

The two teachers have incorporated the Professional Standards for Educational Leaders

(PSEL) standard 2c “Place children at the center of education and accept responsibility for each

student’s academic success and well-being" (Reston, 2015). Dunford and Baucom build lesson

plans targeting all students and accommodating special learners. Also, the teachers use

approaches such as gradual learning to improve the performance of every student. I plan to
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utilize lesson plans to meet all my students' learning needs and align with the curriculum

standards.

References

Buckingham, L. R., Lopez-Hernandez, A., & Strotmann, B. (2021). Learning by comparison:

The benefits of co-teaching for university professors’ professional development.

Frontiers in Education, 6(776991), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2021.776991

Cassata, A., & Allensworth, E. (2021). Scaling standards-aligned instruction through teacher

leadership: Methods, supports, and challenges. International Journal of STEM

Education, 8(39), 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40594-021-00297-w

Fisher, D., & Frey, N. (2003). Writing instruction for struggling adolescent readers: A gradual

release model. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 46, 396–407.

https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ660733

Implementing TEKs Resource System (n. d.). TEKs resource system implementation guide.

Implementing TEKs Resource System. https://implementingteksrs.com/

Ressa, T. W. (2021). The COVID-19 pandemic, its consequences, and the recovery:

Implementation of disaster education and management is key to the schooling of children

with disabilities. International Journal of Modern Education Studies, 5(1), 22-48.

http://dx.doi.org/10.51383/ijonmes.2021.62