Lesson 2: What does Layered Curriculum look like?

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When walking into a classroom that functions using Layered Curriculum what you might see is often difficult to take in upon first glance. Often times the teacher is not immediately noticeable because they are mixed in with a group of students completing a hands-on activity while there are other groups of students completing a worksheet, while other students are working together to create a skit to demonstrate concepts from the unit. Every classroom and every day is a different experience using this instructional methodology.

In order to approach instruction through Layered Curriculum you first need to change your perspective on the role of teachers and students within a classroom.

source: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/07/magazine/07Teachers-t.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

In this lesson we'll take a look at what you would expect to see when walking into a classroom employing the Layered Curriculum teaching methodology with an emphasis on the role of teacher and student.

Role of Teacher

While there is no defined role that the teacher takes on, there is a general shift away from being the provider of knowledge that is inherent in a traditional teacher-centered setting, toward being a facilitator of learning in the student-centered environment promoted with Layered Curriculum. There are two areas in which the role of the teacher must be specifically addressed in order to take advantage of the features of Layered Curriculum. The first is the rate and type of feedback that students receive and give to the teacher, and the second is the approach that the teacher must have toward grading.

Feedback

As students complete assignments they should be asked a few questions to ensure that they have sufficient understanding of the concepts being addressed. This series of questions is known as an oral defense and is crucial to the learning process in Layered Curriculum. The one-on-one attention that this permits allows for highly personalized feedback for students to identify areas of strength or weaknesses.

In addition, students are able to provide feedback to their teacher in this setting regarding what works best for their learning process. In doing so, the teacher can make more informed decisions regarding what types of assignments to include in future units and to make adjustments to teaching strategies being used for the current unit.

Grading

In Layered Curriculum one of the primary goals is transparency in the learning process. As such, a coupled transparency in the grading process is required. In Lesson 1 you may have read this article on reliability in grading by Kathie Nunley does a wonderful job summarizing this need for transparency and reliability in the grading process.

To achieve this, students are given a unit sheet that describes all available assignments along with the number of points for each assignment. By doing this, students are able to keep track of their own grades and parents know what is expected of their children in order to get to a desired grade. To increase the chance that parents see the unit sheet I allow students to get a bonus point if they get their parent's signature.

Role of Student

Just as every teacher has their own set of expectations for what students are expected to do, Layered Curriculum allows for a similar range. However, the transition to teaching through Layered Curriculum is coupled by a shift in four aspects of the role of students: following directions, productivity, collaboration, and peer feedback. Many of these are seen in a variety of traditional classrooms, but these require specific attention in conjunction to enhance the learning process of your students.

Following Directions

Due to the fact that the teacher takes on the role of facilitator and spends much of their time traveling from group to group, students must become more independent in their learning. To this end, students must become more competent in following directions that are contained in the assignments that they are working on. Students become less dependent on the teacher to hold their hand in the learning process because they have limited access to the teacher's attention.

Productivity

In order to become productive members of society students must first become productive members of a learning environment. Unfortunately,many students have been able to fall into habits of not completing any assignments but still doing well enough on an exam to get by because they pay just enough attention in class. With Layered Curriculum this just isn't the case. In order to learn the information you truly must actively participate in the learning process. In my own classroom I have found that a student's grade on an exam comes within 5 to 10 points of their grade on the unit work. The correlation is truly astounding to see.

Collaboration

source: https://ozgekaraoglu.edublogs.org/2009/07/31/two-gr8-projects-to-collaborate/

Learning is not an individual endeavor. With Layered Curriculum students are often required to work with other students on an array of assignments. This does not mean that students complete a worksheet together with one or two individual students finding all of the answers, but instead students are often asked to complete a difficult task in conjunction with other students. Critical thinking skills of all members of a class are developed along side collaborative skills which are of crucial importance to students throughout their lives.

Peer Feedback

Just as the teacher provides feedback to the students, students also should be providing feedback to each other. As students collaborate they should take time to reflect on what methods worked toward the collective learning process. This is largely done by allowing students time to reflect on their own roles and contributions to the team's work as well as to voice their thoughts in a constructive manner with other members of the group. This process will eventually become virtually automatic to students as they continue to search for the most effective and efficient strategies to use in their groups.

Assessment

Choose one of the following assignments to demonstrate your current level of understanding of the role of teacher and student in a classroom employing Layered Curriculum.

Draw a picture showing the different roles that students and teachers partake within a lesson.
Write a one page reflection on how you envision a classroom using Layered Curriculum.
Create a brochure that details the role shifts discussed in this lesson.
Compose and perform a song or skit that demonstrates the role shifts discussed in this lesson.

Navigate to: Implementation of Layered Curriculum | Lesson 1: What is Layered Curriculum? | Lesson 3: What goes in to a layer?