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“I
want you to get excited about who you are, what
you have, and what can still be for you. I want to
inspire you to see that you can go far beyond
where you are right now.”
~Virginia
Satir |
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| When
does instruction become rigorous and |
| relevant? |
 Standards represent rigorous, high stakes academic
expectations and educators challenge students to meet
those expectations through relevant instruction!
Educators provide rigorous and relevant instruction by
initiating standards that promote student learning well
beyond content knowledge.
Remember, standards are directed toward what the
student should know and
be able to do. Since the focus is on rigorous and relevant instruction, it
is wise to establish what both terms mean upfront!
| Think about it.
Relax for a moment and consider |
| the term rigorous.
When you think of this word, |
| what is the first thought that comes to your mind? |
| Now, think about rigorous instruction.
What do |
| you think that term means? |
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Type your response in the textbox below.
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Then click “Compare Thoughts.”
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| Now,
reflect on whether you consider your prior |
| knowledge
of rigorous instruction as novice, |
| average,
or expert. |
|
| When
does instruction become rigorous? |
|
| From the onset of planning standards-based |
| instruction, it is necessary to establish and |
| provide opportunities for students to gain
in-depth |
| understanding of the standard.
One way is to |
| design instruction utilizing spiral
curriculum. |
| Increasing the depth and complexity of the |
| learning objective while building upon prior |
| experience and knowledge helps students reach |
| a more comprehensive understanding of the |
| specified content and skills. |
|
| Click
“Example” to view an illustration of
spiraling |
| curriculum
within a Sunshine State Standard. |
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| Integrating
both content knowledge and process |
| skills
into the instructional activity reinforces |
| teaching
for understanding of the learning |
| objective. Problem-solving activities
provide |
| opportunities
for students to analyze and evaluate |
| their
degree of understanding and ability to |
| communicate
information to the educator. |
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| Time to reflect. |
| Think
about an instructional activity you planned |
| and
whether you consider it rigorous.
With this |
| thought
in mind, answer the two questions below. |
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Did
you integrate both content
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|
knowledge and process skills
into
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|
the
activity? |
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Did you address both
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problem-solving and communication
|
|
skills in the
activity?
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| Within
the instructional process, educators |
| incorporate
reading, writing, and technology skills |
| at
higher levels of involvement to increase the |
|
level of
student achievement.
Educators also |
| provide
students
with the opportunity for |
| expression –
asking
questions, referencing |
| experiences,
developing
rubrics, and participating |
| in lessons. |
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Are
you moving in the right direction? |
|
|
Click
the icon for a synopsis
of rigorous instruction.
|
 |
| Relevant
Instruction |
|
| Think about it. Now
consider the term relevant |
| in
the same manner.
When you think of this word, |
| what
is the first thought that comes to
your |
| mind?
Now, think about how that applies to |
| instruction.
What do you think relevant instruction |
| means? |
|
|
Type your response in the textbox below.
|
|
Then
click “Compare Thoughts.”
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| Now,
reflect on whether you consider your prior |
| knowledge
of rigorous instruction as novice, |
| average,
or expert. |
|
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| When
does instruction become relevant? |
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| Think
about it. Students
are extremely inquisitive |
| individuals.
Often their questions are not directly |
| related
to factual knowledge. For example, two |
| recurring
questions from students are as follows: |
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1.Why am I studying and learning this |
|
information? |
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2.When and how am I ever going to use it?
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| Educators are always trying to provide the best |
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answers possible to these questions.
Sometimes |
| it is helpful to answer a
question with a question. |
| Choosing the right question can lead learners to |
| the best
answers. For
example, two guiding |
| questions for educators to
consider while planning |
| instructional activities
are as follows: |
|
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1.When do students see value in what they |
|
are learning? |
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2.How does instruction support students in |
|
pursuing goals that they feel are important? |
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| For instruction to be relevant, students must
see |
| the need for learning.
It is important for educators |
| to present information to students and
explain |
| why they need to know it and when and
how |
| they are going to use it.
Emphasizing that
proper |
| education builds knowledge and skills
necessary |
| for successful lifestyles in the future reinforces |
|
the need for relevant instruction. |
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|
Time
to reflect.
|
| Think
about an instructional activity you
developed |
| and
whether you view it as relevant. With
this |
| thought
in mind, answer the two questions below. |
|
 |
|
Did
you include information based |
|
on students' prior
experiences? |
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Did you address real-world |
|
situations within
problem-solving |
|
activities? |
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| Within the instructional process, educators |
| include
activities that allow students to |
| share and relate their own
personal experiences.
|
| Problem-solving
activities set in real-world |
| situations provide
opportunities for students to |
| see the relevance
in
what
they are learning. |
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Are you moving in the right direction?
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|
Click
the icon for a synopsis of relevant instruction.
|
 |
| Are you on target? |
| Having
thoroughly examined the terms rigorous |
| and
relevant
within the context of |
| standards-based
instruction,
consider the following |
| classroom
situation. |
|
|
| The class is Social Studies and the students are |
|
involved in a unit of study on ancient Egypt. |
| The benchmark addressed is SS.A.1.3.2.8.1. |
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| Read each question carefully and decide if you |
|
think the instruction is rigorous and relevant. |
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|
Click
the box beside each instructional
|
|
statement you
consider rigorous and relevant.
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Click “Compare
Thoughts” to check your answers.
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Click
the Keys to Success
|
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| Summary |
| Considering instruction as both rigorous and |
|
relevant toward a specified goal guides educators |
| and
students to focus on both content knowledge |
| and process
skills. Key
components sometimes |
| missing in instructional design are
the fundamental |
| queries (the why, how, when, where of
learning) |
| that direct the search for knowledge and |
|
application. If
the direction for learning is not |
|
clear from the
beginning, both educators and |
|
students move from topic
to topic and never get |
|
anywhere. |
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To
summarize when instruction becomes
|
| rigorous
and relevant, review the following |
| statements: |
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The
instruction is tied to the standards.
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The
instruction is supported with
|
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opportunities for
students to demonstrate
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higher-order thinking
skills.
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The
instruction is directed toward
|
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improving
students’
problem-solving |
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|
and
communication skills. |
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The
instruction integrates both knowledge
|
|
content and
process skills into the
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|
activity.
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The
instruction provides activities set in |
|
real-world
context. |
|
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The
instruction includes information based |
|
on students’
prior experiences. |
|
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Time
to reflect.
|
Think
about an instructional  activity
you designed and
whether you view it as being both rigorous and relevant.
With this thought in mind, answer the two
questions below. |
|
|
Did
you tie the instruction to the |
|
standards
in a meaningful way |
|
(real-world)? |
|
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Did
you support instruction with |
|
opportunities
for students to |
|
demonstrate
higher-order thinking |
|
skills? |
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| That’s
not all!
|
| Interested
in connections to dynamic Websites |
| featuring additional
information on rigorous and |
| relevant instruction? |
|
|
Click
the Web icon |
 |
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What’s
next?
|
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With a firm understanding of when instruction
becomes rigorous and relevant as well as its connection
to standards, educators direct their attention toward
facets of learning.
Proceed into the next component of the module
focusing on the following two questions:
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How
do educators incorporate standards
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into the
instruction?
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What
are the basic facets for successful |
|
instruction?
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