Course Contract

I have the goal to better understand my students’ developmental stages. I currently teach in mixed grade classes, both with junior high and high school, and I am not sure I am always creating curriculum that is appropriate for all the kids in that I am trying to reach.

I will reach this goal by closely reading the sections of our textbooks that relate to this subject. I will both mark the book and create flash cards and/or organizational charts that include both vocabulary and concepts. It is important that I reflect on real-world experiences that I’ve come across while teaching. As often as possible, I will include a few additional sentences that refer to past students or past situations.

I want to feel confident in the tests and assessments that I create. I need to learn how to better carry out pre-assessments, assessments, and summative assessments. I think I avoid testing partially because I think traditional testing is over-used, but also because I haven’t figured how to make it reflect the students’ knowledge base.

I will put an appropriate amount of time towards our assessment assignments. It is extremely important I don’t rush through, but work deliberately and carefully. When scheduling this homework, I need to break it down into smaller parts so it doesn’t all blur together. I will try to use actual classes that I have taught to be the starting point for these assessment examples. I need to ask questions if I am at all unsure of how to accomplish these projects.

I want to stay organized and on top of the assignments in this class. This is a very busy summer for me and I’m trying to view it as the Olympics of time-management.

I really have to use Google calendar very faithfully. I am going to add in electronic post-it notes and to do list as well. There will be very specific times that I will set aside of homework in general and this homework specifically. Right now it is looking like Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 1:00-1:30 and 5:00-6:00 are times best dedicated to this course. I can not get behind in the reading, and need to take notes simultaneously since I won’t have time to go back and review the entire chapter. The same is true of flashcards and mnemonics, which are usually part of my study techniques.

If I don’t understand a topic I will research it on the internet. I really enjoy researching new topics, and often get obsessed with getting all the details on a concept. I really like the UVU library online site, especially the Academic Journal Premier database. The trick is to not loose too much time researching tangents, but stay focused on the question at hand. Another good tool is to use the “get connected” sections of the book that will lead to additional assignments that have real-world applications. Often researchers and philosophers are mentioned in the textbook and their work can be examined from original sources.