Form 3: Course Revision Thoughts

Complete the following form and upload to the Dropbox. Use this form if you are
revising an existing ourse.
Description: What is this course about? Where/how will it be taught?
One of the courses I teach is a F2F special education sophomore algebra course. It is a
traditional high school class, but it is smaller in sie to meet the learning needs of the
special education students. !he course is currentl" taught at #rairie $idge %igh &chool in
'r"stal (a)e, Illinois in a traditional classroom fi*e da"s per wee). I would li)e to create
the course so it is more of a blended format. Instead of strictl" ma)ing it a direct
instruction course, I would li)e to re*amp it so it is taught in a more blended format. !he
students will wor) their wa" through the material and coursewor) online at their own
pace, and I will be their face to face to help support and monitor them.
(earners: Who are the learners? What do "ou )now about them that might ma)e a
difference in what "ou design? +!hin) about age, prior )nowledge, familiarit" with
technolog",
!he class is designed for students that ha*e a specific learning disabilit" in the area of
mathematics. -dditionall", these students often ha*e additional disabilities such as
-ttention Deficit %"peracti*it" Disorder, .eha*ior Disorders, and/or an/iet" and
depression. !"picall" the class is made up of sophomore students on an Indi*idualied
0ducation #lan who too) prealgebra their freshman "ear. !he class is made up of 1
students who need intense instruction and support to impro*e and maintain their
mathematics s)ills. !hese students are t"picall" *er" negati*e about mathematics
because the" ha*e struggled with it their entire li*es and the" are *er" aware that the" are
significantl" more behind than their similar aged peers. -dditionall", the" all learn at
*er" different paces and start at *er" different le*els. &ome students can progress through
the material 2uic)l" and benefit from more online acti*ities, where some 3ust need more
e/posure to the basics. &ince the students often struggle with attention and engagement,
the" don4t respond well to direct instruction. !he" are, howe*er, *er" moti*ated b"
technolog". &imilarl", each student has direct access to technolog" within the classroom
through a class set of 'hromeboo)s. !he" also ha*e access outside of school through the
use of mobile de*ices and home computers.
!hings that are wor)ing well in m" course. !his can be related to what or how "ou teach,
how students respond, or about the technolog". What do "ou li)e about teaching this
course?
Form adapted from &mith, $. 5. Conquering the Content. &an Francisco: 6osse"7.ass, 2889.
&tudents ha*e responded well so far with the integration of 'hromboo)s into the
classroom. !he" en3o" the freedom the" are gi*en and independence the" feel when the"
are gi*en a tas) to complete online. -dditionall", when students enter m" algebra course,
I ha*e alread" had them for a full "ear in prealgebra as I teach that course as well. We
ha*e a strong rapport and I understand their abilities le*els when the" arri*e their
sophomore "ear. I also en3o" the time I ha*e to wor) one7on7one with each student since
it is such a small class.
!hings that I4d li)e to change about m" course. -gain, what drags "ou down? It could
be technolog", disinterested students, lac) of discussion, etc.
!he course has been taught with direct instruction for man" "ears. !here is *er" much a
routine of : lecture/notes, guided practice, independent practice. !his has become so
boring for m" students and for me. Due to the amount of time I spend lecturing, there is
*er" little time for me to differentiate or allow for collaboration. I also hate the fact that
the course is *er" much teacher7centered. I feel the online component will ma)e this
course more student7centered and student7led. &tudents are *er" unmoti*ated and
disinterested in the content. !he" also aren4t retaining the information as well as I wish
the" would.
!he most frustrating or irritating aspect of m" course as I am currentl" teaching it is:
I want the course to be more meaningful and engaging for m" students. I hate that I do
most of the tal)ing during the course and wish m" students could progress through the
material without me lecturing them e*er" da". I want them to become more independent
and immersed in the material. I feel the course is a one7sie7fits7all curriculum and I need
more time and opportunities to differentiate and pro*ide enrichment and remediation.
!he most time consuming aspect of m" course as I am currentl" teaching it is:
It is difficult to find acti*ities and lessons that will be engaging and meaningful for m"
students. I want the acti*ities to be research based and able to meet the learning needs of
m" students.
Form adapted from &mith, $. 5. Conquering the Content. &an Francisco: 6osse"7.ass, 2889.