Curriculum Alignment in Modern Education

Curriculum Alignment in Modern Education The goal of curriculum alignment is to make sure that every student can acquire necessary knowledge and skills that will help him or her in the future. Moreover, its purpose is to help learners cope with standardized tests. This paper will show how the task is addressed by educators who teach algebraic thinking at elementary level.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Curriculum Alignment in Modern Education specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The purpose of this lesson was to help student understand algebraic equivalence and find the correct order of operations for solving mathematical problems. This is the main competency that learners were supposed to acquire. The teacher, Ms. Soglin adhered to this purpose and every task that students were asked to do contributed to the eventual goal. Overall, the objectives of the lesson were clear and they manifested themselves in every activity of the class. Furthermore, the teacher r elied on the background knowledge and information from the previous lessons. According to the video, these students were used to working with pan balances in order to solve mathematical problems. This attribute is very important because students have to see the continuity of tasks that they do and understand why these activities are necessary Thus, in terms of this criterion the lesson corresponds to the professional standards that are set for teachers. The lesson had a clear delivery method; in particular, Ms. Soglin relied on inquiry. This method implies that a teacher should not give direct answers or instructions to the students; instead the task of a teacher is to encourage children to come up with their own answers and solutions by asking questions that are relevant to the experiences and background knowledge (Nilson, 2010, p. 175). For example, Ms. Soglin asked students whether such a tool as pan-balance had been familiar to them. In response, they compared a pan balance to a seesaw or scales. Moreover, Ms. Soglin did not simply explain how to solve pan-balance equations, but prompted students to offer their solutions to particular problems.Advertising Looking for essay on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Overall, she avoided giving direct answers. Moreover, the method of guided inquiry is closely related to experiment. This is why the teacher encouraged students to work with pan-balances in order to understand how algebraic problems could be solved. This approach places more emphasis on student’s autonomy (Borich, 2011, p. 258). In this way, the teacher tried to make the activities more interesting and she achieved this goal. The lesson was intended for students with various learning styles. For example, there were children who preferred kinesthetic learning. Such children usually prefer to carry out some physical activity in order to understand the concept of algebraic equivalence (Martin, 2011, p. 225). This is why they worked directly with pan balances and weighed different objects to understand the concept of equivalence and solve problems. In turn, some of the students were visual learners. Their needs were also met. In particular, they could use various diagrams and drawings explaining equations. Finally, some of the children relied more on auditory learning. This is why Ms. Soglin explained the way in which pan balance equations could be solved. Thus, this lesson was adjusted to various learning styles. The activities of the lesson were intended for students of various intelligences. For example, manipulation of balances is mostly oriented toward bodily-kinesthetic intelligence, whereas oral explanations were supposed to benefit students with linguistic intelligence. Finally, the lesson provided for the assessment of student understanding. For example, Ms. Soglin asked children to explain how they intended to solve a math problem and use su ch operations as addition, subtraction, division, or multiplication. In this way, she determined whether students did understand the notion of algebraic equivalence and its implications. Reference List Borich, G. (2011). Effective Teaching Methods: Research-Based Practice, Seventh  Edition. New York: Allyn Bacon.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Curriculum Alignment in Modern Education specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Martin, D. (2011). Elementary Science Methods: A Constructivist Approach. New York: Cengage Learning. Nilson, L. (2010).Teaching at Its Best: A Research-Based Resource for College Instructors. New York: John Wiley Sons.