"If we are simply covering the curriculum, or letting textbooks or vendor products divine our practice, how do we really know that students have learned what we intended for them to learn?"
-- Michael Fisher
"
Something is not taught, until it is learned."
-- Dr. Katherine Mitchell
It's that time again! Feverishly working in classrooms, trips to school supply stores, eraser crumbs on our calendars, and of course regular trips to the Keurig. However, no matter the time of day, our thoughts are on what matters most...the students that are now sitting in our classrooms. With this in mind, we shift our attention to a critical question. How do we begin planning for instruction? It goes without saying that we begin with data and the support of our peers in that analysis. Then it gets messy. We are then faced with what often times is a very tumultuous ordeal, navigating our curriculum. Michael Fisher (author, educational consultant and instructional coach) offers some valuable insight into the common trap of "covering" the curriculum vs. "uncovering" the curriculum. He shares some background connected to his field experience in New York state along with 6 conclusions that will hopefully provide some new thinking as we begin the planning process in our schools.
