A Review on Curriculum using Sabertooth Curriculum


One of my favorite classes to teach was AP Language and Composition (I can seriously never stop talking about it). The reason I loved it so much is because we actually talked about the world and learned skills that would help us all navigate the world (yes, I included myself in there as well). Our content included topics such as racism, the environment, #metoo movement, gender inequality, how to “argue” properly, etc. We also had a bit of writing and reading thrown in there, too ;) I loved all of the content because students would learn skills to apply to current life – they were learning how to connect with the events; how to critically think about them; how to react; etc.

Now, teaching AP Lang may sound like everything the Sabertooth Curriculum strives for, but it wasn’t. I still had to teach to three tests (AP, SOL Writing, and SOL Reading) – I had to teach my students information that they most likely wouldn’t need to know (gerunds, anyone?). My 9T class was much harder. I would focus on teaching them skills such as time management, critical thinking, growth-mindset, etc., but it took more effort to have the curriculum support the skills I wanted to teach them.

In my current position, I feel torn about whether or not the curriculum teaches them skills that they use in everyday life. On the one hand, I know I definitely do through our soft skills training. However, I don’t think the technical knowledge they receive is teaching them much besides information. It helps them do their job and complete really cool projects, but some certifications are just so they can say they have those skills (it’s like a teacher getting an award for teaching…but we already have the teaching skills). How can I incorporate PICKLE into their technical training? That’s what I hope to learn more as I continue on through the semester…

Comments

  1. PHD-HairmanSeptember 15, 2019 at 9:48 AM

    If it doesn't make us uncomfortable, then we are not growing. Learning how to design and help our learners see the relevancy and connect their learning to the "real world" is important.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Michaela IbrahimSeptember 18, 2019 at 1:53 PM

      Absolutely - having the "growth mindset" requires for us to go out of our comfort zones.

      Delete
  2. Caitlin CordovaSeptember 15, 2019 at 1:45 PM

    As someone who also wrestles with the usefulness of teaching gerunds (versus gerundives), I worry: am I teaching my Latin students to ramble off useless grammar facts, or to derive meaning from a text? Will knowing the difference between the gerund and gerundive help them interpret the text? The answer is yes, but I'm not going to penalize a student at the end of the day for not being able to recollect arcane knowledge. The problem solving and collaborative communication that goes into translating a text are the meaningful skills that will translate into other fields.

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    Replies
    1. Michaela IbrahimSeptember 18, 2019 at 1:52 PM

      Haha! Glad someone else deals with gerunds :) I totally agree - in a course where it's critical to help problem solve (in this case understand the text), it would be a tool!

      Delete
    2. Caitlin CordovaSeptember 18, 2019 at 2:08 PM

      I just dealt with these today in Latin 5. XD We had a discussion of gerunds vs. gerundives. Students were worried about having forgotten, but I tried to explain that we don't see them too often; if you don't use a tool within an authentic context, you lose knowledge of its use. :D

      Delete
    3. Michaela IbrahimSeptember 19, 2019 at 2:22 PM

      Haha! Amazing! Thank you so much for sharing - it put a smile on my face that our discussion showed up in your Latin class :) :)

      Delete

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