This standard is important for a number of reasons. It is, of course obvious that a teacher should have knowledge of the subject matter being taught. This, along with curriculum goals and standards are part of the law now, particularly with legislature such as No Child Left Behind (NCLB), which calls for increased accountability and highly qualified teachers among other things (Webb, Metha, & Jordan, 2010). However, consideration of the students and community is something that is crucial to the learning process, though it may not always have a place in law. One must be aware of the community, because it will influence the students, their attitudes, ideas, culture and what they bring into the classroom. In addition to meditation on learning styles and intelligences, being aware of students and the community in which they grow allows one to better accommodate the needs of young learners. Different cultures often have distinct approaches to learning, emphasizing presentations, abstract thinking or preference for people over things (Woolfolk, 1998). Consequently, because of these cultural variations between different races, ethnicities, or socio-economic status, one may need to explain a lesson in another way or alter it to be more inclusive.

Though the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) policies are often viewed in a negative light due to standardized testing, not everything that has come from it has been for the worse. For many areas, NCLB caused a need to get serious about considering what should be taught to students for the first time in a long time. While this may have seemed to step on the toes of academic freedom, it provided an idea of what it is important for students to know and made it more or less consistent across the board (Popham, 2009). Ideally, this would shore up any major knowledge gaps and ensure that students were getting the best education that is available to them.

The attached artifact was created in CI 6320: Curriculum Development and tentatively lays out a year's worth of topics for an eighth grade math class. The standards used are those from the Texas Administrative Code (§111.24), with some specific topics available from PBS and the appropriate county textbook (Bennett, Burger, Chard, Jackson, Kennedy, Refro, et al., 2007). This shows an ability to plan long-term goals using a knowledge of subject matter, curriculum goals, and compliance with local, state and federal regulations. The ability to project and plan cannot be understated in classrooms where every moment is precious. Furthermore, the ability to organize and set long-term (or short-term) goals based on a wider community is a skill set that may be used in any profession.

References

Bennett, J., Burger, E., Chard, D., Jackson, A., Kennedy, P., Refro, F., et al. (2007). In Mathematics: Course 3 (pp6-305). Austin: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston.

Popham, J. (2009). 6 Curriculum Mistakes. American School Board Journal, 36-38.

Texas Education Agency. Texas Education Code, §111. Retrieved from Texas Education Agency: http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/rules/tac/chapter111/index.html