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Reading Fluency on Elementary Level and Technology
It is impossible to underestimate the impact of technologies on our daily life. This topic is relevant because the digital revolution has provided us with different tools and activities that can make the problems that we need to solve easier and less challenging. The same can be said about education and curriculum practices, although not everyone would agree with such a statement. Nevertheless, the writer chose this topic because it is evident that technologies can have a positive impact on the reading fluency of the students, allowing them, and teachers to work more efficiently than ever.
About this topic, the writer found out that the modern world demands from the students not only the ability to write, read, and compute but also critically evaluate the information that they receive day by day. Visual and multimedia literacy is also necessary to adapt to the flow of information provided by the media (Levin & Schrum, 2015). Some of the schools, although not all, are engaging technologies into the learning process, allowing students use school laptops to solve specific tasks, presenting them with particular computer games during the language classes that help increase the students interest in the topic, or providing the classes with interactive whiteboards and iPod Touches (Levin & Schrum, 2015). While the laptop initiative at one of the schools was used to raise achievement for 6th-graders in all core subject areas& [and] expose students to a tool they will use in their future work life , some of the teachers cleaned up defunct websites or created example websites for their students (Levin & Schrum, 2015, p. 22).
Another impact of technology on curriculum practices is the implementation of computer games that allow children to codesign the games, use new identities (scientist, writer, astronaut, etc.), understand what skills are valuable and what ones are not needed right now. Video games also teach students to define and reach short-term and long-term goals, and activities that teachers sometimes find challenging (Kellinger, 2016). Moreover, computer simulations also can help develop a better understanding of a concept, by both the teacher and the student (Kellinger, 2016). However, Kellinger (2016) points out that making a curriculum to a game can result in unexpected outcomes; therefore, the approach to this transformation needs to be careful, as some of the practices might not work.
The importance of visual media in curriculum practices is also discussed by Hyler and Hicks (2014) who point out that visual literacy should not be perceived as an add-on to the curriculum but rather as a critical component of the classes (p. 130). Although the authors admit that setting up the tools needed for the implementation of technology might cost some time, its impact on classroom activities is worth it (Hyler & Hicks, 2014). However, as the most curricula that are being developed rarely engage technologies as extensively as the authors propose, it remains unclear whether the traditional education will find it practical to review all practices just to include information technologies in it.
Nevertheless, some activities that are ignored by the traditional curriculum might be extremely useful: for example, comparing text, audio, and multimedia versions of one text will help learners develop reading skills and critically evaluate the text. This approach can trigger some questions relevant to adult life as well, e.g. what views and points are represented in this text? How will different people understand this text? What is not mentioned? (Hyler & Hicks, 2014). As can be seen, the integration of technology in the curriculum can learn students to be more critical, creative, and attentive to the texts.
Using Curriculum and Assessment to Strengthen Classroom
Curriculum and assessment belong to the traditional tools that teachers use to learn and develop the skills of their students. Depending on the country, the state, or the school curricula can be autonomous or standardized. Assessment is used in the major core subjects to evaluate students progress and success, understand what problems are present and how they can be eliminated. The writer chose this topic because the use of curriculum and assessment is regarded either as effective or as an unpractical approach, depending on the authors view (Steiner, 2012). It also seems reasonable to mention that the evaluation of the curriculum and its usefulness will help understand if it is capable of strengthening the classroom.
Curricula are usually dynamic and change class to class, presenting new ideas and activities. Assessments are also developed according to the contents of the class. About this topic, the writer found out that highly standardized curricula are used in different countries and provide equal opportunities for students (Steiner, 2012). Moreover, standardized curricula provide students with clear goals and tasks and allow them to understand what actions need to be taken to meet their expectations. The development of the curriculum also engages different stakeholders, including teachers, parents, administrators, and funders (Greenstein, 2016). If assessments are balanced, they will also be perceived as purposeful and responsive (Greenstein, 2016). Assessments can vary and include pre-assessments and formative assessments that help students understand where they are headed and guide teachers on how to adapt content and resource to students pace (Greenstein, 2016).
However, both curriculum and assessment practices can be inadequate and decrease the success of the learning process. As a professional, learning about this topic contributed to the understanding of why assessment practices are often criticized for their limitations and how these assessments influence students and teachers. For example, focus on processes that evaluate student learning led to the problem that actual outcomes of the learning were neglected (Astin, 2012). However, it is important to establish an assessment-based culture in the classroom so that the children will perceive assessments not as a problem but as a support during their study (Greenstein, 2016). It should be pointed out that too standardized assessments and curricula can undermine innovation at the local level (Steiner, 2012, p. 2). Moreover, such curricula limit teachers freedom to present creative ideas and decrease the levels of diversity in the learning process.
The use of curricula to strengthen classroom performance is not encouraged in every country; some of them prefer a more autonomous approach, e.g. Finland. Finlands method has proven to be successful and showed learners and teachers that frameworks and curricula, as well as assessments, are not always helpful in the learning process (Astin, 2012). This topic is relevant because it raises questions about whether the traditional approach (curriculum and assessment-based) is still necessary for schools. However, the impact of assessments cannot be underestimated as they can be used by students as guides for self-evaluation. For teachers, assessments are a tool of promotion of talent development (Astin, 2012). Thus, although curricula and assessments might become irrelevant one day, they remain to be practical and robust tools for evaluation and learning.
References
Astin, A. W. (2012). Assessment for excellence: The philosophy and practice of assessment and evaluation in higher education. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
Greenstein, L. (2016). Sticky assessment: Classroom strategies to amplify student learning. London: Routledge.
Hyler, J., & Hicks, T. (2014). Create, compose, connect!: Reading, writing, and learning with digital tools. London: Routledge.
Kellinger, J. J. (2016). A guide to designing curricular games: How to game the system. Berlin: Springer.
Levin, B. B., & Schrum, L. (2012). Leading technology-rich schools: Award-winning models for success. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
Steiner, J. (2012). Why have a standards-based curriculum and what are the implications for the teaching-learning-assessment process? English Teachers Journal, 5(2), 1-8.
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