How Common Core Will Change Classroom Approaches
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Florida's Department of Education has held a series of seminars this summer explaining Common Core standards.
Raise your hand if you could use a little extra help explaining the new Common Core State Standards Florida schools will implement in 2014?
We’ve got our hand up too.
Robert Rothman bullet points the ways Common Core will affect classrooms in this month’s Harvard Education Letter.
Here’s a few key changes:
Depth, not breadth: Rothman notes that Common Core pares down the list of topics to allow teachers to focus more on the subject. He notes that elementary math is particularly affected, putting more emphasis on arithmetic over other topics.
Ramping up difficulty: Both lesson content and testing gets more complex as students progress. Common Core also introduces new topics in each grade that build upon what students have learned previously. The curriculum is designed to emphasize how the topics are interdependent.
Speaking and listening: Common Core focuses on both aspects of literacy. The new standards might mean more emphasis on large and small group work, and following up to ensure student comprehension.
