Blog #2
How does the IRP help or hinder you as a beginning teacher?
The Integrated Resource Package provided by the British Columbia Ministry of Education constitutes the provincial curriculum and thus, is a necessity and benefit for myself as a beginning teacher. The Ministry of Education sets educational standards, called the Prescribed Learning Outcomes (PLOs) for students through the provincial curriculum. The PLOs outline the expectations for what students should know and be able to do at each grade within each subject area. Because many research articles, research-based books, educators and experts informed the development of the English Language Arts K to 7, curriculum and for all of the reasons outlined below, the Integrated Resource Package is of immense help to me as a future educator.
The latest version of the BC English Language Arts K to 7, curriculum was produced in 2006. This document is invaluable as it provides the information that is required in order to implement ELA in the curriculum. Upon investigation, I discovered many beneficial elements of the current English Language Arts IRP including: considerations for program delivery, PLOs, Suggested Achievement Indicators, an overview of the ELA curriculum and suggestions on integrating research into practice. I was surprised by the magnitude of beneficial information available in the IRP, including an emphasis on literacy incorporating electronic and multi-media forms of communication. “When planning for instruction and assessment in English language Arts K to 7, teachers should provide opportunities for students to develop literacy in relation to information and communications technology sources, and to reflect critically on the role of these technologies in society” (Sec2:12).
I found the Integrated Resource Package to be specific in the PLOs and flexible to the teachers’ discretion in program delivery and instructional time allotments to meet those learning outcomes. The IRP also states that curriculum design is based on the professional judgement and expertise of the teacher. In relation to the legally required content standards as outlined by the PLOs, the IRP indicates that modifications can be made to the PLOs for students with Individual Education Plans (IEPs). The IRP also encouraged attention to both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal authors from Canada and to texts that have a wide cultural perspective from around the world.
The English Language Arts K to 7, Integrated Resource Package includes strategies for effective literacy instruction for teachers based on Vygotsky’s, “Zone of Proximal Development” incorporated as “The Gradual Release of Responsibility,” whereby students are introduced to strategies that are new and challenging but not so difficult that they become frustrated. This method is a strategy used over time resulting in the student taking responsibility for their own independent learning.
The IRP includes the Six Essential Elements of Assessment and considerations for program delivery beginning with the end in mind for students. Development in ELA from K to 7, occurs in a relatively orderly sequence throughout the child’s education, building upon skills and abilities already acquired. The IRP also refers to research that suggests the effectiveness of extended and uninterrupted blocks of time for literacy learning, emphasising research which suggests that student interest and engagement is the most important predictor for literacy learning (Allington & Cunningham, 1996). McLaughlin and DeVoogd (2004), suggest that students will be more engaged when provided the time for active, creative responses such as, writing, sketching, dramatizing and singing in the development of more involved means of literacy.
The IRP notes that effective teachers make instructional decisions based on sound research. As a result of the many research articles, research-based books, educators and experts that informed and contributed to the development of the English Language Arts K to 7, curriculum and for all of the reasons outlined above, the Integrated Resource Package is of immense help to me as a future educator in effectively adhering to the Ministry’s educational standards as outlined by the Prescribed Learning Outcomes.
Description of who today’s ELA students are and how they learn.
Today’s English Language Arts students come from an array of backgrounds, abilities and interests creating a diversified atmosphere to meet each child’s individual needs in the elementary school classroom and as such, it is the responsibility of the educator to promote an emotionally safe environment that is inclusive and promotes the themes of inclusion and respect while fostering a sense of community amongst the students. Heydon and Malicky (2009), note that “Canada’s immigration policy is currently producing a steady flow of non-English-speaking immigrants into the country, increasing the likelihood that at some time most teachers will have children with limited English language proficiency in their classroom” (p.62). These authors suggest the importance of visual aids accompanying verbal instructions and the importance of non-English-speaking children to work in pairs or in small groups with other English-speaking peers on meaningful tasks. It was also suggested that certain learning centres, such as a grocery store, for example, could be set up to promote a fun, meaningful learning environments.
Today’s ELA students come to the classroom with a foundation for English language arts, supported by their home environments or from past educational experiences. While many students will be at varying stages of literacy and comprehension levels, it is recommended in the BC Integrated Resource Package that teachers have a wide variety of books and magazines available that spark the student’s interests. The IRP suggests that the more reading material that is available to the children, the greater the likelihood of engaging the students. Tom Sawyer, Teaching and Talking, states: “Allowing students some choice in their reading matter has encouraged them to read more widely and carefully” (Adolescent Literacies, p. 45).
Some of today’s ELA students will have Individual Education Plans (IEPs) as a result of a learning disability. Initially, labelling the complication, such as dyslexia, in difficulty reading or comprehending may be a relief to the child or the family at the time but in the long term the label and accompanying learning difficulty will continually challenge the individual and may prove to be a source of frustration for the child. As noted by Heydon and Malicky (2009), the child’s learning difficulty may be aided by a method of teaching that is meaningful in instruction to the student. “What we need to strive for as teachers is a maximal match between the child’s needs and our teaching” (p.65).
Lastly, today’s ELA student is growing up in an environment involving the rapid growth and development of technology and various forms of social media. The BC Ministry of Education’s IRP for English Language Arts K to 7 emphasizes the importance for including technology as a means of literacy for students in our classrooms. While it is the role of the teacher to facilitate meaningful discussions about the uses of technology in our current society it is equally as important that all students, regardless of socio-economic class have access to technologies through their schools. “We need to ensure that the use of computers does not widen the disparity [and opportunities] between high-and-low income children” (Heydon & Malicky, p.66).
Sources:
Bainbridge, J., Heydon, R., Malicky, G. (2009). Constructing meaning: Balancing elementary language arts, 4th Ed. Nelson: Toronto, ON.
British Columbia Ministry of Education. (2006). English language arts k to 7: Integrated resource package. Victoria, BC: Author.
Tom Sawyer, Teaching and Talking (from Adolescent Literacies)
