Independent Learning Curricular Model: Format
Lesson Format
Course format should follow these organizational principles:
- a self-paced, stand-alone, independent study format -- to be delivered online -- with lessons that allow students to work up to five to seven hours per week for a unit (ten weeks) or a five to seven hours per week semester (twenty weeks) of study. The course is written for the student who works independently under the guidance of a supervising teacher or mentor who uses mentor guidelines, Student will select his/her own mentor who assesses all student products.
- differentiation of content, process, and product by readiness, interest, and learning style
- pretesting for content and skills before each unit so that students and mentors can "self-diagnose" and identify the chapters they need to address
- content delivery --> followed by skill practice --> followed by a product or performance guided by a rubric
- content delivery using SoftChalk: textpoppers for term definitions; sidebars for skill activity handouts, interdisciplinary connections, and rubrics; knowledge, comprehension, and application activities for skill building (flashcards, matching, sorting, and so forth). Please visit www.softchalk.com to learn more through demos and a free trial.
- Digging Deeper: analysis questions of dissection, cause and effect, comparison/contrast, and prediction
- Disciplinary Hat, e.g., "Geographer's Hat" or "Forensic Specialist Hat": application questions that require analysis, synthesis, and evaluation
- Making Connections: analysis questions of comparison and contrast to make interdisciplinary connections to other core subjects of language arts, math, science, and social studies
- What's My Opinion?: evaluation questions on merits, ethics, and "shoulds" of the discipline
- Step Inside: analysis and synthesis questions that encourage students to empathize, get perspective, and see other points of view
- Getting Creative: arts-related questions that encourage students to investigate musical, literary, visual, or kinesthetic art mini-projects
Need a visual of a typical lesson? View the Lesson Template.
To learn about the profile of a Duke TIP curriculum developer, head to the next page.