Chapter 1: The Journey Begins

This year, my experiences have largely unfolded outside the traditional classroom setting. I’ve collaborated with a central office team focused on both creating new schools and enhancing existing educational programs. Throughout this time, my learning has revolved around student-centered design principles.

As part of my professional development, I took on the challenge of rethinking the high school Biology curriculum, specifically the unit on Evolution. My aim was to integrate design processes and project-based work, which I anticipated would be quite a task. This unit was scheduled for the end of the academic year, and I hoped to dedicate sufficient time during evenings and weekends for its development.

However, life often has its own plans. Most of my free time went unspent on work-related tasks, leading to delays in completing the unit. The realization of how much time I actually invested in this process was, frankly, frustrating.

For those looking for a concise version: Scroll down to the Resources section for links to the Evolution Mastery Learning Arc and the planning template used.

Photo by Rod Long on Unsplash

Chapter 2: Crafting a Learning Arc

I have a passion for designing learning experiences, a love that has persisted since my early days as an educator. In the past, I focused on more traditional learning pathways, but now I embrace the opportunity to incorporate innovative discussion methods and hands-on learning techniques.

With this project, my goal was to create a unit that reflects modern learning paradigms emphasizing student agency and inquiry. I deliberately chose to step away from any pre-packaged curriculum.

To start, I reviewed the educational standards, utilizing resources like The NSTA Atlas of the Three Dimensions, which I believe should exist for all content areas. This reference helped me identify key standards for high school science.

In addition, I employed tools from my experience with the Urban Advantage program, namely Science Matters and Making Sense of Secondary Science. These resources were invaluable in determining essential knowledge for scientifically literate adults and uncovering potential misconceptions. Surprisingly, I found minimal misconceptions related to evolution, with only Larkian evolution mentioned.

With this foundational knowledge, I categorized information into “Critical Knowledge” and “Nice to Know.” I also included cross-cutting concepts and traditional Habits of Mind to ensure a comprehensive approach to learning.

Chapter 3: Centering Student Experiences

While I had a clear destination for the learning journey, I wanted to ensure that students' experiences and perspectives were at the forefront. I drew inspiration from Dr. Gholdy Muhammad’s Cultivating Genius and the HILL Framework, which I had become familiar with through various professional development sessions. This experience prompted me to think about how the five pursuits of genius could inform the evolution learning arc.

Chapter 4: A Shift in Perspective

Despite my preparations, I sensed something was off with the overall learning arc. After sharing the plan with colleagues from my school design team, it became clear that I could enhance student agency by allowing them greater control over their learning paths.

I quickly pivoted to create an alternative learning pathway for students ready to take more initiative. This reimagining led to another 14 days of learning where students took the lead, and I acted more as a facilitator.