Easy is Not Always the Best course

Chapter five of the Differentiation textbook explains the importance of using curriculum and instruction as a vehicle for teaching.
Is there such a thing as a good teacher compared to a bad teacher? I personally think there are teachers that are good at connecting information to their students lives. They are those teachers that act as a bridge to good knowledge for students. A 'bad' teacher can be defined as those teachers that teacher a subject, while those 'good' teachers teach students a subject.
How can curriculum and instruction be used as a vehicle?

• Important "We cannot teach the breadth of the entire world and at the same time achieve any depth of understanding" The world is expanding and is information.
• What we study is essential to the structure of the discipline
• What we study provides a roadmap toward expertise in a discipline
• how can we use it?
• What we study is essential to building student understanding
• Avoid "coverage" and look for "uncoverage" of information
• make it full of meaning and applicable to life.
• What we study balances knowledge, understanding, and skill
• curriculum can be a mile wide and only an inch deep, it won't provide real learning

• Focused "No more building sugar cube igloos without it connecting to essential knowledge."
• Whatever we do is unambiguously aligned with the articulated and essential learning goals
• Whatever we do is designed to get us where we need to go
• Both the teacher and students know why we doing what we're doing
• Both the teacher and students know bigger picture knowledge, understanding, and skill

• Engaging "Students need a feeling of accomplishment or satisfaction while enjoying their work."
• Students most often find meaning in their work
• Students most often find the work intriguing
• Students see themselves and their world in the work
• Students see value to others in the work
• Students find the work provokes their curiosity
• Students often find themselves absorbed by the work

• Demanding "We believe each person knows quite clearly what it means to do one's best, and that everyone, given a chance, would like to savor that experience as often as possible."
• The work is most often a bit beyond the reach of each learner
• Student growth is nonnegotiable
• no watering down information
• Standards for work and behavior are high
• Students are guided in working and thinking like professionals
• There is no "loose" time

• Scaffolded "Raise the celling of performance for each learner."
• The teacher teaches for success
• Criteria for success are clear to students
• Criteria for classroom operation and student behavior are clear to students
• Varied materials support growth of a range of learners
• Varied modes of teaching support a variety of learners
• Varied avenues to learning support a variety of learners
• Small and large group instruction focuses on varied learner needs
• Varied peer support mechanisms are consistently available
• The teacher uses modeling, organizers, and other strategies to point out success

Two principles lie at the heart of envisioning the role of curriculum and instruction in creating ties with students:

1. The opportunity to be shaped by rich, defensive curriculum ought to belong to every learner.
2. Learners need to interact with curriculum in ways that work for them.

Curriculum and instruction need to be engaging, important, demanding, scaffold, and focused. To be that "good" teacher your students need all they element in their lessons. They need to know they are important and what they learn is important!