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Curriculum Standards

Janet’s work with our district was very well received. Both veteran and new teachers greatly appreciated the opportunity to dive into our state’s mathematics standards and learn how to prioritize them for consistency across our schools. In an engaging and supportive manner, she provided worthwhile professional learning to all our teachers PK to High School.

—Sean Feeny, Port Washington Union Free District, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment

Curriculum Mapping & Curriculum Design

Janet Hale's curriculum design work for The Dewey Schools has been transformative. Her expertise in creating engaging and effective educational frameworks has significantly enhanced our students' learning experiences. Her contributions have been invaluable in shaping a dynamic and robust curriculum that meets our diverse needs as an international school community.

—Laurie Whiston, The Dewey Schools, English Program Director

Curriculum Mapping & Curriculum Design

Janet led a multi-year curriculum mapping project designed specifically for our student population. As a low-performing school with high teacher turnover, curriculum unit guides for Mathematics and ELA became essential for ensuring learning and teaching cohesiveness. Janet was instrumental in listening to our concerns and interweaving our school’s founding principles surrounding culturally responsive teaching into each unit. She guided our administrative and teacher teams through the process of developing unit guides that identify key content, skills, and anchor texts aligned to our state standards and social justice outcomes.

—Stacey Howard, Z.E.C.A. School of the Arts and Technology, Founder and CEO

Curriculum EDiting

Many thanks go to Janet Hale, a bestselling author, educational consultant, curriculum expert, colleague, and friend. Her careful evaluation, honest critique, and helpful advice have made my book, TrustED: The Bridge to School Improvement, a more thoughtful and engaging read.

—Toby Travis, Author

Curriculum EDiting

I have hired Janet multiple times as an educational consultant for our best-selling line of workbooks. Janet ensured that the content in these workbooks aligned perfectly with curriculum standards. She meticulously revised and edited lessons and activities, significantly enhancing the quality of the workbooks. Her expertise and attention to detail gave me complete confidence in the content and its impact on children's education. Janet is great to work with and I highly recommend her for your educational publication needs!

—Courtney Acampora, Senior Editor, Silver Dolphin and Studio Fun

Curriculum EDiting

When I embarked on a bold plan of writing a series of children's books for our organization, I truly didn't know what I didn't know! Janet has been consistently beyond patient in ensuring I understand the do’s and don'ts involved in good storytelling, formatting, and editing, which has enabled us to produce age-appropriate and fun books that convey our purpose and intended message.

—Kevin Schwieger, Luke5Adventures, Founder and President

    Making curriculum decisions related to students' learning needs is on every administrator's and teacher's mind—both addressing prioritizing standards-based learning and the need for innovation. To discuss your needs and concerns, contact Janet to schedule a free virtual meeting.

    Upgrading Your Curriculum

    We are now at a point where we must educate our children in what no one knew yesterday,
    and prepare our schools for what no one knows yet.
    — Margaret Meade

    One of my colleagues, Mike Fisher, and I wrote a professional book to capture our experiences and “how tos” based on working with schools, districts, and higher-ed programs to upgrade (transform) both learning and teaching. 

    Everyone involved in creating modern-learning environments for our current and next generations must embark, or continue to grow, by participating in collaborative efforts. Moving from me to we is an ongoing process. It is important to lay a foundation for learning and teaching in relationships to upgrading curriculum, assessments, and instructional practices.

    When teachers begin to transform curriculum, two important perspectives in the design-process include:

    • Actively seeking collaborative relationships (orbits of abilities) to aid in upgrading units of study.
    • Considering the relationship between high impact on learning and high impact on engagement to ensure students are involved in “owning their learning” experiences.

    Educators need to focus on upgrading specific elements in their the existing curriculum purposefully and gradually. Professional growth caused by a transformational-process experience is best described as a spiral process. When teachers upgrade, they often express a desire to transform the same unit of study again, or do so with a new unit of study. The transformational process spiral consists of four phases:

    • Appraisal and Brainstorming
    • Commitment and Communication
    • Reactions and Reflections
    • Revisions

    Each phase allows educators to thoughtfully upgrade unit elements in purposeful ways. The phases represent a natural sequence from making conscientious decisions to providing reflection time based on the results of those decisions. Examples that express the transformational process phases are included in the snapshots in Upgrade Your Curriculum. Since no two upgrades are exactly alike, each snapshot tells its own story. Each narrative includes the entry points, 21st century clarifications, technology authenticities, and standards connections, as well as the spiral elements from appraisal to revisions. 

    The beauty of the transformational process is that it is applicable to classroom environments, professional growth, and administrative upgrades. Whichever you are involved in, it is recommended that you participate in Curriculum Upgrade Reviews to collaboratively gain insight into and feedback concerning your planned upgrade. 

    Click here to download your complimentary Curriculum Upgrade Review Process guide.

    Our book’s appendix includes 12 TECHformational Matrices to be used as visual conversation starters for educators to contemplate and express their ideas related to potential technology-based transformations. While the Transformational Matrix focuses on overall student learning and student engagement, the TECHformational Matrices focus specifically on technology and potential use of Web-based tools in relationship to student engagement and ownership of the learning. The TECHformational Matrices are divided into three categories: Digital Devices, Web-based Tools, and Curations. For example, Web-based Tools includes a Quick Response (QR) Codes TECHformational Matrix.

    If you are interested in learning more about Janet’s Upgrade Your Curriculum book, click here.

    Read More About…

    Curriculum Mapping Overview
    Curriculum Mapping Basics
    Curriculum Mapping Research
    Curriculum Mapping Systems

     

    Also Visit…

    Curriculum Mapping Consulting, Training, and Coaching

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