Curriculum development has traditionally followed the mechanical standardization format found in the industry. Schools look for the "machine" that is most likely to produce the final "product" of acceptable quality and train their teachers how to run it. Teachers start on page one and see how far they get by the end of the school year.
TPS has built a toolbox, not a machine. Just like any skilled professional, the teachers select the best "tool" for the given situation. The toolbox consists of four drawers: Traditional lessons, STEM projects, Art activities, and Ancillary materials. Since all materials align specifically to educational standards, they align to each other and are interchangeable. The standard addressed and all mathematical practices incorporated are printed on each page of the lessons. The toolbox structure allows flexibility in how each standard is addressed, giving the teacher the ability to customize instruction to best meet the needs of their diverse classroom.
Flexibility and options can prove daunting. TPS provides a pacing plan for each grade level that assures that instruction is covered in a logical sequence and meets scheduling constraints. TPS also offers a bespoke service of planning for any unusual situation. For example, a given school may have an unusual schedule or need to cover certain topics by particular test dates. TPS can help build a pacing plan to deliver all content to these students.
TPS provides training, using full program webinars, for all teachers and parents, at no cost, for the first introduction day.
We then propose that a number of STEM webinars be scheduled as this is the component that is least familiar to teachers and parents. The P.D. provided is amazing, consisting of teachers actually doing the projects followed by discussion of implementation issues.
Rather than one textbook and one approach to learning, we have found that students respond well by beginning each unit of instruction with a STEM project. This can be followed by the use of a traditional lesson plan and applying and demonstrating competency through an art modeling visual assessment. The online assessments are used before, during and after the lesson plan content is delivered.
The STEM projects follow a learning cycle format of Exploring, Discussion, and Application.
A traditional lesson has an introduction to ensure that what students should know is actually known or is retaught, then an activity about the new concept, followed by a summary. There is a classroom exercise, and many student exercises followed by manipulatives, problem solving, and concluded with the arts visual assessment.
The program uses a variety of strategies and is underpinned by a strategy of teaching literacy with numeracy.
TPS (Teachers, Parents, Students) believes that this approach will allow maximum growth of each and every child in our schools.