Course Outlines
The course outline was developed by ASSIST, and is not found in standard PBLA materials. It is included here as an extra tool to help plan for PBLA instruction. At ASSIST, the course outline has to be submitted to the Lead Teacher and/or Program Manager.
WHAT: The course outline is a list of potential real-world tasks organized by theme that could be covered throughout the semester. It is a tool used for broad planning of themes, topics, and tasks in the classroom. It does not have to be strictly adhered to if student needs change or teachable moments occur.
WHY: The course outline helps provide a plan or road map for teachers, supervisors, and colleagues, including substitute teachers about what the class will be learning throughout the semester. It can help show at-a-glance what skills and competencies are planned to be covered and can make it much easier to plan individual modules and assessments. It also provides a way for teachers to more easily share ideas, and for supervisors to get a sense of whether teachers are on track with PBLA expectations.
HOW: The course outline is completed near the beginning of the semester, after a needs assessment has been conducted with the students. Teachers then plan out some ideas of topics and tasks they may cover with the class within the broad themes identified. Teachers are encouraged to consult with colleagues and PBLA Lead Teachers to share ideas, collaborate, and plan activities together with overlapping topics.
Course Outline Strategies:
WHY: The course outline helps provide a plan or road map for teachers, supervisors, and colleagues, including substitute teachers about what the class will be learning throughout the semester. It can help show at-a-glance what skills and competencies are planned to be covered and can make it much easier to plan individual modules and assessments. It also provides a way for teachers to more easily share ideas, and for supervisors to get a sense of whether teachers are on track with PBLA expectations.
HOW: The course outline is completed near the beginning of the semester, after a needs assessment has been conducted with the students. Teachers then plan out some ideas of topics and tasks they may cover with the class within the broad themes identified. Teachers are encouraged to consult with colleagues and PBLA Lead Teachers to share ideas, collaborate, and plan activities together with overlapping topics.
Course Outline Strategies:
- Start by filling in some tasks that you know you'd like to do; the things that automatically or naturally come to mind
- Once you have some ideas, start looking at the skills and competencies that you haven't already covered with those first ones
- Use a skills & competencies grid (sample below) to help make sure you cover a variety of skills and competencies
- Brainstorm real-world task ideas using a skill-quadrant (sample below)
- Arrange assessment ideas in a logical order, so that there is some direction or flow to your topics
- Try to arrange related or similar themes next to each other for overlap and continuity
- Work with colleagues at the same level to share ideas
- Work with colleagues at levels below and above to discuss complexity
- Ask previous teachers what they already covered in order to avoid duplication
- Collaborate with colleagues to plan assessments, activities, field trips, or guest speakers on related topics
Samples
Samples are provided in Word format as they should be adapted and modified for your own students and level.
To download the documents below, you can either click on the button under each image (downloads to your computer directly) or download from Scribd by clicking on the download arrow icon (requires a login/password - free).
To download the documents below, you can either click on the button under each image (downloads to your computer directly) or download from Scribd by clicking on the download arrow icon (requires a login/password - free).