Research & Understanding

This is a large area to cover and can come in many forms of deliverables and containing a plethora of subjects and subject areas. We must adhere to any restrictions and guidelines as set forth by the educational establishment in which we are working unless we are implementing independently from the system. Keeping in mind the guidelines, there are a number of approaches to take when considering the different types of content.

Researching and understanding the existing educational landscape and the established content that exists today will be key. In addition, understanding the scope and scale in which the content reaches students and for which grade levels is equally important. The content framework may vary from school to school but there are district-level and even nation-level frameworks in place that will detail the guidelines and types of subjects being taught. As an organization interested in creating content that benefits students, we will be studying and analyzing the subject areas being taught today and the expected results from the performing student body. To refine our research in this area, we will be harnessing partnerships, utilize the Teacher Empowerment Circle (TEC), the California Department of Education (for local data) and other sources to best understand the content landscape in our schools.

Using this ongoing research, we will be able to better position ourselves to create more effective materials that are generated from data and analysis. In addition, due to the close relationship with our schools and their students\' lessons, the opportunities for content-collaboration in which we combine efforts to produce additional content, we are are in a position to do so more seamlessly.

Content Task Force (CTF)

As a secondary branch-off of our research initiatives, we are looking to establish a Content Task Force which would consist of experts on the subject of education, curricula and best standard practices for subject deliverance in the classroom. A Content Task Force expert provides valuable information about the current subject body being taught and evolving or devolving patterns that exist in various subjects over the course of a specified timeframe (likely years, even decades).

More importantly, to either validate or contrast against the research found in this area, another major component of analysis will be focused on discovering and defining content relevancy. The term relevancy carries many definitions here; relevance in the form of culture-aware materials for the diverse student and classroom, relevance in tailoring materials to student aspiration and intrigue, relevance in the form of how well the material aligns to the student and their post-schooling lives in relation to the world we live in today (survivability). This body of researchers would exist on a continuum to accommodate for the ever-evolving learning landscape.

Structure

Structure refers to the method and approach to delivering content. To support the mission of improving learning experiences and the overall classroom, we also need to look at how content is presented, in what formats and other capacities.

Being present in the classroom helps us to understand structure and the more we continue to reside in the system, the more we are able to identify instructional patterns. We aim to remain cognizant of these methods, the ratio of instructor-led to lab-style lessons, or environments that enable hands-on and kinesthetic learning.

We understand that quality content can be negated by an unbalanced structure and that the opposite can also be true.