How do the TEKS lay the foundation? Spiraling and Scaffolding!

The Pre-K TEKS lay the foundation for student performance in a variety of ways. Students are exposed to an assortment of word processing and spreadsheet software in addition to multimedia applications such as movie makers. They are also called upon to evaluate appropriate tools to accomplish a process or product. These skills provide rich choices to students as they progress through their education. It is unfortunate that students are still encouraged to make posters in high school for a project when they could be applying those foundational technology tools they have used and enjoy creating and presenting.

Spiraling or scaffolding curriculum expects the alignment of the foundational skills. In Grades 6-8 students plan, create, and edit documents. In high school, they apply problem-solving strategies such as design specifications or algorithm development. In middle school, students will use word processing and spreadsheets whereas high school students use visual organizers to design solutions such as flowcharts or schematic drawings.

Another example of alignment concerning problem solving is that middle school students are expected to use groupware, collaborative software, and productivity tools to create products. High school students are expected to use navigation of LANs and WANs for research and/or sharing resources.

It is imperative that teachers integrate these technology skills in their contents. I now see so much waste of acquired skills not utilized at the high school level. It does not surprise me that students appear to be bored and unengaged if they have in fact acquired the expected skills in a previous grade. Everyone knows what happens when skills are not practiced; they are lost, they loose their value.