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=**Chinquapin Prep Courses and Course Syllabi**=

"The 'everybody has a voice' aspect of wiki technology has allowed for some truly rich visioning..." -- Mike Lawrence, Executive Director of the Califorinia Computer Using Educators Association (quoted in [|David Warlick, "The Executive Wiki," //Technology and Learning//, June 2007])
 * Faculty:**

We will begin to build our curriculum here. Start by clicking on your course. Once on your page, you will click on the "edit this page" tab and add your revised information for the fall semester, then an outline for the spring semester. Feel free to browse other pages for connections and ideas. As this wiki grows, we will create a stronger, more coherent curriculum; as we understand the learning that happens in each course, we can build on that learning, make connections, collaborate, and pursue a common direction -- the preparation of our students for college and their work in the world.

**Wondering What to Write?**
The first step is to create your syllabus for your course. Use the "history" tab to see what has been done in the past. Try to predict (if this is your first time here) or re-create (if you've completed a semester or a year) what happens, what students do and learn. This will give everyone, students and teachers alike, a basic overview.

The next step is to take your syllabus and make it into a document that is attached to the page. Now, re-think your course from a pedagogical perspective. If you wanted to explain to other teachers what you do and why you do it -- so that they can learn from the hows and whys of what you teach, so that they can consider how your course relates to the overall picture of what students learn at Chinquapin -- what would you say? If you wanted to articulate the learning that happens in your course for a board member or a new teacher, how would you do it? We do not have a set format for this yet. I am trying to move toward this organically.

So, here are some things to consider... >
 * What are the essential questions that guide your thinking about your course? What are the key ideas students keep coming back to as touchstones to their understanding?
 * How does your philosophy of teaching infuse this course? What matters to you about your students' learning?
 * What are the skills needed to succeed in your course? What are the skills gained? How are these transferable elsewhere?
 * Why do you assess your students in the way you do? How does this particular way of assessing allow students to demonstrate their learning?
 * Which teaching strategies do you use? How are these linked to your desired goals for students' learning?How does your course address the needs of various learning styles? of 20th century learners?
 * What does it mean to be prepared for college when it comes to this particular course?

**Wiki Tips**
You may wish to work in Word and transfer your work to the wiki. This is what you need to do to make things go as smoothly as possible: 1. Save in HTML. 2. Open Wiki using browser 3. Open new tab or window using the same browser used in step 2 (above) Open the HTML file created in step 1. 4. Copy and paste to the wiki as desired.