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Pacing in education is a term used to describe how teachers move through lesson plans, both on a daily basis and in the long-term. Pacing is primarily a method of organizing lessons in a way that makes the most use of class time without being too brief. To do this, teachers consult numerous resources and craft strategies that they alter throughout their career. The optimal end result of a pacing strategy is to know that all material was covered with enough detail to deliver a high-quality education.[1][2]
Pacing guides
Because pacing is such an important part of education, many different sources put out "pacing guides" for specific topics. For instance, some textbook companies will create a guide specific to their book so that teachers have a framework that ensures all topics will be covered. Some organizations have worked to create pacing guides for the Common Core so that teachers have an easier time meeting standards that they may not be familiar with. These guides can have varying levels of detail, but can include everything from a simple list of topics that need to be covered to detailed assessments that must be presented at certain times throughout the year.[3][4]
While pacing guides provide structure for teachers, there is also evidence that suggests some pacing guides can be too restrictive or demanding. When school leadership requires teachers to follow specific pacing guides, teachers can experience pressure in different ways. For instance, if some students are struggling with a certain topic, teachers must decide between repeating the lessons for that topic, losing precious time, or pressing onward, leaving the struggling students behind. For this reason, some experts believe that pacing guides are best used loosely, so that the educator can teach at whatever pace works best for his or her students.[3]
See also
- Common Core State Standards Initiative
- Learning targets
- Learning progression
- Competency-based learning
Footnotes
- ↑ Edutopia.org, "Instructional pacing: How do your lessons flow," accessed November 4, 2014
- ↑ Least restrictive behavior interventions, "Instructional pacing," accessed November 4, 2014
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 ASCD.org, "Educational leadership: What research says about pacing guides," accessed November 4, 2014
- ↑ Illuminate Education, "Create a quality pacing guide," accessed November 4, 2014
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