When faced with the task to develop codes for the concept of Area, I went first to my textbook. I know the power standards well, and knew that area is specifically mentioned in one or two standards depending on the grade level. However, when develpoing a coding scheme for a textbook, I realized that area is embedded in many different standards. So, I thought it would be best to go page by page through my Holt Course 1 textbook and make note of the different types of problems involving area. I did not write down page numbers, but I developed very task specific codes. At this point in time, I thought I had a good jump start on the codes and would only need to refine a few. However, when I got to class, it became obvious that I was no where near done. In fact, the codes were so specific that I had a far larger number of codes than necessary. In essence, I created more work for myself. It has been much more difficult for me take specific codes and generalize them then to make general codes more specific.
Working with my peers, we went back to NCTM's Principles and Standards as well as the Common Core Standards. After reading through the documents, I pulled out standards that may relate to area and formulas to find area. I am now in the process of seperating my specific standards into the different standards, all the while trying to make them a bit less specific. I can honestly say, this is an exhausting and frustrating task. It would be beneficial to have written steps for us to follow in order to develop the codes instead of general guidelines. More examples would be useful too. I have never been exposed to a task like this or even the idea of coding a textbook. It is quite an undertaking and I am not sure of the ultimate goal. I hope to develop an appreciation for authors of textbooks if they go through the painstaking task of coding each standard in their text. I have definitely come to realize that I have no desire to be responsible for writing textbook curriculum.
