Lesson Planning:
Lesson planning can be beneficial if approached in meaningful ways. During undergrad we were told to create these ten plus page lesson plans for a single lesson. They were completely unnecessary and honestly a waste of time. Also, it was often stressful. What teacher actually has the time to sit down and create a ten page lesson plan for each lesson every day?
However, I have constructed a planning system that works well for me. Being a new STEM teacher in my county is a little different from when I was a fourth-grade teacher. When I was a fourth-grade teacher I had a team of teachers I was expected to collaborate with to create plans each week. We would create a collaborative document and each teacher was responsible for creating plans for one content area. The only downfall was that you may not get to plan the content area that you liked. I specifically had to plan Reading (which was my least favorite subject to teach).
Now as a STEM teacher, planning is very different. Instead of planning different subjects for each day, I plan for five different grade levels each day. The easier part is that one day of plans will actually last me a week, as students from different classes rotate through my class. It is interesting to teach 800 kids in a week. I make a lot more copies than I use to, and I have to plan time to complete tasks such as copying. Currently I print out the lesson plans from our curriculum website (PLTW). I then annotate the plans. I write in additions such as brain breaks, highlight important information, write in questions to ask students, and such. I like this method of planning. Instead of writing plans so explicitly in order for everyone to understand. I can use highlighting codes, short notes and indicators that only I would understand. This makes planning time a lot quicker and meaningful in my opinion.
Lesson planning can be beneficial if approached in meaningful ways. During undergrad we were told to create these ten plus page lesson plans for a single lesson. They were completely unnecessary and honestly a waste of time. Also, it was often stressful. What teacher actually has the time to sit down and create a ten page lesson plan for each lesson every day?
However, I have constructed a planning system that works well for me. Being a new STEM teacher in my county is a little different from when I was a fourth-grade teacher. When I was a fourth-grade teacher I had a team of teachers I was expected to collaborate with to create plans each week. We would create a collaborative document and each teacher was responsible for creating plans for one content area. The only downfall was that you may not get to plan the content area that you liked. I specifically had to plan Reading (which was my least favorite subject to teach).
Now as a STEM teacher, planning is very different. Instead of planning different subjects for each day, I plan for five different grade levels each day. The easier part is that one day of plans will actually last me a week, as students from different classes rotate through my class. It is interesting to teach 800 kids in a week. I make a lot more copies than I use to, and I have to plan time to complete tasks such as copying. Currently I print out the lesson plans from our curriculum website (PLTW). I then annotate the plans. I write in additions such as brain breaks, highlight important information, write in questions to ask students, and such. I like this method of planning. Instead of writing plans so explicitly in order for everyone to understand. I can use highlighting codes, short notes and indicators that only I would understand. This makes planning time a lot quicker and meaningful in my opinion.
When a Lesson Goes Wrong:
This year is the first year that Horry County Schools has implemented a STEM curriculum into elementary schools. That being said, this is the first year I have taught the Project Lead the Way (PLTW) curriculum. I currently have only taught the first week of lesson plans for this new curriculum.
With this being new, I wanted to do my best to follow every step of their pre-designed lesson. However, that did not exactly work for my Kindergarteners. My kindergarteners are currently learning about structure and function. Yes, those are some big words for the little ones. I did have a desired outcome for the lesson, and wrote it on my board as an "I can" statement as we are expected to do daily. The outcome was, "I can determine the structure and function of an object". I do believe this is an entirely obtainable outcome. I just approached it the wrong way with my first class of kindergarteners.
What Went Wrong!
With my first class I reviewed the terms and then led a whole group discussion. This is where I went wrong. (Did I mention this was my first time teaching Kindergarteners, and I use to teach the older kids?). I expected the little ones to sit in one spot, raise their hand, and share their ideas. Boy was I wrong. Every two seconds a kid had to use the bathroom, at least ten of them were picking their nose (making me about to throw-up right in the middle of our lesson), some were rolling on the carpet, one even asked me for a bottle, etc. It was a mess because I did not have an activity for them to actually do.
How It Was Fixed!
Luckily, I got another class of kindergarteners the next day. Trust me, I learned from my mistakes. I started by introducing the vocabulary words, showed a few examples, and drew pictorial examples on the board for them to reference. However, instead of holding a group discussion I split the kids into groups at tables. At their tables I had six items (one for each kids). Now instead of students raising their hands and only a few getting to talk, every one had a chance to talk. Students took turns telling their tablemates the structure and function of their object. During this time I was able to monitor the class and assess student knowledge. By changing the format of my lesson, every student had something to DO, and they were completing a measurable task.
This year is the first year that Horry County Schools has implemented a STEM curriculum into elementary schools. That being said, this is the first year I have taught the Project Lead the Way (PLTW) curriculum. I currently have only taught the first week of lesson plans for this new curriculum.
With this being new, I wanted to do my best to follow every step of their pre-designed lesson. However, that did not exactly work for my Kindergarteners. My kindergarteners are currently learning about structure and function. Yes, those are some big words for the little ones. I did have a desired outcome for the lesson, and wrote it on my board as an "I can" statement as we are expected to do daily. The outcome was, "I can determine the structure and function of an object". I do believe this is an entirely obtainable outcome. I just approached it the wrong way with my first class of kindergarteners.
What Went Wrong!
With my first class I reviewed the terms and then led a whole group discussion. This is where I went wrong. (Did I mention this was my first time teaching Kindergarteners, and I use to teach the older kids?). I expected the little ones to sit in one spot, raise their hand, and share their ideas. Boy was I wrong. Every two seconds a kid had to use the bathroom, at least ten of them were picking their nose (making me about to throw-up right in the middle of our lesson), some were rolling on the carpet, one even asked me for a bottle, etc. It was a mess because I did not have an activity for them to actually do.
How It Was Fixed!
Luckily, I got another class of kindergarteners the next day. Trust me, I learned from my mistakes. I started by introducing the vocabulary words, showed a few examples, and drew pictorial examples on the board for them to reference. However, instead of holding a group discussion I split the kids into groups at tables. At their tables I had six items (one for each kids). Now instead of students raising their hands and only a few getting to talk, every one had a chance to talk. Students took turns telling their tablemates the structure and function of their object. During this time I was able to monitor the class and assess student knowledge. By changing the format of my lesson, every student had something to DO, and they were completing a measurable task.
The Importance of Entry Skills:
When teaching Everyday Mathematics (HCS Math Curriculum) it is essential to view the lessons before hand. I did not directly teach the lesson I am going to refer to, but is current and very applicable. My husband is a first year 5th grade teacher at another school. Last year I was a 4th grade teacher. He came home and we were talking about how his students are struggling with calculating volume. He continued to tall me that this is a unit typically taught later in the year, but it has been decided that volume should be taught first. As we were talking he explained that his students seemed to know the formula, but are still getting the wrong answers. I looked at one of is problems, and realized that his students probably do not have an entry level skill needed for the questions.
In fourth grade we taught some multiplication like one digit by one digit, one digit by two digit, and two digit by two digit. However, we did not teach two digit by three digit, three digit by three digit, etc. The volume questions students were being asked to answer required more advanced multiplication skills like three digit by three digit. His students did not have these skills yet. So, he took a day to teach strategies (Lattice and box method) for completing larger multiplication problems. Afterwards, his students are now calculating the correct answers to the volume equations.
For this example, the entry level skill for calculating volume was multi digit by multi digit multiplication.
When teaching Everyday Mathematics (HCS Math Curriculum) it is essential to view the lessons before hand. I did not directly teach the lesson I am going to refer to, but is current and very applicable. My husband is a first year 5th grade teacher at another school. Last year I was a 4th grade teacher. He came home and we were talking about how his students are struggling with calculating volume. He continued to tall me that this is a unit typically taught later in the year, but it has been decided that volume should be taught first. As we were talking he explained that his students seemed to know the formula, but are still getting the wrong answers. I looked at one of is problems, and realized that his students probably do not have an entry level skill needed for the questions.
In fourth grade we taught some multiplication like one digit by one digit, one digit by two digit, and two digit by two digit. However, we did not teach two digit by three digit, three digit by three digit, etc. The volume questions students were being asked to answer required more advanced multiplication skills like three digit by three digit. His students did not have these skills yet. So, he took a day to teach strategies (Lattice and box method) for completing larger multiplication problems. Afterwards, his students are now calculating the correct answers to the volume equations.
For this example, the entry level skill for calculating volume was multi digit by multi digit multiplication.
Analyzing Learners in STEM: Having about 800 kids a weak makes it hard to get to know every student and their capabilities. Due to this I think it is important to constantly monitor students. I begin the year by reviewing the IEPs, 504s ILPs and behavior plans. This is essential considering I am expected to implement student accommodations as homeroom teachers would. I then begin the year with a class of intro to STEM lesson. This allows me to gauge student's prior knowledge, expectations, and misconceptions pertaining to STEM. Students are asked to complete short assignments each week to ensure they are grasping the content needed for the overcall project at the end of the module. It is essential to formatively asses throughout the module. If I were to wait until the end of a module to learn that a student does not grasp the content, then weeks of content would have been wasted. Through continuous/daily monitoring of the students in my thirty six classes of kindergarten through fourth-grade students I am able to better ensure they are grasping our STEM content. A huge part of STEM is turning the work and discovery of content over to the students. I typically start by giving whole group instruction for the first 10 minutes or so. Students then work to deepen understanding or complete projects. This provides time for me to interact with students around the room. It also provides time for me to work with small groups if needed. |
Performance Objective:
My original performance objective for my third-grade STEM students was: Students will be able to identify the four forces of flight.
I typically write these on the board as I Can statements to allow students to take ownership/responsibility of the day’s lesson.
After reading chapter six I realized that my objective was not specific enough, and was missing key elements of a properly constructed performance objective.
I would alter the objective to read: After view the digital presentation of the four forces of flight, students will be able to draw a model of the four forces of flight acting on a plane with 100% accuracy.
The performance objective influenced me to teach the four forces of flight differently than if I did not have a performance objective. Without the objective I would probably have taught the lesson called on a few people to help me label the four forces of flight on a model drawn on the board. However, the performance objective states that every student should represent this gained knowledge. Therefore I had each student draw a model labeling the four forces to turn in. I then checked these models for understanding and identified misconceptions to correct during the next class.
My original performance objective for my third-grade STEM students was: Students will be able to identify the four forces of flight.
I typically write these on the board as I Can statements to allow students to take ownership/responsibility of the day’s lesson.
After reading chapter six I realized that my objective was not specific enough, and was missing key elements of a properly constructed performance objective.
I would alter the objective to read: After view the digital presentation of the four forces of flight, students will be able to draw a model of the four forces of flight acting on a plane with 100% accuracy.
The performance objective influenced me to teach the four forces of flight differently than if I did not have a performance objective. Without the objective I would probably have taught the lesson called on a few people to help me label the four forces of flight on a model drawn on the board. However, the performance objective states that every student should represent this gained knowledge. Therefore I had each student draw a model labeling the four forces to turn in. I then checked these models for understanding and identified misconceptions to correct during the next class.
Achievement Testing
Achievement testing is a topic I feel has warranted mixed emotions by many educators. Personally, I see the benefits as well as detriments in relation to achievement testing.
The benefits of achievement testing include a detailed data base for educators to view historical trends of student achievement. The multiple tests throughout the year also helps educators to gauge student mastery of content as well as identify areas for improvement. Achievement tests can also help motivate students who enjoy the competitive nature of testing.
On the other hand, I do not like that testing causes competition in young students. This leads to the other side of my split opinion in relation to Achievement testing. I have experienced negatives in relation to the amount of achievement testing required by students. By students I am referring to elementary students. I do not think students (7-10 year olds in my experience) should feel so pressured by testing. I have seen students cry, and even seen students become physically ill due to the mental strain caused by such tests.
I feel as though the amount of achievement testing should be lessened in elementary schools.
Achievement testing is a topic I feel has warranted mixed emotions by many educators. Personally, I see the benefits as well as detriments in relation to achievement testing.
The benefits of achievement testing include a detailed data base for educators to view historical trends of student achievement. The multiple tests throughout the year also helps educators to gauge student mastery of content as well as identify areas for improvement. Achievement tests can also help motivate students who enjoy the competitive nature of testing.
On the other hand, I do not like that testing causes competition in young students. This leads to the other side of my split opinion in relation to Achievement testing. I have experienced negatives in relation to the amount of achievement testing required by students. By students I am referring to elementary students. I do not think students (7-10 year olds in my experience) should feel so pressured by testing. I have seen students cry, and even seen students become physically ill due to the mental strain caused by such tests.
I feel as though the amount of achievement testing should be lessened in elementary schools.
Instructional Strategies:
My instructional strategies have changed drastically over the last year. When I was a fourth grade teacher I used blended learning daily, as my classroom was 1:1 with iPads. I liked to use hands on activities as much as possible, but time and lessons did not always allow for it. However, since switching to STEM this year I use hands-on activities/experiments every day with kindergarteners through 4th-graders. I also use a lot more structures that allow students to collaborate. The strategy I use least often now is lecturing. I only see each class for 50 minutes every six or seven days. Due to this, I do not spend time on lectures and note taking.
My instructional strategies have changed drastically over the last year. When I was a fourth grade teacher I used blended learning daily, as my classroom was 1:1 with iPads. I liked to use hands on activities as much as possible, but time and lessons did not always allow for it. However, since switching to STEM this year I use hands-on activities/experiments every day with kindergarteners through 4th-graders. I also use a lot more structures that allow students to collaborate. The strategy I use least often now is lecturing. I only see each class for 50 minutes every six or seven days. Due to this, I do not spend time on lectures and note taking.
Does the Medium Make a Difference?
Education is rapidly changing. A lot has changed since the 1980s. The way students learn and the way educators teach is evolving along with the resources available. I personally disagree with the statement that, "the choice of media for delivering instruction does not make a difference in how much students learn or in their attitudes about what they are learning". For example I think my students learn better form blended learning rather than completing numerous worksheets. I do agree that designing the most beneficial learning experiences are designed with the instructional strategy, media choice, and learner needs/attitudes in mind.
Education is rapidly changing. A lot has changed since the 1980s. The way students learn and the way educators teach is evolving along with the resources available. I personally disagree with the statement that, "the choice of media for delivering instruction does not make a difference in how much students learn or in their attitudes about what they are learning". For example I think my students learn better form blended learning rather than completing numerous worksheets. I do agree that designing the most beneficial learning experiences are designed with the instructional strategy, media choice, and learner needs/attitudes in mind.
Developing FUN Instructional Resources, That Can Even Be Used At Home:
I feel that the most engaging resources I have made for the benefit of my students were materials that prompt students to learn/work at their own pace. One material set that comes to mind is a series of Kahoots I made last year. Due to having been out for several weeks last year because of the Hurricane, I felt as though I was being rushed to teach content, and students were being rushed to learn content. For this reason, I created a series of Kahoots that aligned with our Social Studies content for the year. Students "played" these as an early finish activity, during indoor recess, and even at home. The best part was that I encouraged parents to use these at home with their kids. I asked parents to make a family game night out of the Kahoots. This allowed students to practice what they were learning, allowed parents to see what their students were learning, and encouraged family bonding time. Parents seemed to LOVE it! I simply created interactive slides that the player could click, and it would take them to the specified Kahoot. Instead of seeing studying as a chore, students were excited to "play".
I feel that the most engaging resources I have made for the benefit of my students were materials that prompt students to learn/work at their own pace. One material set that comes to mind is a series of Kahoots I made last year. Due to having been out for several weeks last year because of the Hurricane, I felt as though I was being rushed to teach content, and students were being rushed to learn content. For this reason, I created a series of Kahoots that aligned with our Social Studies content for the year. Students "played" these as an early finish activity, during indoor recess, and even at home. The best part was that I encouraged parents to use these at home with their kids. I asked parents to make a family game night out of the Kahoots. This allowed students to practice what they were learning, allowed parents to see what their students were learning, and encouraged family bonding time. Parents seemed to LOVE it! I simply created interactive slides that the player could click, and it would take them to the specified Kahoot. Instead of seeing studying as a chore, students were excited to "play".
Formative Evaluation:
Formative evaluation is an essential component of my, as well as many other teachers’ classrooms. Formative evaluation is considered a required component of every teacher’s lessons at my school. The primary purpose of formative evaluation is to check for students’ understanding in order to plan current and near future instruction. Formative evaluations provide educators with a measurable way to assess students’ comprehension of lesson content. I most often see formative evaluations used to form small group instruction. Formative evaluations are often given during the primary lesson time. Based on the results of the evaluation, small groups are then created to address misconceptions, re-teach content, and provide enrichment materials.
Formative evaluation is an essential component of my, as well as many other teachers’ classrooms. Formative evaluation is considered a required component of every teacher’s lessons at my school. The primary purpose of formative evaluation is to check for students’ understanding in order to plan current and near future instruction. Formative evaluations provide educators with a measurable way to assess students’ comprehension of lesson content. I most often see formative evaluations used to form small group instruction. Formative evaluations are often given during the primary lesson time. Based on the results of the evaluation, small groups are then created to address misconceptions, re-teach content, and provide enrichment materials.
Revision:
The neat aspect about teaching a weekly rotation of the same lesson to six different classes is that I am constantly revising. When I taught 4th grade I would sometimes have to wait an entire year to change up how I presented specific content. However, when teaching STEM, I am constantly revising aspects of my instruction. For example, I was teaching 3rd grade about Newton's Laws of Motion. The curriculum guide said to have students take notes in their Logs on grid paper. After the first day, I realized that the quality of students' notes was not as detailed as I would have liked. I then revised my lesson by creating my a guided notes sheet. This helped students record what they learned from their experiments in a more organized way. Overall, revision is an essential component of teaching STEM in a rotation schedule.
The neat aspect about teaching a weekly rotation of the same lesson to six different classes is that I am constantly revising. When I taught 4th grade I would sometimes have to wait an entire year to change up how I presented specific content. However, when teaching STEM, I am constantly revising aspects of my instruction. For example, I was teaching 3rd grade about Newton's Laws of Motion. The curriculum guide said to have students take notes in their Logs on grid paper. After the first day, I realized that the quality of students' notes was not as detailed as I would have liked. I then revised my lesson by creating my a guided notes sheet. This helped students record what they learned from their experiments in a more organized way. Overall, revision is an essential component of teaching STEM in a rotation schedule.
Summative Evaluations:
I have mixed feelings about summative evaluation in terms of end-of-grade testing. I personally do not have to deal with these currently, as a "special area" (STEM) teacher. However, I was recently a 4th grade teacher. I feel as though great pressure is placed on such tests. Pressure not only on the teachers, but students as well. These tests create scores and data that are displayed in many places, only adding to the pressure of the students' outcome. I do think the tests provide vital information as to what information the students obtained. However, if a student is not a great test taker, or the student is having a bad day, such scores may not be accurate in relation to the student's true abilities. Even so, these scores will follow them for years.
I have mixed feelings about summative evaluation in terms of end-of-grade testing. I personally do not have to deal with these currently, as a "special area" (STEM) teacher. However, I was recently a 4th grade teacher. I feel as though great pressure is placed on such tests. Pressure not only on the teachers, but students as well. These tests create scores and data that are displayed in many places, only adding to the pressure of the students' outcome. I do think the tests provide vital information as to what information the students obtained. However, if a student is not a great test taker, or the student is having a bad day, such scores may not be accurate in relation to the student's true abilities. Even so, these scores will follow them for years.
Heights and Lows:
Prior to this course, I knew what blended learning was, and have implemented some blended learning lessons/units into my instruction. However, I did not fully analyze my instructional design as intently prior to this course. By working through the blended learning project, I have learned to analyze my planning more intently. From learning about my students, to developing detailed performance outcomes, to developing worthwhile assessments, to really analyzing the effectiveness of selected digital materials. By providing rationales for my selections, I believe it has made me think more critically, and therefore, develop more effective blended learning experiences.
Prior to this course, I knew what blended learning was, and have implemented some blended learning lessons/units into my instruction. However, I did not fully analyze my instructional design as intently prior to this course. By working through the blended learning project, I have learned to analyze my planning more intently. From learning about my students, to developing detailed performance outcomes, to developing worthwhile assessments, to really analyzing the effectiveness of selected digital materials. By providing rationales for my selections, I believe it has made me think more critically, and therefore, develop more effective blended learning experiences.
ID Process
As a teacher I find the instructional design process to be highly effective in creating successful lessons. Of the steps, I think step three and step seven are of the highest importance. It is necessary to determine students' entry behaviors and characteristics in order to design a lesson that is created with the learner needs in mind. I also feel that step seven, developing and selecting learner materials is important, if not the most important step within this process. It is essential to select materials that relay the content and engages students. If both content and engagement are not met, it is less likely that students will gain the information needed.
As a teacher I find the instructional design process to be highly effective in creating successful lessons. Of the steps, I think step three and step seven are of the highest importance. It is necessary to determine students' entry behaviors and characteristics in order to design a lesson that is created with the learner needs in mind. I also feel that step seven, developing and selecting learner materials is important, if not the most important step within this process. It is essential to select materials that relay the content and engages students. If both content and engagement are not met, it is less likely that students will gain the information needed.