Digital Blog Post #I

In this chapter the first thing I read that I thought to myself "oh wow this is helpful" was the section titled "Approaches to Lesson Plans". Lesson planning is organizing teacher's goals, methods, and procedures to determine the structure of instruction. The book goes on to detail two different approaches:

1) Student Learning Objectives- These learning objectives consist of

• Tell who
• Is going to do what
• When 
• How much or how often
• How it will be measured or evaluated 

This approach focus more on what the student can do after the lesson is taught. The teacher can use it to identify what methods they want to use, the procedure and what assessment will be used. I look at it in a way where the teacher should think of each objective as they are writing the lesson plan and make sure every lesson plans answers to each.

2) Understanding by design- This has three major components

• Stage 1- Identify desired results. This is like a frame where teachers can look at enduring understanding and essential questions. The goal here is to find what needs to be done so that the student has long lasting memories of the lesson.

• Stage 2- Determine acceptable evidence (assessment strategies)- This stage describes how the teacher can find evidence of the student learning and remembering the lesson. It could be a project, a paper, presentation or a test. Then the teacher needs to decide what information needs to be used in the assessment. 

• Stage 3- Plan learning experiences and instruction (objectives and methods)- This is the one most important stage. The one where the teacher decides what to teach and how to teach it. They will provide learning objectives, their methods and a plan for how it will be conducted in their lesson plan. 

Personally, I think that I like the student objective learning approach better. It forces you to look at multiple different components and questions. I think that one seems easier to follow and straight forward. 

I thought it was also interesting when they spoke of factors that influence how teachers view assessment. The first being personal experiences. They go on to describe how personal experience of how THEY were taught will leak into the way they decide to teach. For me personally, I was given many tests and writing assignments of course, but I look at my teaching style in a more creative light. I'm not sure if it's because I'm self-aware due to my current classes or because I remember how I was taught in high school, but am choosing to teach elementary. The second factor is standardized testing. This is one that hugely influences current teachers. You might of heard from many people how education now-a-days is only preparing you to take a test. It is becoming big in our schools now as a measurement tool and one used to determine if I child can pass the class or their grade level. The last factor listed is teacher tests. This one basically says that because students in the education program (hoping to become teachers) have to take a test to pass, no matter how they did in their classes, that this is the proper way for students to be evaluated. I can't say I agree with that but it is funny to me that I am against doing it to students but am understanding of the fact that I have to do it..as a student! I never really realized that until now.

One of the last sections in the book discusses rubrics. Rubrics are a way to evaluate student work on course assignments and activities. It is a chart that describes what needs to be done to receive an A and what will deserve a B, C, D and F as well. I have received these rubrics for most of my education, yet, to be honest, I don't fully utilize them or understand them. They are supposed to serve as a clear framework for how assignments need to be completed and how they will be graded but I never viewed them as helpful. Part of that might be laziness, I'll admit. One of my goals going into my bachelors program is to try and use rubrics to my full advantage. 

Credit to Paco Paco on Flickr

 Howard, K. (2014, March 25). Understanding by Design. Retrieved October 25, 2016, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DRnaSR1kZU

 Paco, P. (2011, February 27). Retrieved October 25, 2016.

Ellis, J. (2016, October 25). Let's Discuss.

Maloy, Robert, Verock-O'Loughlin, Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013). Transforming with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA. Pearson Education, Inc