Monday, February 14, 2011
Subject matter expert
I made contact with my subject matter expert, Mrs. Maura Smith. I have also been working on my draft. Once I completed the task analysis, I reported some of the findings to Mrs. Whistleman. She was amazed at the number of papers students collectively have to keep up with by the end of the semester. Both teachers feel the need for paper reduction to solve the problem. Mrs. Smith stated that she is not sure if better organization will cause a rise in overall grades on tests, but that organization is especially important for SPED students. It increases their confidence in their own abilities and it is necessary for life skills.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Project Brainstorming
Who is the Subject Matter Expert, or SME, on my project?
My SME is Maura Smith, collaborative and resource teacher for the world history class at BHS who recognizes the abilities and limits of the SPED students. She will advise me on how to structure the best design for a notebook that will enable the SPED students to best remain organized, have less of a paper trail, and enhance their learning.
My second SME is S. Chenault, the department head at BHS, that supervises the social studies department. She will advise me on policy guidelines - what is and is not permissible, funding, etc.
Who is the Target Audience?
The target audience is both Emily Whistleman, the current teacher of the World History Class at BHS, since she will be implementing the new notebook organization, as well as the students who will actually use the new system.
What model of instructional design seems most appropriate for my project and why?
I think the Kemp, Morrison, and Ross's Instructional Design Plan (9-10) will work best in my case. First, the 9 steps focus on content, learner characteristics, and problems. It also allows for revision. Since SPED students vary so widely in their learning capabilities (there are both ED and LD students in the class), the process may need adjustment to fit needs. Additionally it addresses strategies, resources, and delivery - all key components for the teaching environment.
What perspectives on learning will likely be addressed - cognitive, behavioral, constructivist - and why? Give specific examples (22-37)
This is a little hard to determine since different students, especially with special needs, learn differently.
However, they all will need to use cognition to categorize notebooks by unit/topic. They need to recognize the particular unit that a worksheet, test, etc. belongs to so when the teacher checks their units, all work is together and completed. In addition, the behavioral perspective is used for the act of organizing papers in the notebook.
Right now, it seems as though a somewhat constructivist approach is also being used. Students organize their notebooks by topic (bellwork, maps, notes, etc.), yet they can choose to place newer units on top of each section or place them behind previous sections creating a more chronological notebook. Certainly, this works well for 3/4 of the class. However for the remainder (which includes many of the SPED students), they seem to struggle without specific guidelines. The idea of the collaborative class is inclusion of everyone. In fact, the SPED students remain somewhat anonymous to the other students. Still, the higher achieving students should not be withheld from determining their own organizational system. In struggling to create a better plan, I will need to allow for all areas. Hopefully, my SME will give me some good direction.
What strategy will I use to conduct a needs analysis? What products will be created to show I have conducted a full needs analysis? (40-55)
The need seems to be a performance problem/ skill deficiency with notebook organization, especially in regards to SPED students. It is important for these students to learn organizational skills, necessary for life. However, the current notebook organization system consumes excessive time for both students and teachers. Robert Mager's performance analysis would work well for providing a needs analysis, because its detailed questioning can be used to measure the limits/abilities of the students and determine and effectively determine the performance gap.
I will have a sit down interview with Emily Whistleman, as well as issue questions by email to Maura Smith and S. Chenault seeking advice. Also, I will go to the Rockingham County School website for a list of any other necessary policies. I can also seek advice from other sources, especially websites, forums, etc. as needed. I can create a flow chart for the model, as well as other charts and graphs which reflect current performance. Also,
What approach will I use to conduct a task analysis? What products will be created to show that I have conducted a full task analysis? (57-69)
I will make a video of the current notebook organization system. Also, I will take notes on the process. Then I will develop my plan and ask my SME to examine/critique it. At this point, I am still developing a plan, but I think the Morrison, Ross, and Kemp model (58) will work well since it requires the review of the SME. I will certainly need her advice on abilities/limitations of SPED students.
My SME is Maura Smith, collaborative and resource teacher for the world history class at BHS who recognizes the abilities and limits of the SPED students. She will advise me on how to structure the best design for a notebook that will enable the SPED students to best remain organized, have less of a paper trail, and enhance their learning.
My second SME is S. Chenault, the department head at BHS, that supervises the social studies department. She will advise me on policy guidelines - what is and is not permissible, funding, etc.
Who is the Target Audience?
The target audience is both Emily Whistleman, the current teacher of the World History Class at BHS, since she will be implementing the new notebook organization, as well as the students who will actually use the new system.
What model of instructional design seems most appropriate for my project and why?
I think the Kemp, Morrison, and Ross's Instructional Design Plan (9-10) will work best in my case. First, the 9 steps focus on content, learner characteristics, and problems. It also allows for revision. Since SPED students vary so widely in their learning capabilities (there are both ED and LD students in the class), the process may need adjustment to fit needs. Additionally it addresses strategies, resources, and delivery - all key components for the teaching environment.
What perspectives on learning will likely be addressed - cognitive, behavioral, constructivist - and why? Give specific examples (22-37)
This is a little hard to determine since different students, especially with special needs, learn differently.
However, they all will need to use cognition to categorize notebooks by unit/topic. They need to recognize the particular unit that a worksheet, test, etc. belongs to so when the teacher checks their units, all work is together and completed. In addition, the behavioral perspective is used for the act of organizing papers in the notebook.
Right now, it seems as though a somewhat constructivist approach is also being used. Students organize their notebooks by topic (bellwork, maps, notes, etc.), yet they can choose to place newer units on top of each section or place them behind previous sections creating a more chronological notebook. Certainly, this works well for 3/4 of the class. However for the remainder (which includes many of the SPED students), they seem to struggle without specific guidelines. The idea of the collaborative class is inclusion of everyone. In fact, the SPED students remain somewhat anonymous to the other students. Still, the higher achieving students should not be withheld from determining their own organizational system. In struggling to create a better plan, I will need to allow for all areas. Hopefully, my SME will give me some good direction.
What strategy will I use to conduct a needs analysis? What products will be created to show I have conducted a full needs analysis? (40-55)
The need seems to be a performance problem/ skill deficiency with notebook organization, especially in regards to SPED students. It is important for these students to learn organizational skills, necessary for life. However, the current notebook organization system consumes excessive time for both students and teachers. Robert Mager's performance analysis would work well for providing a needs analysis, because its detailed questioning can be used to measure the limits/abilities of the students and determine and effectively determine the performance gap.
I will have a sit down interview with Emily Whistleman, as well as issue questions by email to Maura Smith and S. Chenault seeking advice. Also, I will go to the Rockingham County School website for a list of any other necessary policies. I can also seek advice from other sources, especially websites, forums, etc. as needed. I can create a flow chart for the model, as well as other charts and graphs which reflect current performance. Also,
What approach will I use to conduct a task analysis? What products will be created to show that I have conducted a full task analysis? (57-69)
I will make a video of the current notebook organization system. Also, I will take notes on the process. Then I will develop my plan and ask my SME to examine/critique it. At this point, I am still developing a plan, but I think the Morrison, Ross, and Kemp model (58) will work well since it requires the review of the SME. I will certainly need her advice on abilities/limitations of SPED students.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Gathering Data
I have gathered some statistical data from the world history teacher, as well as the supervisor of the social studies department. In the collaborative classes, approximately 43% of the students have grades lower than a C. Additionally, 24% of the class had below a C on notebook organization grades, and the teacher commented these were graded leniently by a student teacher. 83% of the SPED students had grades lower than a C, and 33% scored lower than a C on notebook grades. Again, the teacher commented that often, resource teachers organize the notebooks with the students so they can achieve a passing grade. At this point there are only 4 computer labs for the entire school (est. 800 - 1000 students). However, the SPED department just received 10 iPads for student use. Additionally, the teacher estimated that 50 -75 % of students probably have cell phones with free texting. These give me some possibilities for reducing the paper trail in the notebooks - thus making it easier for students to study. While the supervisor reported that students were not supposed to use cell phones, exceptions could be made for class purposes. This also sounds promising.
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