This course started off kind of shaky for me because I was vacationing in Jamaica during the first week. Overall it has been a valuable experience. I really have enjoyed learning how to design instruction. I had gotten use to giving assignments rather than receiving them, so some of the required readings were challenging for me.
I feel like I have learned a lot about designing instruction, but I have not learned all there is to know. I am not sure if that makes sense. It’s like I completed the project and feel proud of my accomplishment because five weeks ago I knew nothing at all about the design process. But could I do it on my own? Can I complete a needs analysis correctly? The answers to those questions are yes. The instruction was top notch and I am confident I can complete an ID project on my own. Bringing what I’ve learned back to my school is a plus. In a way I wish I were in school right now to discuss several proposals for projects I have in mind. I know I am just getting started and have a long way to go before I am certified, but I cannot wait to implement what I have learned from this course.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Surprise Evaluation
I knew that I was one short but did not think I would get an observation with just two days left in the school year. End of grade testing was over (really the school year was over too) and I had completed the pacing guide over a week ago. Honestly how many teachers really are teaching during this time of the year? Luckily for me I was. Since I was born and raised in New Orleans, I always tied in some way New Orleans to the North Carolina standard course of study. This year was no different.
After teaching about sea level, levees, mardi gras, and history of jazz funerals, my students were given supplies to make umbrellas used in traditional jazz funerals. Once I had them going with their work I put on some music (New Orleans brass bands) and started on my umbrella. Then my assistant principal walks in with her clipboard and sits at my desk. The music was blasting, students were scattered everywhere, and the classroom looked a mess. My heart started pounding and my hands began to sweat. I went from being nervous to angry in just a matter of seconds. I was angry because of the timing of the observation (couple days of schools left and no warning). So me being the “hard head don’t give a hoot type of teacher,” I sat there and continued doing what I was doing. After about fifteen minutes of watching the evaluator look around and talking to my students, I got up and went over talk to her. I pulled out my laptop and showed her the PowerPoint presentation I had used to teach before she came in and explained what the students were doing. She viewed the slide show and then left without any comments. I was bothered by the whole situation and was prepared to defend my lesson and actions. Well, after school I was pumped up and ready for a fight that was not there. My observation was superior across the boards. It was the best evaluation I received over the last couple of years. Even though I received a great evaluation I believe the timing was unfair and wondered if other teachers were observed that same day.
After teaching about sea level, levees, mardi gras, and history of jazz funerals, my students were given supplies to make umbrellas used in traditional jazz funerals. Once I had them going with their work I put on some music (New Orleans brass bands) and started on my umbrella. Then my assistant principal walks in with her clipboard and sits at my desk. The music was blasting, students were scattered everywhere, and the classroom looked a mess. My heart started pounding and my hands began to sweat. I went from being nervous to angry in just a matter of seconds. I was angry because of the timing of the observation (couple days of schools left and no warning). So me being the “hard head don’t give a hoot type of teacher,” I sat there and continued doing what I was doing. After about fifteen minutes of watching the evaluator look around and talking to my students, I got up and went over talk to her. I pulled out my laptop and showed her the PowerPoint presentation I had used to teach before she came in and explained what the students were doing. She viewed the slide show and then left without any comments. I was bothered by the whole situation and was prepared to defend my lesson and actions. Well, after school I was pumped up and ready for a fight that was not there. My observation was superior across the boards. It was the best evaluation I received over the last couple of years. Even though I received a great evaluation I believe the timing was unfair and wondered if other teachers were observed that same day.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Designing instruction is like a mechanic diagnosing a car with trouble.
Designing instruction is like a mechanic diagnosing a car with trouble. Let me explain; imagine one morning your car doesn’t want to start. The mechanic is called and he comes out and takes your call to his shop. You both have no idea what is wrong with your vehicle. Instead of doing a complete diagnostic, the mechanic changes the oil and charges you for it. The car still does not start, so he changes the tire too. Before long he has topped off the windshield wiper fluid, changed the transmission oil, replaced the radiator, and installed new timing belts. After all that time and work the car still does not start. Then another mechanic comes along and discovers the battery is dead. Now a whole a lot of time and money have been wasted on changes to your car that were not necessary. Think of designing instruction as a complete diagnostic on a problem or situation that needs improvement.
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Objectives
One of my college professors always shared with her students that “effective teaching depends on how clearly the student understands what they are supposed to learn”. Just this past school year my school district faced corrective actions under the No Child Left Behind Act for not meeting Adequate Yearly Progress for the 3rd consecutive year. So we had an assistance team from D.P.I. come into the schools to make sure that our instruction was aligned with and fully implemented the N.C. Standard Course of Study. Objectives written clearly on the board became very important in job security ☺. I have only been teaching for 3 years and could not believe the state was coming into schools to check objectives on the board. I was taught in college to have the objectives written on the board for every lesson. So when the word came down to us (classroom teachers) I was thinking, what is wrong with North Carolina? They are sending a team to check objectives on the board? I thought this state was one of the leaders in education in the U.S. Was leaving Louisiana for North Carolina the right thing to do? All kinds of questions ran through my head. Then I found out after they had visited some schools before reaching mine and that some teachers were not putting objectives on the board and not teaching the standard the course of study for their grade level. If I am not mistaken, the state changes the standard course of study every 4 or 5 years. There were some educators who didn’t want to change with it and liked to teach what they have been teaching for years.
Sharing the objectives makes is easier to teach in my opinion. I like to use KWL charts when teaching. Therefore I can know what my students knows before I teach the lesson, what they want to know, and what they have learned after I have completed the lesson. It makes the learning fun and engages the students. The assigned articles were helpful and refreshing with writing objectives. I bookmarked the helpful hundred and will share them with my colleagues once school starts next month. I am also going to share the assigned articles for this week. Hopefully some of them will get the same feeling I had after reading them.
Sharing the objectives makes is easier to teach in my opinion. I like to use KWL charts when teaching. Therefore I can know what my students knows before I teach the lesson, what they want to know, and what they have learned after I have completed the lesson. It makes the learning fun and engages the students. The assigned articles were helpful and refreshing with writing objectives. I bookmarked the helpful hundred and will share them with my colleagues once school starts next month. I am also going to share the assigned articles for this week. Hopefully some of them will get the same feeling I had after reading them.
Friday, July 6, 2007
How To March In A Marching Band
How to march in a marching band has no clear goals or objectives. I know first hand it is not easy at all to go out and march in a band. It takes time and practice to coordinate playing, counting, and marching all at the same time. The author does not go into detail about the left foot and right foot. "Start with your left foot and step out as though you are about to go for a stroll". It is more to it then just starting off with your left foot. Here is an explanation. Marching bands use a marching technique called 8 to 5. In the article the author mentions the technique, but does not go into the details of how to march 8 to 5. Meaning the marchers will march 8 steps for every 5 yards. The left foot is the odd numbers and the right foot is the even numbers. Every one starts off with their left foot and count every time they pick up their feet. The right leg should always hit the line on eight. Here is an idea of how it looks when done correctly.
Now the average person cannot count 1,2,3, to 8 and march and play at the same time, so they use the music to help. Most of today’s music is written in 4/4. Translation 4 beats per measure and the quarter note gets the beat. Ever hear a song you really like and you start clapping your hands to or tapping your feet? Well most of time that handclap or foot tap comes on the 2nd and 4th beat of a measure (sometimes just on 4 depends on the song, but it still comes on the even beat). In a marching band that translates to your foot hitting the yard line on the clap (4th beat). Remember there are 4 beats in a measure, and your foot hit the lines on the last beat of the measure. So when the next measure starts you are stepping of with your left foot (odd number and 1st beat of new measure). I could go on and write a book about how to march in a marching band. But now is not the time nor place, so here are the goal and objectives I would use in editing the article.
Goal: How to march successfully in a marching band.
Objectives: The learner can demonstrate the marching technique of 8 to 5.
The learner can demonstrate using music to help him/her march.
The learner can demonstrate proper leg lift and foot roll.
Here is a perfect example of a high school perfectly marching 8 to 5.
Another example from the college level.
Now the average person cannot count 1,2,3, to 8 and march and play at the same time, so they use the music to help. Most of today’s music is written in 4/4. Translation 4 beats per measure and the quarter note gets the beat. Ever hear a song you really like and you start clapping your hands to or tapping your feet? Well most of time that handclap or foot tap comes on the 2nd and 4th beat of a measure (sometimes just on 4 depends on the song, but it still comes on the even beat). In a marching band that translates to your foot hitting the yard line on the clap (4th beat). Remember there are 4 beats in a measure, and your foot hit the lines on the last beat of the measure. So when the next measure starts you are stepping of with your left foot (odd number and 1st beat of new measure). I could go on and write a book about how to march in a marching band. But now is not the time nor place, so here are the goal and objectives I would use in editing the article.
Goal: How to march successfully in a marching band.
Objectives: The learner can demonstrate the marching technique of 8 to 5.
The learner can demonstrate using music to help him/her march.
The learner can demonstrate proper leg lift and foot roll.
Here is a perfect example of a high school perfectly marching 8 to 5.
Another example from the college level.
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Task Analysis
I have used this tool (yes I am calling it a tool) often in my teaching career. Teaching 4th graders to solve word problems is a challenging task. I have always had a diverse group of students in my classroom so I would have to model lessons in several different ways. First, I would follow the examples in the teacher’s edition if I thought they were good. Then, I would explain the concept in my own words. Next, I would break down the task into smaller task called chaining, which Tom McIntyre describes in his article entitled Task Analysis. Until now I never gave much thought about task analysis (honestly never heard of it). I now see how it can be helpful in reaching all learners.
Learning The Hard Way
“Come on come on man hurry up. Are you going to let this man die? Let’s go get it in there. What are you waiting for?” Those comments and questions are still fresh in my head like it was yesterday although it happened more than ten years ago. Advanced Trauma Management was one of the most challenging courses I have ever taken in my life and gave me a new perspective into the lives of emergency responders.
For a little more than month I trained along with several other students at Southern Union Community College to become Emergency Medical Technicians. We read several chapters on intubations and practiced on mannequins. The instructor and the book he used did a half decent job of preparing the class for the real thing. The mannequins were all rubber with no teeth so they were useless in my opinion. In order to pass the course, each student must complete two live intubations in the field or operating room. For those of you who don’t know, Wikipedia describes a tracheal intubation as the placement of a flexible plastic tube into the trachea to protect the patient's airway and provide a means of mechanical ventilation. The most common tracheal intubation is orotracheal intubation where, with the assistance of a laryngoscope, an endotracheal tube is passed through the mouth, larynx, and vocal cords, into the trachea. A bulb is then inflated near the distal tip of the tube to help secure it in place and protect the airway from blood, vomit, and secretions. In simple terms, I would have to put a tube into a patient’s windpipe to help them to breath.
My first attempt fell well short of my expectations and my instructors’. During the classroom coursework I aced everything and had the hot head going into the field. I remembered following all the procedures outlined in the book and was ready for action. I was not at all prepared to see blood and other particles once I looked into the throat of my patient. Everything I had memorized went flying right out of my brain and would not return. I can hear my instructor voice tell me to hurry up the patient needs air now. I was thinking at the time, I could do this if I was not in the back of an ambulance traveling sixty plus miles per hour on the interstate. My instructor just went on ahead and moved me out of the way and placed the tube into the patient.
My second attempted came in the operating room along side a pushy doctor. I remember him telling me once the patient fall asleep; you have one minute to get the tube in (when he really gave me 30 seconds). A good ten seconds had not passed before he started yelling in my hear, “Come on come on man hurry up. Are you going to let this man die? Let’s go get it in there. What are you waiting for?” I tuned him out and focused on the patient and what I was taught in the class. Seconds later, I completed my first live intubation. Once it was secured and I confirmed it was in the right place, I looked up at the doctor to give him a piece of my mind. He noticed the look on my face and knew what was coming. He told me to calm down and that he did what he did so I can become the best paramedic possible. I realize later the pressure applied to me and my fellow students were designed to prepare us for working in high pressure situations.
For a little more than month I trained along with several other students at Southern Union Community College to become Emergency Medical Technicians. We read several chapters on intubations and practiced on mannequins. The instructor and the book he used did a half decent job of preparing the class for the real thing. The mannequins were all rubber with no teeth so they were useless in my opinion. In order to pass the course, each student must complete two live intubations in the field or operating room. For those of you who don’t know, Wikipedia describes a tracheal intubation as the placement of a flexible plastic tube into the trachea to protect the patient's airway and provide a means of mechanical ventilation. The most common tracheal intubation is orotracheal intubation where, with the assistance of a laryngoscope, an endotracheal tube is passed through the mouth, larynx, and vocal cords, into the trachea. A bulb is then inflated near the distal tip of the tube to help secure it in place and protect the airway from blood, vomit, and secretions. In simple terms, I would have to put a tube into a patient’s windpipe to help them to breath.
My first attempt fell well short of my expectations and my instructors’. During the classroom coursework I aced everything and had the hot head going into the field. I remembered following all the procedures outlined in the book and was ready for action. I was not at all prepared to see blood and other particles once I looked into the throat of my patient. Everything I had memorized went flying right out of my brain and would not return. I can hear my instructor voice tell me to hurry up the patient needs air now. I was thinking at the time, I could do this if I was not in the back of an ambulance traveling sixty plus miles per hour on the interstate. My instructor just went on ahead and moved me out of the way and placed the tube into the patient.
My second attempted came in the operating room along side a pushy doctor. I remember him telling me once the patient fall asleep; you have one minute to get the tube in (when he really gave me 30 seconds). A good ten seconds had not passed before he started yelling in my hear, “Come on come on man hurry up. Are you going to let this man die? Let’s go get it in there. What are you waiting for?” I tuned him out and focused on the patient and what I was taught in the class. Seconds later, I completed my first live intubation. Once it was secured and I confirmed it was in the right place, I looked up at the doctor to give him a piece of my mind. He noticed the look on my face and knew what was coming. He told me to calm down and that he did what he did so I can become the best paramedic possible. I realize later the pressure applied to me and my fellow students were designed to prepare us for working in high pressure situations.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Instructional Design Model
In the four years I have been teaching I never thought of myself as a design instructor. I design my lesson plans to meet the needs of my students then I go and execute them in the classroom and that’s about it. After reading the article entitled “Why ID? The Benefits of Instructional Design Models” , I realize I was following some of the same basic features found in other ID models. I been using the same model since I started teaching:
o Pre Assessment
o Goals and Objective Aligned with the Standard Course of Study
o Delivery Method
o Evaluation
o Response Activity
I think (just my opinion) most educators don't think of themselves as design instructors. Teachers I have worked with just want to follow the pacing guide and lessons already created and not add, change, or improvise any of it. We (educators) have to start to design instruction as individuals and/or as team members to meet the needs of our students to maximize their success.
o Pre Assessment
o Goals and Objective Aligned with the Standard Course of Study
o Delivery Method
o Evaluation
o Response Activity
I think (just my opinion) most educators don't think of themselves as design instructors. Teachers I have worked with just want to follow the pacing guide and lessons already created and not add, change, or improvise any of it. We (educators) have to start to design instruction as individuals and/or as team members to meet the needs of our students to maximize their success.
Why Design Instruction?
In these days of high stake testing, it is very important for educators to design instruction for their students. What works in one school in one state might not work as well in another school in a different state. Educators must know their students. Designed instruction is needed to create a foundation and stability.
As a teacher it is extremely difficult to teach a concept to a student who does not have a foundation in a simple arithmetic and reading. It is imperative that we as educators provide our students with the basic understanding of Math and English to build a solid foundation. With this simplistic instruction our students with have an opportunity to build a solid foundation.
Secondly stability, will give an educator a solid opportunity to meet the needs of the students. This instructional period will give the individuals involved an opportunity for growth and confidence by not changing the environment.
As a teacher it is extremely difficult to teach a concept to a student who does not have a foundation in a simple arithmetic and reading. It is imperative that we as educators provide our students with the basic understanding of Math and English to build a solid foundation. With this simplistic instruction our students with have an opportunity to build a solid foundation.
Secondly stability, will give an educator a solid opportunity to meet the needs of the students. This instructional period will give the individuals involved an opportunity for growth and confidence by not changing the environment.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
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