EDU 615: Foundations

Field Observations  11/5/2020 Observations have been critical for learning about how the best practices we learn often intersect with real life. This semester, I have already witnessed several instances where decisions have been handed down that have severely impacted how class is conducted. For example, the school has mandated that students should be engaged in live instruction for the first 45 minutes of class, and left to work on assignments for the second 45 minutes. While this does mean that students are spared 90 minutes of lecture, it makes it difficult to include any sort of closing activity. Another example is that the school board has stated that attendance can only be counted based on completion of the assignment for the day, and not the google meet. Students also have 5 days to turn in assignments before they can be counted late. While I like the initiative to support students who may have less reliable internet or different home situations, it's res...

Key Takeaways from the Field Throughout my observation, I was really curious about how the online learning setting was working for the teacher and students. Students cannot be legally required to keep their cameras on, and so the accountability for paying attention and being present seems very low. My teacher combatted this by using popsicle sticks with student names on them to ask questions, making sure that students couldn't get through a class without answering or participating. She also used tech tools such as PearDeck to ask questions, so she could see how many students had answered.  She also transcended the virtual gap by providing space for students who are struggling to stay on the video chat after the other students had gone, and would sometimes ask them to stay in the call until they had finished a particular assignment in case they had any questions. This seemed to be a very effective method for encouraging students to get work done. I think my ...

Six Models of Instructional Design: An Overview & Reflection ADDIE The Addie Model is a model for process rather than content. It breaks design down into five steps, which can occur in a linear fashion or otherwise. Analyze: Focusing on the audience, this stage is where you outline what students need to learn and how that should influence the design. Design: This phase translates what students should learn into objectives, lessons, assignments, and more. This is where the bulk of the content generation happens. Development: In this stage, the development is not of content, but of learning outcomes which are then tested. Implementation: The program is "deployed," so real feedback can now be gained. Confusingly, design evaluation is done in this stage. Evaluation: This is where the ultimate analysis of the courses efficacy is performed, and relies on summative assessments. Evaluation is truly spread through all of these stages, and as such, graphics outlining this model oft...

My Teaching Philosophy Introduction My central goal as a teacher is to support students in realizing their own potential as life-long learners and engaged community members. I realize this goal by fostering a creative and inquisitive spirit of scientific discovery in the classroom and providing opportunities for students to demonstrate and develop diverse skills, knowledge and interests, while continually cultivating positive relationships.   I believe that I am obligated to enter the classroom each day with warmth, openness, and high expectations, and that by upholding my commitment, students will rise to the challenge of broadening their views and ultimately take ownership in their learning. Theories of Learning All students come to the classroom with their own knowledges, backgrounds and needs. Centered in the humanistic and constructivist learning theories, I believe that science education must engage the whole self of the learner and provide opportunities f...

This week, I have designed a series of activities designed to support each of the 8 multiple intelligences, as laid out by Howard Gardner. The 8 intelligences are not learning styles, but capacities in different spheres of intelligence such as being able to read and respond to others’ emotions, or to intuitively control ones’ body to perform skillful tasks (Gardner, n.d.). The central topic for these activities is anthropogenic sources of air pollution. This is a topic taught in high school, and the goal is for students to “explain how humans impact air quality” ("North Carolina Essential Standards: Earth/Environmental Science," 2016) after they have studied the composition of the Earth’s atmosphere. To break up the lesson into the 8 activities, I have identified 8 “everyday” sources of air pollution, and devoted a different activity to each. Depending on the given time frame for the lesson, students could be required to complete all 8 activities as learning stations, or to p...

This week, we will be exploring and applying the ideas of teacher-centered and student-centered instruction in the classroom. To do so, I will be using the topic of radioactivity, which is taught in high school chemistry classes as part of the exploration of atomic properties. Teacher-centered instruction methods are based on the teacher providing knowledge to students, and helping them retain it. Lectures are the hallmark of teacher-centricity. Student-centered instruction instead places the teacher in a facilitators role, and the student is put in an active position in the learning process. This can take many forms, including cooperative learning, project based learning, and immersive experiences ("Teaching Methods," n.d.). Part 1 To begin the exploration of radioactivity, students should have recently developed a strong understanding of atomic structure. We will begin the transition to learning about radioactivity with a lesson based on the Madeline Hunter Direct Instructi...