An Assignment that Matters

Jeanna Maloney Naomi KillhamMichael LendyMarissa Reidford Cynthia ResenerKristina McDowell

• Teacher Roles• Facilitator• Guide• Co-learner

• Student Roles• Critical thinker• Engaged learner• Responsible

• Interaction & Collaboration • Hands on• Relevant /Real world• Peer, community, & teacher

What makes an Assignment Matter

• Assignment design• Hands-on• Applying prior knowledge to new situations • Uses variety of methods & materials • Provides different assessment methods

Cross- curricular• Relevant to more than one subject

Accomplishes teaching standards• Teachers are able to assess students based on state standards

What makes an Assignment Matter

• The Teacher: • Informs students of big ideas and essential questions• Uses a variety of strategies to deepen students understanding• Stimulates student reflection and rethinking

• The Learners:• Aware of goals and expectations• Informed of big ideas and essential questions• Know how they will be assessed

Teaching for Understanding

• After reading Flat Stanley children will create their own card- board friend and life for him. Then, through e-mail, students will send their friend to other places around the world.

• The host family will then take him along on outings, snap photos, and keep a journal of activities.

• That family will then send it back to the student, which allows for insight on lives of other cultures.

Flat Stanley: An assignment that Matters

• The teacher provides feedback and facilitate lesson

• The teacher aids students by guiding as well as becoming a co-learner

• Students are responsible for own learning

• Students become critical thinkers and engaged learners

• Interaction & Collaboration• Hands-on• Based on real world• Involves other students, community, and teacher interactions

Why Flat Stanley Matters…

• This assignment allows students to become actively involved with others while touching on subjects such as social studies, language arts, and health/nutrition.

• By students mailing their flat friend to other countries, allows them to learn about other cultures and compare those cultures to their own.

• It allows students to create personal writings as well as learn about local history along with world geography.

Why Flat Stanley Matters…

• Books• Flat Stanley• Reference books• Maps (local & world)

• Internet• Email• Research

• Camera• Recording devices

Recources Needed

Educational Theorist Pedagogy Specialist Educational Psychology Instructional Designer

◦Provide background knowledge ◦Effective teaching◦Provides a foundation for effective lesson planning

How do roles matter?

• Is the study of how people learn• Behaviorisms• learning through

° environment/ external stimuli° Positive and negative reinforcements

• Learning is a change in behavior• B.F. Skinner

° Theory of value and knowledge

Educational Theorist

• Constructivism• Learning is• Active & constructive

• reflects on own experiences and forms a new understanding • Curriculum: combination of prior

knowledge and hands-on • Teachers: make connections between facts

and new understanding• Students: analyze, interpret & predict

• Lev Vygotsky• Believed that culture is prime determinant

of individual development

Educational Theorist

1. Facilitate & Inspire Student Learning & Creativity◦ D)Model collaborative knowledge construction by

engaging in learning with others in face-to-face and virtual environments.

◦ Flat Stanley Technology (emails, cameras, recording devices) Environmental learning

3. Model digital-age work and learning◦ B)Collaborate with students, peers, parents, and

community members using them to support student success and innovation.

◦ Flat Stanley Local community/global Peer, teacher, others engaged

Educational Theorist

Engaged Learning- Students find excitement and pleasure in learning, and understand that learning is social.

Technology Integration- Technology helps with daily classroom practices, and management of a classroom.

Inquiry Learning/Project Based learning- Comprehensive instructional approach in sustained, cooperative investigation.

Socratic learning and questioning- Pushes your mind to think beyond what you would normally think about. It keeps asking the question why and what kind.

Collaborative Learning- Group work; working together to get different viewpoints; the success of one learner helps an entire group.

Cooperative Learning-Each member is responsible for each other’s learning as well as their own; Achieve different levels of understanding.

Outcome-based Learning- Encourages decision making regarding curriculum, teaching methods, school structure and management.

Pedagogy Specialist

How this applies to Flat-Stanley◦ Students can work in groups or alone. (Engaged Learning,

Collaborative Learning, and Cooperative Learning)◦ Technology Integration is available because students

could send email instead of journals. (Technology Integration)◦ Students can share what they learn and so they teach not

only themselves, but others. (Cooperative Learning, and Collaborative Learning)

◦ Students could also investigate different cultures, where they will be sending Flat Stanley. (Inquiry Learning)

Standards◦ Use content-specific tools to support learning and

research.◦ Promote student reflection using collaborative tools to

reveal and clarify students' conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes.

Pedagogy Specialist

• Focuses on accommodating all different types of learners

• Modifies lesson plans to suit everyone

• Covers why, what, how, and if• How it relates to Flat Stanley• Students are allowed to be creative, but

also have rules to follow• Includes technology, which may make it

easier for some to learn

Educational Psychology

• Standards• Facilitate and inspire student learning

and creativity• Promote, support and model creative and

innovative thinking and inventiveness• Engage students in exploring real-world

issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources

• Promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes

Educational Psychology

• The Teacher: • Informs students of big ideas and essential questions• Uses a variety of strategies to deepen students understanding• Stimulates student reflection and rethinking

• The Learners:• Aware of goals and expectations• Informed of big ideas and essential questions• Know how they will be assessed

Instructional Designer

Flat Stanley◦ Big ideas and essential questions are listed◦ Assessments used correlate to characteristics

necessary for effective assessment◦ Includes expectations, room for reflection, and

feedback opportunities for students Standard

◦ 2. Design and Develop Digital-Age learning Experiences and Assessments Teachers need to use multiple ways of assessing

students Use of technology integrated for effective learning

Instructional Designer

ISTE/NETS Standards◦ Design and adapt learning experiences using

tools Direct instruction, inquiry based learning,

cooperative learning◦ Customize and personalize activities to address

students styles, strategies and abilities Inspire learning, use digital tools and citizenship

◦ Evaluate and reflect on certain research and professional practice to make effective use of digital tools Digital literacy, inventive thinking, interactive

communications and quality results

Instructional Designer

Flat Stanley and Instructional Design◦ Using digital tools◦ Digital literacy

Children gain first hand experience in:◦ Sending and receiving e-mails◦ Attaching files to e-mails◦ Printing materials◦ Using digital camera◦ Scanning materials◦ Saving information on a computer◦ Word processing and spreadsheet skills

Instructional Designer

• For students who may have a disability (such as they need help writing or reading) the teacher could modify this assignment.

• Some ways to allow students with disabilities to still be active participants: • the letters could be read out loud to them • rather than writing they could draw a

picture• With the advancements in technology font

sizes can be changed • voice recording is also possible

Modifications & IEPS