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E D U 6 5 0 T E A C H I N G L E A R N I N G A N D L E A D I N G I N T H E 2 1 S T

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WHAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT ELEMENTS OF EFFECTIVE LESSON DESIGN? 

• Clear learning objectives that align with standards (Newman, 2013). These learning objectives should be worded in a way that state what a student will be able to do once the lesson/unit is complete (Panasuk & Todd, 2005).

• Embedded assessments (Panasuk & Todd, 2005) and other assessment strategies.

• Learning activities that will make real-world connections and connect to students' lives while addressing various intelligences and learning styles and profiles (Newman 2013).

• Enough time allotted for review, practice, and feedback (Estes, Mintz, & Gunter, 2011).

W H Y A R E G O O D L E A R N I N G

O B J E C T I V E S C R I T I C A L T O

P L A N N I N G E F F E C T I V E

I N S T R U C T I O N ?  T H I N K O F T H E O B J E C T I V E S A S TA R G E T S - T H E S E TA R G E T S H E L P F O C U S I N S T R U C T I O N , C L E A R LY D E F I N I N G I N T E N T I O N S T H AT W I L L I M P R O V E S T U D E N T L E A R N I N G ( E S T E S , M I N T Z , & G U N T E R , 2 0 1 1 ) A N D H E L P T H E M H I T T H E " B U L L ' S E Y E " O F S U C C E S S F U L C O M P R E H E N S I O N .

EXAMPLE OF A LEARNING OBJECTIVE ALIGNED WITH THE COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS: "College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Writing:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.8: Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism" (National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, para. 9, 2010). 

Upon completion of lesson unit on the Underground Railroad, the student will research and use available resources listed in the library media center's Underground Railroad WebQuest to determine which sources are considered scholarly and integrating these sources into their essays on UR topic of choice, properly citing them as discussed in class and in WebQuest.

WHAT MAKES THE PREVIOUS OBJECTIVE A “GOOD” LEARNING OBJECTIVE?  

This objective addresses what students will be able to do (research, determine what sources are scholarly, integrate into essays, and properly cite) upon completion of the lesson unit, which is the key to an effective learning objective.

WHAT ARE SOME COMMON PITFALLS IN PLANNING EFFECTIVE LESSONS?

Common pitfalls in lesson planning include vague learning objectives (Estes, Mintz, & Gunter, 2011), expending too much energy on determining student activities rather than what students need to learn (which can cause accidental learning), and trying to cover too much material without clarified purpose (Newman, 2013).

HOW CAN WE AVOID THESE PITFALLS? 

One can avoid these pitfalls by remembering to focus - focus objectives, focus on what students need to learn, and focus on what materials, skills, and activities are relevant in helping students successfully learn content.

A G R E A T W A Y T O E N S U R E T H A T Y O U A R E S T A Y I N G F O C U S E D I S T O U S E T H E B A C K W A R D S D E S I G N M O D E L O F L E S S O N P L A N N I N G T H A T W I L L N O W B E D I S C U S S E D …

WHAT DOES BACKWARDS DESIGN MEAN? 

Backwards design planning is a three stage process that includes identifying desired learning outcomes, selecting appropriate assessments to help better guide toward those learning outcomes, and finally determining learning activities and appropriate instruction techniques (Newman, 2013). In essence, this model is backwards compared to the traditional model of planning activities, designing assessments, and then determining learning outcomes.

HOW DOES THE COMMON CORE STATE INITIATIVE PLAY A ROLE IN DESIGNING EFFECTIVE INSTRUCTION? 

The CCSS can help in determining learning objectives. They serve as a guide in knowing what students should be able to do upon implementation. The standards and learning objectives can easily flow together, thus aiding in effective lesson planning and instruction.

COMPARING AND CONTRASTING BACKWARDS DESIGN AND THE TRADITIONAL MODEL

Standard

Learning Outcomes

Assessment Strategies

Learning Activities and Instructional Techniques

StandardLearning

Activities and Instructional Techniques

Assessment Strategies

Learning Outcomes

Backwards Design

Traditional Model

LET 'S REV IS IT THE PREV IOUSLY MENTIONED COMMON CORE STATE STANDARD AND LEARNING OBJECT IVE .

"College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Writing: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.8: Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism" (National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, para. 9, 2010). 

Upon completion of lesson unit on the Underground Railroad, the student will research and use available resources listed in the library media center's Underground Railroad WebQuest to determine which sources are considered scholarly and integrating these sources into their essays on UR topic of choice, properly citing them as discussed in class and in WebQuest.

While this objective describes a unit, let's use it to plan one brief lesson in this unit by continuing

to use the backwards design approach.

STAGE 1: LEARNING OUTCOMES

The student will research and use available resources listed in the library media center's Underground Railroad WebQuest to determine which sources are considered reliable and scholarly and generate proper citations for these sources.

STAGE 2: ASSESSMENTSuccessful completion of WebQuest. This WebQuest will have questions and steps that the student will have to complete regarding the Underground Railroad, scholarly sources, and proper citation of such sources. Answers will be evaluated. (Other assessments would be included in a full unit - this is a brief example for one lesson in this unit).

STAGE 3: LEARNING ACTIVITIES

Pairs of students will complete WebQuest in class. They will research the print and digital sources listed in WebQuest during their time in the library media center.

WHILE THE TRADITIONAL MODEL IS NOT WITHOUT MERIT, THE BACKWARDS DESIGN MODEL IS BEST SUITED FOR STANDARDS ALIGNMENT, TARGETED LEARNING OUTCOMES, AND MORE EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT LESSON PLANNING.

REFERENCESEstes, T., Mintz, S., & Gunter, M. (2011). Instruction: A models approach

Vitalsource eBook for Ashford University. [VitalSource Bookshelf version]. Retrieved from http://online.vitalsource.com/books/9781256165460/outline/6

National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, & Council of Chief State School Officers. (2010). Common core state standards for English language arts: College and career readiness anchor standards for writing. Retrieved from: http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/CCRA/W/

Newman, R. (2013). Teaching and learning in the 21st century: Connecting the dots. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.

Panasuk, R., & Todd, J. (2005). Effectiveness of lesson planning: Factor analysis. Journal Of Instructional Psychology, 32(3), 215. Retrieved from http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.proxy-library.ashford.edu/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=c888f360-046c-42aa-920f-39a5b21a2e46%40sessionmgr112&vid=7&hid=103