Reflection

"It's Hip to be Square!"

Reflection

X. Reflection
This learning experience is an excellent tool to help students discover the meaning of a scientific concept. In Science, it is important that students use the inquiry method to uncover the answers. That way they create meaning based on their own experiences. This holds true in this learning experience as the students begin the lesson with a One Minute Paper that asks them to reflect on their experiences in a school or neighborhood community. During a discussion with the students about their understanding of a community, it was obvious that there were many viewpoints about the aspects of community.

An important consideration taken for this activity was to ensue that students were actively participating in the learning. This required variety in each task and that students were physically engaged. Through out the learning experience, students used many skills such as; observing, writing, drawing, interpreting, tallying and problem-solving. They were able to become immersed in the natural environment of the school yard, by physically constructing their nature squares. It was only at that point, when they were forced to focus on the smaller components of ecosystem, that they realized the diversity in nature. It is the intent of this learning experience to help students realize that there are many factors that make up and influence a community, and that there are some that are easily seen and others that are not.

A driving force when planning this learning experience was to integrate computer technology. Students will need computer skills to succeed in the real world. It was important to introduce students to a new design program that they may not have used before. However, often students are anxious with a new challenge, especially one that involves computer literacy. The challenge was to design a template for the students to use that was simple and self-explanatory, yet offered opportunities for students to showcase their individualities. I knew that I had been successful in my plan when students were excited to work on their projects. They would ask me before, during and after class when they would get the opportunity to complete their projects, even though we had lab once every four day rotation. I recall one student saying:

“At my old school, we never got to do anything. We never went outside, we never did
experiments, we never did anything. I didn’t even learn anything, my grades were bad!
But this year, I’m going to change all that. These kinds of things make me excited about
school and a learn better. I like doing things with my hands.”

My peer review took place on November 8th, 2007 at Daemen College, with other practicing teachers on my team. The peer review process was an excellent formative assessment tool. I
enjoyed the opportunity to share my ideas, my curriculum, my passion with individuals that believed in the same ideals. My main focus questioned whether or not my procedures reflected the curriculum objectives. I discovered specific alterations to my style of writing that I could use to better convey my procedures. This transition would allow the reader to visualize the lesson and truly get a feel for what was done. Through out the process, I valued the input from my peers, and I truly believe it was what made this project better in the long run. I recall a peer reviewer saying:

“Without our group, I’m not sure that I would have been able to complete this Learning
Experience. This has really helped me. Thank YOU!”

XI. Holistic Reflection
The process of developing a Learning Experience has been one of the most positive andrewarding experiences of my professional career. It has enabled me to visualize a lesson plan from every angle to ensure that students are getting the most out of an educational lesson, and that I am aligning my lessons to the standards. The students were also impressed by the level of creativity and organization that arose from the presentation of the lesson and the completion of the final grading.

One of the most useful tools that I practiced during the Learning Experience, was the alignment to the standards. There were several opportunities in class to discover the language of the Standards across the core curriculum. I found this extremely helpful when designing the lesson, but also when discussing course curriculum with staff on my academic team. The congruency table was another great resource for organizing a lesson. I definitely discovered how important it is to align the student tasks and assessments to ensure that the standards are being met. I really liked the format of the congruency table and will be sure to use it when planning future lessons and units.

Aside from the usefulness of the Congruency Table, I also found that Curriculum Mapping aided in the alignment of the lesson. It gave me a broad look at what skills the students would already have mastered and insight into what skills they needed to learn. I would be interested to see if Curriculum Mapping could become another component for the Learning Experience. It helps define the Time Requirements section of the Learning Experience. Obviously it would be too intense to develop a map for the entire course, but for a unit it would be a proactive and useful resource.

During the writing of the Learning Experience, I was most tried during the Procedures section of the paper. I found myself over-analyzing my actions, then just the opposite! During the Peer Review, we discussed the procedure for compiling the Procedures. We discussed how in-depth each step should be, and the format of the text. We were most stumped when writing about the dialog between teacher and student during Modeling and Guided Practice. In the end, I added sections to the Procedures that simulated conversations between students and teachers. I felt that this would allow teachers to get a feel for the lesson, and practice the questioning techniques that were student directed. Another tool that I incorporated was the use of some visuals that I pulled from the lesson and student handouts. When describing how to complete a t-chart, it is helpful to see a sample version. Or when describing how to grade the students’ papers using a rubric, I included a sample graphic.

I was adamant when I began this experience that I was going to integrate technology. The students were going to use technology and benefit from the experience!!! I thought the students did enjoy the outdoor experience of going outside to create nature squares. They all participated fully with the activity, completing it in full. However, once I introduced the computer generated model, it was obvious that the students thrive on technology integration. They impressed me with their level of expertise. It was incredible to see how much creativity the students had when designing their computer models. I found that they had more creative flare in the computer models then in their sketches. Was this because they did not feel confident with their sketching skills? Was the computer a means of starting all students off on the same foot? Interesting observation.

I also really pushed the bar when developing this paper. I wanted to incorporate many means of technology in compiling this paper. I used the scanner to upload my student work and
assessments so that I could have a fluent paper that included all of the Appendix samples. Although time consuming, I felt that this enabled me to transmit by paper to audience in both a paper copy and electronic copy.

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