Teaching Experiment - Weebly



2013LAI 529Corey Beszczynski[Teaching Experiment]The following document is an outline, implementation, and reflection of a teaching experiment that required use of technology whilst teaching young children. The lesson was conducted at Elmwood Franklin School located at 104 New Amsterdam Ave Buffalo, NY 14216. Six students (4 males and 2 females) 5 whom are in 1st grade and 1 in 2nd participated in the teaching experiment.Unit OverviewThe main question of this unit is, “What are plants?” It is broad because the students learn about many aspects of plants. The daily questions relate to this main question. Some of them include: What does a plant need to grow? What are the parts of a plant? What does the stem do? What do the leaves do? This unit is focused on life processes of plants. Specifically it allows students to learn about the needs of plants, the life cycles and processes of plants, physical characteristics of plants, and adaptations that benefit survival. It is also important that students understand patterns and changes in natural life cycles. Through this unit students will continue to build knowledge and understanding about the natural world. This unit will provide students with experiences in investigations and activities that will serve as support for further information in later years. Based on the New York State Science Core Curriculum, Standard 4: The Living Environment states on page 17: “Students will understand and apply scientific concepts, principles, and theories pertaining to the physical setting and living environment and recognize the historical development of ideas in science.”Specifically, this unit emphasizes NYS Core Curriculum Standard 4: Key Idea 3 which covers the idea of Individual organisms and species change over time. As stated on page 18,“Throughout time, plants and animals have changed depending on their environment. In learning how organisms have been successful in their habitats, students should observe and record information about plants and animals. They should begin to recognize how differences among individuals within a species can help an organism or population to survive. Students at this level will identify the behaviors and physical adaptations that allow organisms to survive in their environment.” This science unit attempts to provide students with direct experience working with plants. In this way students will begin to make sense of the environments of living organisms. Although students in the younger elementary years often think of life as only including organisms that move, this unit will allow students to explore the possibility that plants are also alive. Students will investigate and explore the living organisms within their natural environments and within classroom experiments. Through these activities, students will strengthen a foundation for later years in school when concepts of heredity, cellular structures and functions, biospheres, and environmental interactions are explored in depth. With an understanding of plant functions, students will also develop an understanding of the roles and importance of plants to humans, animals, and the environment. This unit serves as introduction to plants for first graders and will contribute to the students’ understanding of the plant life in higher grade levels.B. Shoemaker defines an integrated curriculum as education that is organized in such a way that it cuts across subject-matter lines, bringing together various aspects of the curriculum into meaningful association to focus upon broad areas of study. It views learning and teaching in a holistic way and reflects the real world, which is interactive. (Shoemaker, 1989) Using an integrated curriculum to teach is a strategy based on the premise that learning is a series of connections. The integrated curriculum can be beneficial to teachers and students, using theme teaching, projects, and units to cover a variety of material and effectively teach many concepts and skills. This approach allows children to learn in a way that is most natural to them. Teachers can create a good deal of their curriculum by building webs made up of themes of interest to the children, with benefits for all. These benefits include more adequate coverage of curriculum, use of natural learning, building on children's interests, teaching skills in meaningful contexts, more flexibility, and an organized planning device (Krogh, 1990). Integrated teaching units work for children and teachers, and. Integrated units allow for the opportunity to make sure children are learning relevant information and applying that knowledge to real life scenarios.Lesson PlanSubject: ELA/ScienceTopic: What do you know about plants? What do plants need to grow?Grade: 1st Grade at Elmwood Franklin SchoolMaterialsSMART BoardiPad’sPlant PowerPointWhat is a Plant? (The Science of Living Things) by Bobbie Kalman and Niki Walker (Dec. 2000)Needs of a Plant Song: Common Core Standards (ELA)Key Ideas & DetailsAsk and answer questions about key details in a text.Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details.Integration of KnowledgeUse the illustration and details in a text to describe key prehension & CollaborationParticipation in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 1 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.Presentation of Knowledge & IdeasDescribe people, places, things, and events with relevant details, expressing ideas and feelings clearly.Vocabulary Acquisition & UseWith guidance and support from adults, demonstrate understanding of word relationships and nuances in word meanings.NYS Core Curriculum (Science)Performance Indicator 1.11.1b Plants require air, water, nutrients, and light in order to live and thrive.Performance Indicator 1.21.2a Living things grow, take in nutrients, breathe, reproduce, eliminate waste, and die.Performance Indicator 3.13.1b each plant has different structures that serve different functions in growth, survival, and reproduction.? Roots help support the plant and take in water and nutrients? leaves help plants utilize sunlight to make food for the plant? Stems, stalks, trunks, and other similar structures provide support for the plant? Some plants have flowers? Flowers are reproductive structures of plants that produce fruit which contains? Seeds contain stored food that aids in germination and the growth of young plantsObjectivesStudents will…Identify the needs of a plant.Classify parts of a plant (roots, stem, leaves, flower, seeds, and fruit).Illustrate the sequence of a plant using the terms first, next, last and last using a garden shop activity on Recognize the difference between an adjective, noun, and pose a Mad Lib by filling in the parts of speech.ProcedureBrainstorm needs of a plant, what they know about plants, what are plants, etc. with students by writing the list of responses on the SMART Board.Read Aloud: What is a Plant? – Kalman/Walker; Comprehension questions will be asked throughout the read-aloudReview back to the list of brainstormed list and ask students if they have any other ideas.Open the Plant PowerPoint and complete each slide. The slides are interactive so select children to come and complete the sentences, label the plant parts, and visit the garden shop on (For the sentences and labeling the plant parts words are placed in boxes on the slide. The student can use their finger or SMART Board utensil to select that word box and drag it to the designated area.)The last slide is a Mad Lib created. Ask students to volunteer a word for the blank and type it in the box. Read the Mad Lib as a class together.Students can work independently using Apple app “Mad Libs” () AssessmentObservations during the brainstorming and PowerPoint slide activities.What do they know about plants?Did the student choose the correct word to complete the sentence?Did the student choose the correct plant label?Does the student know parts of the plant?Does the student know needs of a plant?Can the student distinguish between a noun, verb, adjective, etc.Lesson Plan Design/Implementation ProcessLesson Plan ActivitiesUsing music to reinforce needs of a plantRead-aloudReview what students know about plantsInteractive PowerPoint (needs/parts of a plant) interactive plant activity (sequencing)Mad Lib (parts of speech)The lesson is designed to either be used early on in the unit or near the end as a wrap-up activity. Within the lesson plan the lesson progresses using a Constructivist approach for students to build upon prior knowledge and new knowledge to complete the next activity. The lesson was implemented at Elmwood Franklin School in Buffalo, NY with a group of six students. Lesson Plan Design Using a Thematic Unit ApproachThematic teaching units involve a group of correlated activities that are designed around topics or themes and cross several areas of the curriculum. They provide an environment that fosters and encourages process learning and active involvement of all students (Fisher, 1991). They build on students' interests and prior knowledge by focusing on topics relevant to their lives. They help children relate to real-life experiences and build on what they know. Thematic units provide one of the best vehicles for integrating content areas in a way that makes sense to children and helps them make connections to transfer knowledge they learn and apply it in a meaningful way. Thematic units also address the diverse learning styles of students. Thematic units can be planned around a book theme, an author study, or any topic that has interest for young children. Many skills, including the benchmarks for each state, are easily integrated in a theme study. Thus using this concept of thematic units when designing my lesson plan it incorporated both a specific topic and study and use the lesson plans to practice skills and benchmarks required by New York State. The connections can be made among different subject areas, including math, science, social studies, and literacy as well as art, music, dramatic play, and physical activities. These connections help children in the way they learn best - through meaningful experiences. This also allows for children to learn through their preferred learning modalities. Howard Gardner's multiple intelligences can be easily addressed through the implementation of a thematic unit approach. When designing my lesson plan I used these criteria explained above to take an integrative approach using a science based theme but basing specific lessons on literacy skills. Integrating technology and early literacy development has positive outcomes on student learning. Understanding the role of digital technologies in the processes of young children’sliteracy development is crucial to ensure that all children have equal access to opportunities to learn in schools today. Observations of children’s uses of computers at home might help to convince some practitioners of the pedagogical benefits and imperatives for developing young children’s literacy in diverse modes and media. The advent of new technologies has introduced new dimensions into young children’s literacy learning, the implications of which have not yet been fully recognized in early year’s policy guidance, training or practice (Wolfe & Flewitt, 2010). The culmination of research on thematic units and how technology develops early literacy skills influenced my unit and lesson planning.Read-Aloud RationaleReading aloud is one of the most significant things parents and teachers can do with children. The read-aloud builds many important foundational skills, introduces vocabulary, provides a model of fluent, expressive reading, and helps emergent readers recognize what reading is all about. Read-alouds focus on child-centered learning which is praised and proven successful in creating life-long learners and readers. Having a dialogue in the classroom is emphasized, as well as teachers and students modeling decoding and comprehension strategies during interactive read-aloud. Children are encouraged during read-alouds to speak out and create their own meaning in a supportive environment. In my lesson the purpose of a read-aloud is to promote literacy development through response to a story, read-alouds encourage vocabulary development, and using informational texts in early childhood classrooms.Promoting Literacy DevelopmentA study examined ways in which young children discussed story in a supportive environment. Data were obtained from 22 kindergarten children and their teacher in a school in the Southwest. Results showed that the teacher's questions and responses promoted literary talk and decreased as children improved their ability to respond in literary ways. Results also showed that teacher talk fostered engaged listening, transaction with text, and literacy development (Hansen, 2004). In a supportive environment, teachers can engage students in extended talk about a story after the act of the read-aloud was complete. Hansen’s study shows that teachers’ questions and responses to encourage literacy talk can be decreased as the students grow in their independent abilities to response in literary ways. When done appropriately, teacher talk has the power to set the climate for engagement, encourage all students to participate, and establish an environment which is supportive of literacy development.Vocabulary DevelopmentA main focus of my lesson in the PowerPoint activities is key vocabulary words that correlate with a plant unit. The read-aloud provided word learning for students that focused on the topics of plants. The read-aloud context has proven to be an effective vehicle for vocabulary instruction. During read-aloud interactions, word learning occurs incidentally and through instructions provided by teachers. There are several strategies used to develop student vocabulary during interactive read-alouds. These strategies include: questioning, providing definition/synonym/examples, clarifying/correcting student’s responses, extending a student-generated definition, and labeling (Kindle, 2009). Overall, adult mediation and the ways in which word learning is facilitated are enhanced through read-alouds. Informational Texts in ECEInformational texts are important to use either as a read-aloud or in the Early Childhood Education classroom. The focal unit of the unit is plants, incorporating informational texts as the read-aloud helps students make connections to the science aspects of the unit. Connecting literacy across the content areas as a way to extend literacy strategies. Interdisciplinary lessons help young learners identify strategies they would us in fiction texts can be applied to non-fiction texts (Pentimonti, 2010). Adding related or associated thematic activities and experiments will enhance comprehension. Rationale for Chosen TechnologiesWhen assessing what technologies to use I consulted NAEYC’s developmental appropriate practice position statement when using technology in ECE. Using NAEYC’s definition of interactive media I was able to narrow down technologies I wished to use in the lesson. NAEYC’s definition states on page 1,“Interactive media refers to digital and analog materials, including software programs, applications (apps), broadcast and streaming media, some children’s television programming, e-books, the Internet, and other forms of content designed to facilitate active and creative use by young children and to encourage social engagement with other children and adults.”Both the SMART Board and iPad app satisfy NAEYC’s definition of appropriate technology to use in the classroom and my lesson plan. These technologies were also conveniently available at Elmwood Franklin. NAEYC’s position statement further outlines appropriate uses for technology in the classroom. Specifically the following guideline is in essence the basis for using technology and how the technology is used in my lesson. It discloses the following,“Effective uses of technology and media are active, hands-on, engaging, and empowering; give the child control; provide adaptive scaffolds to ease the accomplishment of tasks; and are used as one of many options to support children’s learning. To align and integrate technology and media with other core experiences and opportunities, young children need tools that help them explore, create, problem solve, consider, think, listen and view critically, make decisions, observe, document, research, investigate ideas, demonstrate learning, take turns, and learn with and from one another” (p. 6-7).After ensuring I was in line with NAEYC’s developmentally appropriate technology practices I knew my chosen technologies would be a sound choice for the students.PowerPoint software is considered a Web 2.0 desktop tool. Web 2.0 tools are a growing collection of new and emerging web-based tools. These tools promote creativity, collaboration, and communication (Solomon & Schrum, 2007). PowerPoint is a program based off Microsoft Office. Web 2.0 desktop tools of any enterprise, are the applications used to write, crunch numbers, present information, send e-mail, keep calendars, and so on (Solomon & Schrum, 2007). The use of technology in the curriculum is based on the needs of the children, the focus of the curriculum, and whether the technology will add to children’s educational opportunities and experiences. When used intentionally and appropriately, technology and interactive media are effective tools to support learning and development. Professional organizations such as NAEYC are a teacher’s friend and can assess whether certain technologies are appropriate for your students and lesson plans.Teaching Experiment ReflectionGroup Members: Jenna Evaldi, Elisha ConiglioWhen first learning about the teaching experiment assignment I was concerned because I currently do not have access to classroom. I think it is difficult to try to create a lesson to be taught to a classroom or group of students that you have no prior knowledge about or a relationship with. Constructing a lesson and unit was not an issue for me because I have been doing it as an undergraduate at Buffalo State College. However, most times I was expected to teach a lesson to students as a course assignment we were provided ample time in a classroom setting prior to teaching, so both the students and classroom teacher had spent time and built more of a relationship with us. Luckily, Jenna and I were group members. Jenna taught and is currently working at Elmwood Franklin in Buffalo, NY and was able to secure time for our group to take a small group of children after school and utilize the schools technology to implement our lessons. However, Jenna also was not entirely sure what students she would be able to pull the day our group went to teach. Jenna, Elisha, and I met together to plan out our lessons and location. We mutually decided on a plant themed unit; and that Jenna would do two math lessons, Elisha would do two science and social studies lessons, and I would complete to ELA lessons to fulfill the requirement of six lesson plans in a unit. Therefore, these factors played a role in how I constructed my lesson plans and specifically the lesson implemented to the students. Lesson PlanningFor one of my student placement in 1st grade I had taught a plant unit from the months of March through May. I was cognizant that this unit is appropriate for the 1st grade level and aligns with New York State Standards. Much of my prior knowledge helped me construct my lesson plans while being conscious of the age level. Jenna informed the group of the technology available at Elmwood Franklin and our chosen technologies were the SMART Board and iPad's. When brainstorming my lesson that would be executed with a group of students I originally struggled on aspects of technology they would be appropriate for the time-span we had. I researched extensively on SMART Board activities through the web and did not find much that was suitable for my situation. In both of my student teaching placements I had an available SMART Board. I would either use the SMART Board program to construct interactive lessons or, I sometimes at home would make interactive PowerPoint lessons to use on the SMART Board for the class the next day. Each way worked out well for, and since I was not able to be in the classroom prior to teaching my lessons I decided to create a PowerPoint at home.Interested in incorporating use of an app on the iPad I explored different options through the Apple website and other search engines. I personally do not own an iPad but do own an iPhone; therefore I am familiar with Apple apps. However, through my planning I did learn that the iPad has many additional apps not available on the iPhone. Jenna was extremely helpful in this because she had an iPad and was able to look further into any apps I had questions about if I was not able to test it on my iPhone.After this preliminary research I was able to gather activities for the lesson. I believe strongly incorporating texts as a read-aloud which was the introductory portion of my lesson. I then created a basic interactive PowerPoint with the following activities I assumed be appropriate for the students without knowing their background knowledge; identifying the needs of a plant by using vocabulary words to fill in the blanks, labeling parts of the plant, use to construct a gardening plant story that covered a sequencing skill, and lastly practicing parts of speech with Mad Libs. Each activity tied in with each other and reinforced both ELA skills and science. When choosing the vocabulary words to omit for my first PowerPoint activity I used lesson activities from my prior unit. I essentially chose “safe” words, because I was not familiar with the students’ vocabulary developmental level. An example is, not omitting the word oxygen. When I did teach the lesson the students were very familiar with the word oxygen in the story and that would have been an excellent word to omit if I would have known this prior. I also tried to place some omitted words at the beginning of a sentence to review capitalization. The students picked up on this very well when I questioned this skill during the lesson. The words chosen to omit were key words to help students understand plant needs. Additional words that possibly could make sense were also in the word bank to not make the lesson too easy. While deciding on a wrap-up activity I reviewed New York State's ELA Common Core standards for 1st grade. I wanted the lesson to still be relevant to the unit topic but also heavier handed with ELA practice. I eventually arrived at the idea of creating a Mad Lib to practice parts of speech. I searched online and found a Mad Lib generator so I could make a Mad Lib story about a seed. Parts of the story we were able discuss and review, why or where the seed is located, what will happen to the seed, and so on. Doing so allowed me to integrate Bloom's Taxonomy higher levels of thinking into the lesson. Exploring iPad apps again I discovered a Mad Lib app. This was an excellent closing or assessment activity to practice parts of speech. Jenna was able to test run he app for me to make sure it was appropriate and an effective tool to use with the children.I feel the overall activities and lesson planning was to the best of my abilities and appropriate for the age level I was teaching. The lesson can easily be tweaked to accommodate student's needs. Not knowing the students' knowledge prior to the lesson, using a basic approach was the best decision to ensure my lesson was teachable to begin with.Students Response/LearningThe small group of students used at Elmwood Franklin was previously used in other groups for this teaching experiment project. Therefore, they understood why we (UB students) were coming in and were more than eager to see what new activity each of us had brought. The students were very knowledgeable on how to use a SMART Board and iPad because they are a part of the daily classroom environment.Prior to starting the less I tried to gauge the students’ background knowledge about plants. It seemed the students were already knowledgeable about the basics of the topic and well advanced in some cases. The students all were willing participants and excited to do the activities.In this instant there was not a formal assessment to have hard data on the students learning. Informal observation was the best way to assess this lesson, assessed according to the group participation and discussion.Technology Reflection: Issues with Design & ImplementationI had come across only two technological issues when implementing my lesson. The first dealt with the PowerPoint. I made the PowerPoint on my home PC computer. I have done this as I previously stated during student teaching. I would save the work on my USB and upload I the next day. In my student teaching placements they also used PC's. When the PowerPoint was uploaded students were able to move the texts or pictures around on the PowerPoint such as you would with your mouse on a computer. At Elmwood Franklin they were Mac users. My PowerPoint did upload with success however, when doing the slide show aspect on the Mac computer to the SMART Board it would not let the students on the SMART Board drag and move the text/pictures. I had to do it manually on the laptop. This did cause for some improvising and made it less interactive. I was not aware of the schools computer systems nor that it would not work as planned. I assumed previously it had worked in the past therefore should not be an issue. I believe the glitch was due to PC to Mac use and Microsoft. If I was able to plan my presentation on laptop programs provided at the school it would have worked accordingly. Secondly, was unable to access at Elmwood Franklin because of a privacy block through the school. Jenna informed us most sites were blocked but was surprised because students and teachers have used before. It was an idea I had not considered when incorporating a website. I also assumed because is a safe website used by many schools there would be no issue accessing the site. That activity was unable to be completed unfortunately. Luckily, the Mad Lib website I used to generate the story did access on the computer, I was concerned it would not after was blocked. Both of these issues were not foreseen originally in my planning. It comes back to the old lesson that technology is not perfect and can fail. It is in these moments that as a teacher you need to react quickly and keep the classroom moving through the problems best as possible. Afterwards, you learn from the mistakes and can be better prepared in the future. Students should also learn that technologies always have side effects and that all technological systems can fail.Effective technology integration is achieved when its use supports curricular goals. It must support key components of learning: active engagement, participation in groups, frequent interaction and feedback, Technology can and does help students develop all kinds of skills-- from the basic to the higher-order critical thinking ones. However, for technology to be successful, teachers need to make informed choices relating to pedagogical approach, students’ needs, and learning objectives. Just as important as what technology is used, is how learning can be enhanced through technologyGroup FeedbackElisha and Jenna were very supportive during this process. We all worked together from the beginning planning stages up until implementing the lesson. We also used each other as resources and support when designing out lesson activities and with the chosen technologies. After I had taught my lesson both were able to give more student response and perspective. The general consensus was it went well and they enjoyed my activities.Jenna in addition was a big help do to the fact she was familiar with the school and the available technologies, knew the students well, and had access to an iPad. Jenna informed me a day or so after I put into action my lesson plan the students were asking when I would come back and if they could continue to play the Mad Libs app. Jenna’s feedback after the lesson had been completed was reassurance that the activities I provided for the students were meaningful, effective, and fun since they wanted to continue use the Mad Libs.Final ThoughtsThe teaching experiment project allowed me to use technologies I have not used in some time and also experiment with new technologies with students. Although, there was some technical difficulties during the lesson I feel I preserved through these setbacks and carried onward with the lesson to keep students on task. Technology can be a wonderful tool to use in the classroom. It's true that adapting to new technology in the classroom takes some time and requires trial and error before teachers and students can start to see results. But once teachers get used to using technology in their lesson plans and when students perfect the skills needed to be successful with that technology, the results are quite impressive. Technology has proven to accelerate struggling students close the learning gap. Including technology in the classroom gives teachers more options and tools to cater to each student individually. With a supportive community and teachers who are willing to be trained and embrace technology in their classes, students of every age are sure to benefit from the many tools and skills technology can offer.ReferencesFisher, B. (1991). Joyful Learning: A Whole Language Kindergarten. Portsmouth, N.H.: Heinemann.Hansen, C.C. (2004). Teacher talk: Promoting literacy development through response to story. Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 19(2), 115-129.Kindle, K.J. (2009). Vocabulary development during read-alouds: Primary Practice. The Reading Teacher, 63(3), 202-211.Krogh, S. (1990). The Integrated Early Childhood Curriculum. New York: McGraw-Hill.NAEYC (2012). ?Technology and Interactive Media as Tools in Early Childhood Programs Serving Children from Birth through Age 8: A position statement of the National Association for the Education of Young Children. ?Washington DC: NAEYC.New York State Core Curriculum (n.d.). Retrieved from , J.M., Zucker T.A., Justice, J.M. & Kaderavek, J.N. (2010). Infromational test use in preschool classroom read-alouds. The Reading Teacher, 33(8), 656-665.Shoemaker, B. (1989) "Integrative education: A curriculum for the twenty-first century." Oregon School Study Council, 33(2).Solomon, G., & Schrum, L. (2007). Web 2.0, new tools, new schools. Intl Society for Technology in educ.Wolfe, S., & Flewitt, R. (2010). New technologies, new multimodal literacy practices and young children’s metacognitive development. Cambridge Journal of Education, 40, 387-399. ................
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