Planning, Planning, and More Planning

In our last class we learned that our Unit Plans must be four weeks long. We also began to discuss planning.

First of all, a plan is a "forecast" of the goals of the teacher.

Planning is done in stages. The first being pre-planning. In pre-planning, you need to think about the topic, audience, standards, etc.

Next is the planning stage. In this stage you actually sit and write out your plan, whether it be a unit or just a lesson.

The last stage is post-planning. In this stage you need to reflect on what went well in the unit/lesson, as well as what went wrong, and what you would do differently.

We also had to do a reading on lesson planning procedures prior to class.

Lesson plans help teachers to organize and deliver daily lessons.

Lesson plans are not set in stone though. As a teacher, you need to be flexible. Things come up throughout the course of the day and you will need to change the way you were going to deliver a lesson.

Maybe something like the fire alarm going off and losing time that way, or if the students just are not getting into the lesson and it is not working. As a teacher, you need to be able to think of how to handle these situations before they happen.

Make sure you have a plan B!

Scope, Focus and Sequence For Unit Planning

There are three essential parts to designing a unit. They are scope, focus and sequence.

Scope refers to the range in content to be covered. Focus is what will be emphasized in the unit, and sequence is the order in which the content will be presented.

The range in content (scope) should be based on the age of your students and also around the abilities of your students.

The focus should lead to titles which will interest the learner and help them understand why they are learning this particular topic.

Sequence may be done chronologically or thematically (simple to complex).

For my unit plan, I have the scope and focus figured out for the most part. As for sequence, I'm still working on that. Since I'm creating a unit on war, it's probably best to go in a particular order. It will most likely be done chronologically.

Unit Plan Adventure Begins!

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I have decided what I would like my Unit Plan to be about. I would like to design a unit on the Revolutionary War, focusing on New York State. The unit will be for a 4th grade class.

I chose 4th grade because I really enjoy working with the older elementary school students. I also love history and always liked learning about this topic when I was in school.

Learning Can Be Puzzling

In our last class, we participated in our first Jigsaw assignment.

If you don't know, as was the case with me, Jigsaw is an activity in which students work in groups to research as topic. One person takes on a different aspect of the research. The group then meets and you teach one another on whatever it was you researched. As a group, you are putting the pieces of the research together like a puzzle, hence the name Jigsaw.

After everyone has done their research, the group meets up once again and teach one another in the group what was discovered about the topic.

For our Jigsaw assignment, our group had to look into different educational philosophies (5 total). I was given the task of researching Social Reconstructionism.

Social Reconstructionism is a philosophy in which schools are looked at as agents of change. Students should become critical thinkers and have the ability to solve real world problems.

It is a pretty interesting philosophy, and while I don't think my personal philosophy would be based entirely on Social Reconstructionism, I would certainly incorporate certain parts of it.

Below is an example of Social Reconstructionism in action.

We Can Change The World Challenge

Out of Order!

After reading about the Linear-Rational Model of instructional planning, I think I have a more clear picture of how planning should go.

Before reading, I knew that in the process of planning I would need to generate goals, objectives, activities, assessments and evaluations. When I am subbing for teachers, I always see their lesson plans and how they are put together in sequential order of goals, objectives, activities and evaluation.

What I did not think about, and what makes a lot of sense after reading, is that creating the evaluation should come earlier in the planning process. It does not need to always be the last part of the process.

By working on the evaluation earlier, I can set the course for what I want to accomplish during my lessons (activities) and what I want the students to learn (goals and objectives).

I will try this when designing my Unit Plan.

There were a few things I felt were missing, however, from the Linear-Rational Model.

To improve the picture, I would add in pre-assessments before formulating goals. This way the teacher can take into account all of the different learning styles in their classroom. By doing this, the teacher will have a better understanding of how to possibly differentiate their goals and objectives for students who are struggling, average as well as gifted and talented.

I would also add in any methods used to fulfill activities in the lesson.

Finally, I would also add a box labeling what a teacher would use as motivators for before and during instruction. A teacher needs to be able to motivate if they want any chance of reaching their students.

What Kind Of Teacher Do I Want To Be?

Before class, I probably would have said my philosophy of education was that all children have the ability to learn and that it was the teachers job to make sure that students meet the standards for each subject area (math, science, social studies, ELA). After our class discussion, I am still not set on one particular philosophy. I would have to say that my philosophy is a mix between Essentialism and Reconstructionism. There needs to be respect and discipline in the classroom, and due to NYS standards, the core curriculum must be taught. I do think, however, that education should be used to better society. I want to be able to take the core curriculum and tie it into current events, allowing for students to work together, think critically and to become problem solvers. I think it gives meaning to what students are learning when they can connect real world issues with the curriculum. In return, this would hopefully peak their interest and have them continue to want to learn.

I got an A! Putting this Quiz on the Fridge

1. This philosophy believes that education should focus on the whole child, rather than on the content or the teacher. This educational philosophy stresses that students should test ideas by active experimentation, constructing meaning. Learning is rooted in the questions of learners that arise through experiencing the world. It is active, not passive. The learner is a problem solver and thinker who makes meaning through his or her individual experience in the physical and cultural context. The emphasis is on process-how one comes to know. This education philosophy was established in America from the mid 1920s through the mid 1950s. John Dewey was its foremost proponent. One of his tenets was that the school should improve the way of life of our citizens through experiencing freedom and democracy in schools. Shared decision making, planning of teachers with students, student-selected topics are all aspects. Books are tools, rather than authority.

   CORRECT: Progressivism

2. This is a very conservative and inflexible philosophy of education. It is based on the view that reality comes from fundamental fixed truths. It believes that people find truth through reasoning and revelation and that goodness is found in rational thinking.

   CORRECT: Perennialism

2 Multiple Choice Questions

1. believe that there is a common core of knowledge that needs to be transmitted to students in a systematic, disciplined way. The emphasis in this conservative perspective is on intellectual and moral standards that schools should teach. The core of the curriculum is essential knowledge and skills and academic rigor. This philosophy accepts the idea that this core curriculum may change. Schooling should be practical, preparing students to become valuable members of society.
   1. Existentialism
   2. Perennialism
   3. Progressivism
   4. CORRECT: Essentialism
2. This educational philosophy is a philosophy that emphasizes the addressing of social questions and a quest to create a better society and worldwide democracy. Educators focus on a curriculum that highlights social reform as the aim of education. Theodore Brameld (1904-1987) was the founder of this philosophical trend, in reaction against the realities of World War II. He recognized the potential for either human annihilation through technology and human cruelty or the capacity to create a beneficent society using technology and human compassion. Education is considered to be the means of preparing people for creating this new social order, curriculum focuses on student experience and taking social action on real problems, such as violence, hunger, international terrorism, inflation, and inequality. Strategies for dealing with controversial issues (particularly in social studies and literature), inquiry, dialogue, and multiple perspectives are the focus.
   1. Perennialism
   2. CORRECT: Reconstructionism
   3. Existentialism
   4. Progressivism

1 True/False Question

1. Existentialism → This philosophy believes in the personal interpretation of the world. It is based on the view that the individual defines reality, truth and goodness. As a result, schools exist to aid children in knowing themselves and their place in society. Students learn what they want and discuss subjects freely.
   

   CORRECT: This is true.