Introduction to Teaching
Learning Module
- Creator(s):
Welcome to Introduction to Teaching!
This course is designed as an overview of the teaching profession. This module will focus on teaching options, the history of education, learning standards, Bloom’s taxonomy and writing objectives, assessments, Howard Gardner’s multiple intelligences, lesson planning and writing a lesson plan.
The class is divided into eight units. Within each unit, you will be asked an essential question. Each question is intended to help you think more deeply about the topic of each unit. You will thoughtfully write a response to the question and post it to the course interactive blog. You will then read other students’ responses and thoughtfully comment on at least two of your peer’s responses.
Essential questions that you will answer in each unit:
In each unit you will be acquiring knowledge through various media such as videos, articles and PowerPoints. You will also be doing their own research to further their understanding. Each unit also requires you to produce a piece of work or actively participate in an in-class project. Listed below are the pieces or activities for each unit:
A rubric is provided for you to utilize throughout the class. It can be used as checklist of what to include in your lesson plan rough draft.
Welcome! This course is designed for freshman/sophomore high school students as an overview of the teaching profession. This module will focus on teaching options, the history of education, learning standards, Bloom’s taxonomy and writing objectives, assessments, Howard Gardner’s multiple intelligences, lesson planning and writing a lesson plan. This is nowhere near a comprehensive module, but rather an introduction to the practice of teaching. Students who take this class usually are considering education as a career and want to explore what is involved in the profession.
Students will be asked an essential question in each module section/unit. Each question is intended to help the student think more deeply about the topic of each unit. The response should also help student focus their ideas about the lesson plan they will be creating. They will thoughtfully write a response to the question and post it to the course interactive blog. They will then read other students’ responses and thoughtfully comment on at least two of their peer’s responses. The instructor would ideally provide examples of a high-quality response and give feedback on posts, as some students might not have experience with this type of assignment.
Essential Questions:
In each unit, along with the essential question, students will be acquiring knowledge through various media such as videos, articles and PowerPoints. They will also be doing their own research to further their understanding. Each unit also requires the student to produce a piece of work or actively participate in an in-class project. Listed below are the pieces or activities for each unit:
Students will utilize a rubric during the entire class.They should have access to the rubric from the start of the class. During each of the units, the students can refer to the rubric to help guide them in their work.
Essential question: What kind of teacher do you want to be?
Today we are exploring different types of teaching styles, environments, grade level, etc. After this activity, you will have a better understanding of the type of teacher you want to become. This should not limit you from exploring all options, but rather give you ideas of options as well as help define your ideas of what interests you in the teaching field and where you might see yourself teaching one day.
Part 1
Part 2
Click here is you need help creating your presentation: How to Create a Prezi Presentation tutorial
With so many options available in the education field, choosing what type of teacher a student is thinking about becoming can be overwhelming. This module focusing on giving the student ideas about different types of teaching styles, environments, grade level, philosophies and more.
As the teacher, you may choose to show the class the PowerPoint presentation or have them go through it individually. While viewing, they will formulate some ideas about what kind of teacher they would like to become. They will then post a response to the essential question and respond to their peer’s responses.
Next, students will interview a teacher of their choice. The students will follow these steps:
1. Select a teacher to interview.
2. Contact the teacher and set up an interview time.
3. Formulate questions to ask the teacher.
4. Interview the teacher and record responses.
5. Create a Prezi using the information you gained.
6. Present your Prezi to the class.
If students are unfamiliar with how to create a Prezi presentation, the can click on the link and watch a tutorial: How to Create a Prezi Presentation
Video 1:
Essential Question: How has past educational systems influenced today’s classrooms?
Today we will be exploring the beginning of the United States education system as well as a taking a brief look into the education system of Afghanistan in 2009.
Video 1: The History of American Education 1900-1950
Video 2: The education system of Afghanistan in 2009
Having a very, basic understanding of the United States education system’s past will help students be better prepared to teach in their own classrooms today. Although this module is far from conclusive, the first video they will watch does provide a brief overview of the beginning of our education system within the United States. The second video is part of a PBS Wide Angle series that originally aired in 2006 and then again in 2009 with updated stories of seven children from around the world. Although the entire series is no longer available on the Wide Angle site, parts are posted on YouTube. By watching the video, students will be exposed to the fact that education systems in other parts of the world can be quiet different than their own.
Students will formulate their own ideas about the information presented in the videos, then discuss those ideas with a partner. Finally they will post a response to the essential question.
For further information about how the history of education has influenced today’s school system you could read this blog post by Peter Gray Ph.D. in August 20, 2008. A Brief History of Education: To understand schools we must view them in historical perspective: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/freedom-learn/200808/brief-history-education
Access this document for a written timeline: Timeline of Education in the United States: http://www.uni.edu/icss/352/sp11/timelineknittel.doc
To learn more about the PBS Wide Angle series, watch this video:
Essential question: Do you believe Common Core State Standard Initiative (CCSI) is beneficial? Why or why not?
Many teachers use standards as a guide when creating curriculum. Standards are written goals for students to achieve. Numerous people in the education system, believe following standards provide a cohesive, standard education for all students. Standards are sometimes set by governmental departments either at the national or state level. The Common Core State Standard Initiative (CCSI) is the most current set of educational standards today.
1. In preparation for a Socratic Seminar, read the provided article.
2. While reading, think about the essential question. Write down your ideas in your journal.
3. During the Socratic Seminar, refer to your journal, if needed, to remember your ideas when sharing with the class.
After the Socratic Seminar, access the CCSI website to browse the actual standards. Next, choose at least one standard that you find interesting. Perhaps this will be a standard you will use when creating your lesson plan in a later module. To access the CCSI website: http://www.corestandards.org/
In today’s module, students will read an article about the Common Core State Standard Initiative (CCSI). This will help to prepare them for a Socratic Seminar. You may use the provided PowerPoint to review how a Socratic Seminar is conducted and to guide the lesson.
Because standards are not stagnate, you may provide students with a history of past standards or have them research the information.
To access the CCSI website: http://www.corestandards.org/
A research paper entitled; A Brief History of Standards in Teacher Education written by Roy A. Edelfelt and James D. Raths provides information about standards prior to the CCSI. The link will bring you to the ERIC database where you can download the entire document. http://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED461627
Essential question: What is Bloom’s Taxonomy and how can it help me write learning objectives?
In today’s module, you will be learning about writing learning objectives. Learning objectives are goals you write for your students. The goals should align with the Standards you are using. The objective could be viewed as how the Standard will look like when applied in the classroom. The objective will be the Standard reworded into a measurable action.
1. Watch the provided video.
2. Chose a standard. Either use the standard you chose in Module 3, or chose a different one
3. Write one learning objective that correlates with the standard.
4. Exchange your learning objective with your partner
5. Review and critique your partners learning objective.
Review the criteria for a well written objective, then answer the following questions:
Does it make sense?
Is it measurable?
Does it align with the Standard?
Does the verb match the expectation level?
6. Give feedback to your partner about their leaning objective.
7. Revise your learning objective if necessary.
8. Post the revised learning objective along with the Standard on the discussion board.
Video How to Write Learning Objectives Using Bloom's Taxonomy:
Use these steps when writing your learning objective:
1. Create a stem
Stem Examples:
2. Add a verb
3. Determine the actual product, process, or outcome
Because setting goals for students is crucial when developing curriculum, todays’ module is focused on using Bloom’s Taxonomy to write learning objectives.
One of criteria of a well written learning objective is that it is measurable. To help students understand the concept of measureable, ask them to demonstrate each of the following words:
1. Stand up fast
2. Clap three times
3. Understand fully
4. Laugh loudly
5. Know quickly
6. High five your neighbor once
Next, discuss with your students why 3 and 5 are NOT measurable (which means they would not be used in a well written objective).
Showing an example of a poorly written objective and then how to revise it, may help students understand the concept better.
Understand is not a measurable verb. Decide what level of thinking the students should be required to do. Choose a verb that correlates with that level. Perhaps in this case, describing the voting laws would prove the student’s understanding of the laws.
Your student will be going through the step of writing a learning objective. Once they have completed that activity, they will write a learning objective of their own
The steps in writing a learning objective are as follows:
1. Create a stem
Stem Examples:
2. Add a verb
3. Determine the actual product, process, or outcome
Once students have written an objective, they will exchange it with a partner. Each person will then review the objective and give feedback. After receiving the feedback, each student will revise their own objective if necessary. Finally they will post on the discussion board.
Essential question: What are Assessments and Why Are They Used?
When you selected your Standard and wrote your learning objective, you set a goal for your students. But how do you know if they met the goal? Assessments verify if a student has learned what you intended. An assessment can take on many forms such as a multiple choice test, project, research paper, presentation, discussion, and many others.
Part 1
VIDEOS:
Formative versus Summative Assessment
Rethinking Assessment
Using Exhibits as Assessment
Using Exhibits as Assessment
Students at Normal Park Museum Magnet School create various types of museum-style exhibits to demonstrate their understanding of academic topics.
Embedding Assessment Throughout the Project
Embedding Assessment Throughout the Project (Keys to PBL Series Part 5)
Assessment can be integrated seamlessly into project-based learning. Find tools for measuring student understanding from the beginning to the end of a project.
How a Classroom Game Becomes an Embedded Assessment
How a Classroom Game Becomes an Embedded Assessment
Guest blogger Ross Flatt, a sixth grade teacher at Quest to Learn, demonstrates how studying geography with Galactic Mappers can be a viable strategy for embedding assessment in a classroom game.
Assessing Students with Twitter-Style Exit Slips
Assessing Students with Twitter-Style Exit Slips
Fun way to assess student learning. Using a twitter style exit slip, teachers can gain a quick understanding of what their students know.
Part 2
In order for a teacher to know if his or her students have met the set objective, an assessment must be conducted. Today’s module is about evaluating whether or not a student has learned what was intended. The students will watch several videos about assessments, write down what they have learned and then share that information with a peer.
Students will also read an article about alternative assessments to help them understand that there are many different ways to know if a student has met an objective. The student module is meant to be an overview of assessments; not conclusive. Although students will attempt to create their own assessment for their lesson, it will take more practice and experience to create well-written, valid and reliable assessments.
The Teaching Channel website has 86 video clips on the subject of assessment. The video clips could be used to enhance the lesson or as a resource for students if needed. This is the link to the website: https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos?page=1&categories=topics_assessment&load=1
Essential question: How can Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences be used to better understand your students?
In this module, you will be learning about different types of intelligence as defined by psychologist Howard Gardner. You will be viewing a PowerPoint presentation which will help you understand the different types and your own strengths. You will also complete a written evaluation about the same information. Utilizing what you learn will help you to know yourself better and well as have a better understanding of the ways in which your future students learn.
Part 1:
Part 2:
Part 3:
Perhaps you are wondering how the Multiple Intelligences could be used in a school. The Enota Multiple Intelligences Academy in Gainesville, Georgia is a school based on MI. Smartsville was created to encourage all types of “smarts” in its students.
Today’s module will help give your students an understanding of different ways people may learn. This will help them understand themselves better as well as understand their future students better. The Multiple Intelligence theory was developed by Howard Gardner.
To learn more about Gardener, access this link to his website:http://https://howardgardner.com/multiple-intelligences/
Utilizing the provided Power Point, go through each type of intelligence with your students. During the prevention have students complete the evolution. **put in pic and in link to eval**
Student self-evlauation form:
Students will then complete the written self-evaluation.
Once students have completed the viewing and self-evaluation, you may want to have them share their findings with their peers. A Stand-Pair-Share exercise may be used.
Instruct your students to circle their highest scoring intelligences. Then begin the activity described below.
Stand-Pair-Share
Note: this activity is based on a Kagan Structure. More information can be obtained here: http://www.kaganonline.com/free_articles/research_and_rationale/330/The-Essential-5-A-Starting-Point-for-Kagan-Cooperative-Learning
Essential question: What Things to Consider When Planning a Lesson?
When creating lessons for your future students, there are many thigs to consider. What grade will you teach, how many students will be in your class, how many sections of the class will you teach and many other questions will need to be answered. In today’s module you will view a Power Point presentation provided by your teacher and then individually view two video clips. Utilizing this information, you will write and post a response to the essential question.
Videos to view:
What Is an 8-Step Lesson Plan?
What Is an 8-Step Lesson Plan?
Basic 8-step lesson plans are a staple in education, and can be easier to put together than you may think. Watch this video from About.com to learn what it consists of and how to make one.
New Teacher Survival Guide: Planning
Today’s module focuses on different things to consider when planning a lesson. You will present the Power Point provided which will guide the students’ thinking. They will then view two video clips on their own. Lastly, they will post a response to the essential question.
If you would like more information about lesson planning, the Teaching Channel website has numerous videos. Here are two that you might find interesting:
Collaborative Lesson Planning
Collaborative Lesson Planning
High School math teachers collaborating on a modeling lesson. Lesson uses Desmos online tool for creating distance-time graphs. Lesson is built around the Common Core Standards.
Lesson Reflection: Planning the Next Step
Lesson Reflection: Planning the Next Step
How to make team taught Socratic Seminars better. Here we watch 2 teachers collaborate to make upcoming lessons more effective, along with some great tools.
To view more video clips about planning, access the main website through this link: https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos?page=1&categories=topics_planning&load=1
Essential question: What Elements Should Be Included When Creating a Lesson Plan?
All of the modules leading up to this one have helped prepare you to create a lesson plan. You will draw on all your prior knowledge when writing a lesson plan which you will eventually teach to your peers. In today’s module you will examine lesson plans that other educators have written. By doing so you will have a better understanding of what elements are included in a lesson plan as well as the format. You will also start a draft of your own lesson plan.
Part 1
Websites with lesson plan examples:
http://http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plans/free-lesson-plans
http://http://www.crayola.com/lesson-plans/
Part 2
Today’s unit will give students a better understanding of what elements are included in a lesson plan. The previous units have given them information on individual components or concepts. This unit has them look at examples of lesson plans as well as starting a rough draft of their own lesson plan. After viewing lesson plan examples, students will post a response to the essential question. Then they will continue to develop their lesson plan using the rubric. The next course will utilize their rough draft and further develop their skills at potential teachers.