Guiding Questions

Week 3

Week 2 Guiding Questions

How does a learning community contribute to the learning process?

A positive and safe learning community contributes to effective learning by providing academic support, learning resources, and fostering relationships between instructors, students, and peers. Sharing knowledge and strategies among students and teachers also contribute to a positive and collaborative learning process. This creates a conducive impact on students' learning for both the present and the future.

Why must learning environments be student-centred?

Learning environments that prioritize students help prevent bias, boredom, and ineffective targeting of instruction. If teachers are unaware of students' strengths, interests, and weaknesses, they may teach without considering individual needs. A suitable teaching approach involves building on students' existing knowledge and drawing connections to new concepts. This approach enhances learning and facilitates deep understanding and creativity. Moreover, it encourages educators to recognize and accommodate individual differences, promoting active engagement and personalization.

Student-centered learning is a philosophy or an approach to education that is designed to meet the needs of each student individually. It is based on the constructivist learning theory that emphasizes the learner’s critical role in constructing meaning from new information and prior experience. In student-centered learning, students have voice and choice in their learning goals, activities, and assessments. They also collaborate with their peers and teachers to co-create learning pathways that suit their needs and interests. Student-centered learning is often contrasted with teacher-centered learning, in which the teacher determines the content and methods of instruction, and the students are passive recipients of knowledge. Teacher-centered learning may result in a learning experience that is ill-defined, boring, and irrelevant for students (Darling-Hammond & Baratz-Snowden, 2005).

Why must learning environments be assessment-centred?

An assessment-centered approach explores the role of assessment in promoting learning and guiding instruction. It emphasizes the importance of using various assessment methods to gather evidence of students' learning. It also highlights the significance of providing ongoing feedback to students, supporting their learning progress, and helping them achieve their expectations and learning goals.

Describe one particular learning environment from your K-12 experiences and describe the degree to which the setting or situation was student-, knowledge-, assessment-, and community-centred. How did this setting influence your learning? Why? How might others in that particular setting respond to this question? Why?

Many years ago, I participated in a middle school science introduction seminar that inspired me to explore science further. The seminar involved dividing the participants into groups to facilitate discussions and experiments. It provided a community-centered learning environment, specifically designed for students aged 14-16. The seminar was highly student-centered because our teacher, Ms. Huang, had a good understanding of our interests. She connected the experiment topic and teaching approach to our interests effectively. To start the seminar, she offered us a refreshing drink to beat the summer heat. Then, she introduced the topic of chemical reactions through a demonstration on making our own soda drink. She played a popular song, "PPAP," in the background to grab our attention. She provided handouts and guided us through the experiment while the music played. I was amazed as she added reactants from one hand to the other, dancing and singing, "I have a pen. I have an apple. Apple-pen." "I have soda, I have a lemon. Lemon soda." When the song ended, she asked us how this popular song related to the chemical reaction we just witnessed. After discussing within our groups and providing answers, she checked our understanding and pointed out key concepts, such as "reactants, products, and synthesis reactions." This formative assessment and feedback truly inspired us to learn more about chemical reactions.

Overall, I believe this learning environment successfully integrated student-centered, knowledge-centered, assessment-centered, and community-centered elements to promote an effective learning process. The students, including me, responded positively to this approach, as evident from a survey conducted after the class. Ms. Huang's unique teaching hook instantly sparked our interest in studying, and her clear and well-organized instructions for the experiment received high praise from both students and other teachers.

Reference

Darling-Hammond, L., & Baratz-Snowden, J. (Eds.). (2005). A good teacher in every classroom: Preparing the highly qualified teachers our children deserve. Jossey-Bass.

Week 2

Week 3 Guiding Questions

Using your understanding of backward design AND the Ontario Tech lesson plan template as a tool to guide your planning, where would you start the planning process? Why? Consider the manner in which you would work through the template.

I will start by using the Ontario elementary curriculum as a base for my grade and subjects, especially grade 7-8 science and technology. Then, I will carefully examine the main concepts and ideas in the curriculum, and match them with each strand in the lesson plan template to make clear and long-term learning goals. After that, I will put this information into the relevant sections of the lesson plan template from Ontario Tech University, which include Part 1 - Lesson Overview/Summary and Part 2 - Instructional Expectations & Learning Skills. Next, I will explain the main expectations to create different units and plan each lesson well, using the specific expectations as a guide. This step-by-step approach fits well with the structure on page one of the lesson plan template.

On page two, there are three important sections before making the lesson goals and success criteria for students:

• Part 3, called “Pre-assessment and Addressing Student Needs,” comes first because it is very important to know each student’s personal profile and unique needs before starting the planning process, which helps to make a student-focused and effective learning environment.

• Part 4, named “Content,” covers many key elements such as diagrams, facts, maps, definitions, terms, examples, and any other relevant materials needed for understanding the topic. This complete content helps me to answer students’ questions, encourage higher-level thinking, and support their learning well.

• Part 5, marked as “Learning Environment,” gives a space for describing the setup and layout of the classroom. This section allows for adding or drawing the physical arrangement, making sure the learning space is ideal for students.

Week 4 Guiding Questions

Reflection on how well the questions have addressed assessment, instructional activities and learning outcomes:

The questions have addressed the three aspects of assessment, instructional activities and learning outcomes in a balanced and coherent way. The questions have prompted me to think about the main learnings from the learning activity, the evidence and implications of the new knowledge, the differences between the new and previous knowledge, and the changes in practice that I plan to make as a result of the learning activity. The questions have also helped me to link the learning activity to the course content and objectives, as well as to reflect on my own strengths and weaknesses as a learner. The questions have challenged me to use critical thinking, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation skills in my reflection. The questions have also provided me with clear criteria and expectations for writing a good reflection paper, such as the format, structure, tone, length, relevance, and referencing.

Week 5

Week 5 Guiding Questions

1. Compare assessment "for" "as" and "of" learning. How are they similar? Different? How can these forms of assessment benefit both teacher and learner?

Dwayne Harapnuik has created a chart that describes of learning, for learning and as learning in a chart posted on his personal education website which describes the similarities and differences between the three methodologies.

2. Consider your own K-12 experiences. How was assessment "as learning" integrated into your experience?

As an older student, my assessments were done through the use of a report card (of learning). I generally did well and school and my report cards reflected how I excelled as a student. However, learning was a linear process of a teacher presenting ideas to me as a student. My work was assessed on my ability to duplicate what was presented to me as a student. Reflective learning (as learning) was not emphasized when I was a student in China.

As a teacher candidate, I am discovering that learning is a dialogue between students and teachers. Assessment tools whether it be through group assignments or presentations are an opportunity to students to express what they know and where we can direct their learning goals.

Week 6

Week 6 Guiding Questions

1. What has helped YOU as a learner as you have progressed through the Lesson Plan Assignment thus far? Why?

As a learner, I have had trouble with the concept of scaffolding and how to implement it into my lesson plan. Scaffolding is an instructional practice where a teacher gradually removes guidance and support as students learn and become more competent. Support can be for content, processes, and learning strategies.

So far in the peer instructional class, I taught my colleagues the difference of biology concepts of unicellular organisms vs multicellular organisms. When teaching my peers these concepts, I spent too much time describing the concepts. I discovered through dialogue with my group that they would have a better understanding of the concept through asking them discovery questions about organisms and allowing them to figure out the concepts by themselves.

In other words, as a learner, I have found it helpful to seek the advice from my peers as a way of helping through the creation of a lesson plan.

2. What has hindered your learning as you have progressed through this assignment thus far? Why? How might you address this moving forward?

Like a coin with two faces, I have found it useful to seek and inquire the advice from my peers. On the other hand, I have found it difficult to reach out and ask for assistance. I generally like to work independently and am a competitive person. Therefore, seeking assistance and dialogue from my peers is not a natural for me and this has hindered my progression through this assignment.

Recognizing my introverted and competitive nature is a hindering factor. I will redirect my learning focus from a grade first approach to a collaborative approach. Realizing that the best way for me to grow as a learner is through the dialogue and reflections of my peers.

Week 7

Week 7 Guiding Questions

In your schooling experiences (grade school to now) recall an experience where your teacher stimulated or inspired your thinking about a topic using thoughtful questioning techniques (e.g.: A Socratic circle with questions, debate questions, etc.). Describe and share the impact it had on your learning.

One of the most interesting experiences I had in grade 7 science was when my teacher used a Socratic circle to explore the topic of climate change.

My teacher divided the class into two groups: one group was the inner circle, who participated in the discussion, and the other group was the outer circle, who observed and evaluated the discussion. We switched roles halfway through the session. The teacher prepared some guiding questions for us, such as:

What is climate change and what are its causes and effects?
How does climate change affect different regions and ecosystems around the world?
What are some of the challenges and opportunities for addressing climate change?
What are some of the ethical and social implications of climate change?

The discussion was very informative. I learned a lot of new ideas from listening to different perspectives and opinions from my classmates. I also learned how to support my arguments with evidence from scientific sources and how to disagree with others respectfully. The Socratic Circle helped me to deepen my understanding of the topic and its relevance to our lives, as well as to develop my communication and critical thinking skills. I also learned that by opening up to different ideas from you, it is easy to reach a mutual understanding first. We can work on more collaboratively information collection, synthesis, and evaluation to promote new ideas and inventions. It was one of the most effective and enriched learning experiences I had in science.

2. As you see it now (remember, this is a snapshot of your thinking that will likely evolve), how would you organize your questioning techniques to inspire thinking during a lesson? Consider Bloom's, as well as videos and readings from this week and last. Consider how you will ensure all students have an opportunity to engage.

This is a very interesting and complex question. There are many possible ways to organize questioning techniques to inspire thinking during a lesson, but here is one possible approach based on Bloom’s taxonomy and KTAC categories.

Bloom’s taxonomy is a framework that classifies different levels of cognitive skills, from lower-order to higher-order (Hill, 2016). KTAC stands for Knowledge, Thinking, Application, and Communication, which are four categories of learning skills and work habits that are essential for success in the 21st century (ThoughtCo, 2019). Both frameworks can be used to design questions that challenge students to think critically, creatively, and collaboratively.

One way to organize questioning techniques is to align them with the levels of Bloom’s taxonomy and the categories of KTAC.

For example (Krathwohl, 2002):

Knowledge: This level involves remembering and recalling factual information. Questions at this level can assess students’ prior knowledge, vocabulary, and basic concepts. For example: What is the definition of ____? What are the main components of ____? How do you spell ____? These questions can also be aligned with the Communication category of KTAC, as they require students to use clear and precise language to express their understanding.
Comprehension: This level involves understanding and interpreting information. Questions at this level can help students to explain, summarize, compare, contrast, and classify information. For example: How would you describe ____ in your own words? What are the similarities and differences between ____ and ____? How can you categorize ____ into different groups? These questions can also be aligned with the Thinking category of KTAC, as they require students to use critical and creative thinking skills to analyze and synthesize information.
Application: This level involves applying and using information in new situations. Questions at this level can help students to solve problems, demonstrate skills, and perform tasks. For example: How would you use ____ to accomplish ____? How can you apply what you learned to a real-world situation? What steps would you take to complete ____? These questions can also be aligned with the Application category of KTAC, as they require students to transfer and connect their learning to various contexts and situations.
Analysis: This level involves breaking down and examining information. Questions at this level can help students to identify patterns, relationships, causes, effects, and arguments. For example: How does ____ relate to ____? What are the advantages and disadvantages of ____? How can you support or refute ____? These questions can also be aligned with the Thinking category of KTAC, as they require students to use critical and creative thinking skills to evaluate and judge information.
Synthesis: This level involves creating and generating new information. Questions at this level can help students to design, invent, produce, and compose original products or ideas. For example: How can you combine ____ and ____ to create something new? What would you change or improve about ____? How can you express ____ in a different way? These questions can also be aligned with the Thinking and Communication categories of KTAC, as they require students to use critical and creative thinking skills to generate and communicate new ideas.
Evaluation: This level involves judging and assessing information. Questions at this level can help students to critique, justify, recommend, and defend their opinions or decisions. For example: How would you rate or rank ____? What are the criteria for evaluating ____? What are the strengths and weaknesses of ____? These questions can also be aligned with the Thinking and Communication categories of KTAC, as they require students to use critical and creative thinking skills to make and communicate informed decisions.

By organizing questioning techniques according to Bloom’s taxonomy and KTAC categories, teachers can inspire thinking during a lesson and ensure that all students have an opportunity to engage at different levels of cognitive skills and learning skills. However, this is not the only way to organize questioning techniques, and teachers should also consider other factors, such as the content, objectives, and context of the lesson, as well as the needs, interests, and abilities of the students.

Reference

Hill, J. B. (2016). Questioning techniques: A study of instructional practice. Peabody Journal of Education, 91(5), 660-671

Krathwohl, D. R. (2002). A revision of Bloom’s taxonomy: An overview. Theory into Practice, 41(4), 212-218. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15430421tip4104_2

ThoughtCo. (2019, January 25). Bloom’s Taxonomy - Application Category and Examples. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/blooms-taxonomy-application-category-8445.

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