Designing and Planning Instruction...Penn State Style!

          The end of week two…even though the week was shorter, I feel like I learned so much more and was more productive this week. Things in my classes started to pick up and we really started diving into effective teaching and principles of teaching and learning. In AEE 412 this week, we completed different tasks and experiments that demonstrated one of the six most crucial identified characteristics of teaching. Through the completion of these tasks and from exercises in class, I have learned and stored these six characteristics in my mind: enthusiasm, clarity, variability, opportunity to learn, business like behavior, and task oriented.

            This was a continuum of the first week of classes but I feel it is important that we as pre-service teachers learn and understand the importance of these six characteristics. We also discussed and completed an activity about the sixteen principles of teaching and learning according to Newcomb et al. (2004). Actually providing examples of how each of these can be found in an agriculture classroom put the characteristics in perspective. After class, I thought about how I can apply each of these characteristics in my future classroom.

            Towards the end of the week, class shifted gears and we started talking about how to design and plan instruction. I’m ready to dig into this topic because this is “meat and potatoes” of teaching. Without planning and preparing coursework, units, and lessons, how can one even begin to teach? One source that comes to mind regarding proper planning for effective teaching, and one I referenced in my undergraduate research project, is the Danielson Group Framework for Teaching. The framework consists of four domains, the first being Planning and Preparation. This domain includes six components necessary for effective planning ranging from demonstrating knowledge of content to designing instruction and student assessment (Danielson Group 2013).

            Reflecting upon class and the readings, I realize there are so many things to take into consideration when designing and planning instruction. First, there are standards that I as a teacher must address and meet, according to the PA Academic Standards and Assessment Anchors article on Moodle. Like the Understanding by Design Framework article states, teachers must identify desired results, determine how to assess learning, and plan lessons to achieve the desired outcomes. Bloom’s Taxonomy Chart also provides six levels of cognition that students should strive to exhibit with the assistance of teachers.

            After reading and trying to comprehend all of the information I have read regarding instruction and planning, I do not feel overwhelmed. Yes, I do know I have a lot of work ahead of me as far as planning and preparing for my upcoming semester of student teaching. However, I feel confident that I will continue to work hard and apply the information and ideas I am learning into my student teaching preparation. I have great literature resources at my fingertips, along with a great teacher preparation team. I can also utilize my cooperating teacher during this process. As I reflect on the past week, I find myself realizing the importance of establishing the courses I will teach, along with the instructional units prior to the fall semester. Everything is bit by bit, piece by piece, and I am realizing how the work I am in the process of completing fits together and is just a piece of the student teaching experience puzzle!

 

 References:

The Framework. (2013). Danielson Group. Retrieved September 6, 2014, from http://danielsongroup.org/framework/