Designing the Introduction to AVID online course has definitely been a great learning experience. There are so many factors that I simply had not considered before. Through the process of developing this course, I could not help but think of how other electives could be improved by redesigning them into online courses. Unfortunately electives that are not athletics or fine arts can sometimes be thought of as a “dumping ground” for students that are not involved in those activities. I want to change this perspective by helping boost the quality of the elective classes. Transitioning to online courses would allow elective teachers to facilitate learning activities with a small group, while the rest of the class works on the online component. Two elective classes in particular that come to mind are Teen Leadership and Health.
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Prior to starting the course EDLD 5313 Creating Significant Learning Environments, I believed that the learning environment referred solely to the physical aspects of my classroom. Now I know that it extends far beyond that. The post Creating Significant Learning Environments, contains my thoughts on the importance of CSLE, how we need to allow students time to explore/discover on their own in order for them to take ownership of their learning, which will lead to more meaningful learning experiences, and the importance of seeing the big picture.
I had previously used Fink's guide to design a course, specifically the 8th grade AVID elective. As I created the 3 column table, I was able to successfully align outcomes, activities, and assessments for the course. Fink's guide was excellent for a holistic approach and allowed me to really see the big picture. Wiggins and McTighe's UbD approach was also very helpful in helping me identify the goals for this course and how the activities as well as the assessments aligned. However, the UbD approach allowed for more details, which I found would be more effective to use for specific units as opposed to the entire course. Below you can view the UbD template I developed for a Careers unit of the 8th grade AVID Elective course. It would be necessary to develop a UbD template for every unit this course consists of and use the 3 column table as a guide of the overall goals of this course.
With so many demands placed on both teachers and students, it can be easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of details which consist of assignments, local assessments, state assessments, standards, etc. This week I was able to use Fink's guide for designing courses. This guide really pushed me to see the big picture and really apply the idea of beginning with the end in mind. The first step I took toward creating the Learning Outcomes 3 Column Table was to answer questions regarding my learning environment and situational factors. These questions led me to think about the logistical aspects of my course and more importantly the people that would be involved with the course. View the document below to see those questions and my responses.
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September 2018
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