An Assignment that Matters
Jeanna Maloney Naomi KillhamMichael LendyMarissa Reidford Cynthia ResenerKristina McDowell
• Teacher Roles• Facilitator• Guide• Co-learner
• Student Roles• Critical thinker• Engaged learner• Responsible
• Interaction & Collaboration • Hands on• Relevant /Real world• Peer, community, & teacher
What makes an Assignment Matter
• Assignment design• Hands-on• Applying prior knowledge to new situations • Uses variety of methods & materials • Provides different assessment methods
Cross- curricular• Relevant to more than one subject
Accomplishes teaching standards• Teachers are able to assess students based on state standards
What makes an Assignment Matter
• The Teacher: • Informs students of big ideas and essential questions• Uses a variety of strategies to deepen students understanding• Stimulates student reflection and rethinking
• The Learners:• Aware of goals and expectations• Informed of big ideas and essential questions• Know how they will be assessed
Teaching for Understanding
• After reading Flat Stanley children will create their own card- board friend and life for him. Then, through e-mail, students will send their friend to other places around the world.
• The host family will then take him along on outings, snap photos, and keep a journal of activities.
• That family will then send it back to the student, which allows for insight on lives of other cultures.
Flat Stanley: An assignment that Matters
• The teacher provides feedback and facilitate lesson
• The teacher aids students by guiding as well as becoming a co-learner
• Students are responsible for own learning
• Students become critical thinkers and engaged learners
• Interaction & Collaboration• Hands-on• Based on real world• Involves other students, community, and teacher interactions
Why Flat Stanley Matters…
• This assignment allows students to become actively involved with others while touching on subjects such as social studies, language arts, and health/nutrition.
• By students mailing their flat friend to other countries, allows them to learn about other cultures and compare those cultures to their own.
• It allows students to create personal writings as well as learn about local history along with world geography.
Why Flat Stanley Matters…
• Books• Flat Stanley• Reference books• Maps (local & world)
• Internet• Email• Research
• Camera• Recording devices
Recources Needed
Educational Theorist Pedagogy Specialist Educational Psychology Instructional Designer
◦Provide background knowledge ◦Effective teaching◦Provides a foundation for effective lesson planning
How do roles matter?
• Is the study of how people learn• Behaviorisms• learning through
° environment/ external stimuli° Positive and negative reinforcements
• Learning is a change in behavior• B.F. Skinner
° Theory of value and knowledge
Educational Theorist
• Constructivism• Learning is• Active & constructive
• reflects on own experiences and forms a new understanding • Curriculum: combination of prior
knowledge and hands-on • Teachers: make connections between facts
and new understanding• Students: analyze, interpret & predict
• Lev Vygotsky• Believed that culture is prime determinant
of individual development
Educational Theorist
1. Facilitate & Inspire Student Learning & Creativity◦ D)Model collaborative knowledge construction by
engaging in learning with others in face-to-face and virtual environments.
◦ Flat Stanley Technology (emails, cameras, recording devices) Environmental learning
3. Model digital-age work and learning◦ B)Collaborate with students, peers, parents, and
community members using them to support student success and innovation.
◦ Flat Stanley Local community/global Peer, teacher, others engaged
Educational Theorist
Engaged Learning- Students find excitement and pleasure in learning, and understand that learning is social.
Technology Integration- Technology helps with daily classroom practices, and management of a classroom.
Inquiry Learning/Project Based learning- Comprehensive instructional approach in sustained, cooperative investigation.
Socratic learning and questioning- Pushes your mind to think beyond what you would normally think about. It keeps asking the question why and what kind.
Collaborative Learning- Group work; working together to get different viewpoints; the success of one learner helps an entire group.
Cooperative Learning-Each member is responsible for each other’s learning as well as their own; Achieve different levels of understanding.
Outcome-based Learning- Encourages decision making regarding curriculum, teaching methods, school structure and management.
Pedagogy Specialist
How this applies to Flat-Stanley◦ Students can work in groups or alone. (Engaged Learning,
Collaborative Learning, and Cooperative Learning)◦ Technology Integration is available because students
could send email instead of journals. (Technology Integration)◦ Students can share what they learn and so they teach not
only themselves, but others. (Cooperative Learning, and Collaborative Learning)
◦ Students could also investigate different cultures, where they will be sending Flat Stanley. (Inquiry Learning)
Standards◦ Use content-specific tools to support learning and
research.◦ Promote student reflection using collaborative tools to
reveal and clarify students' conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes.
Pedagogy Specialist
• Focuses on accommodating all different types of learners
• Modifies lesson plans to suit everyone
• Covers why, what, how, and if• How it relates to Flat Stanley• Students are allowed to be creative, but
also have rules to follow• Includes technology, which may make it
easier for some to learn
Educational Psychology
• Standards• Facilitate and inspire student learning
and creativity• Promote, support and model creative and
innovative thinking and inventiveness• Engage students in exploring real-world
issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources
• Promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes
Educational Psychology
• The Teacher: • Informs students of big ideas and essential questions• Uses a variety of strategies to deepen students understanding• Stimulates student reflection and rethinking
• The Learners:• Aware of goals and expectations• Informed of big ideas and essential questions• Know how they will be assessed
Instructional Designer
Flat Stanley◦ Big ideas and essential questions are listed◦ Assessments used correlate to characteristics
necessary for effective assessment◦ Includes expectations, room for reflection, and
feedback opportunities for students Standard
◦ 2. Design and Develop Digital-Age learning Experiences and Assessments Teachers need to use multiple ways of assessing
students Use of technology integrated for effective learning
Instructional Designer
ISTE/NETS Standards◦ Design and adapt learning experiences using
tools Direct instruction, inquiry based learning,
cooperative learning◦ Customize and personalize activities to address
students styles, strategies and abilities Inspire learning, use digital tools and citizenship
◦ Evaluate and reflect on certain research and professional practice to make effective use of digital tools Digital literacy, inventive thinking, interactive
communications and quality results
Instructional Designer
Flat Stanley and Instructional Design◦ Using digital tools◦ Digital literacy
Children gain first hand experience in:◦ Sending and receiving e-mails◦ Attaching files to e-mails◦ Printing materials◦ Using digital camera◦ Scanning materials◦ Saving information on a computer◦ Word processing and spreadsheet skills
Instructional Designer
• For students who may have a disability (such as they need help writing or reading) the teacher could modify this assignment.
• Some ways to allow students with disabilities to still be active participants: • the letters could be read out loud to them • rather than writing they could draw a
picture• With the advancements in technology font
sizes can be changed • voice recording is also possible
Modifications & IEPS