1. JOT2 – Task 2 (Adapting Lesson Plans) Student Mentor: Dee Caddie
Jennifer S Mroz
Student ID:
JOT2 – Task 2 (Adapting Lesson Plans)
Student Mentor: Dee Caddie
January 17th 2016

2. Task A: Learning Theories & Learners
Constructivism, Cognitivism, & Behaviorism
Task A: Learning Theories & Learners

3. Constructivism – Learner Benefits
Student focused model
Emphasizes the creation of knowledge with collaboration and communication
Views students as individuals with skills, knowledge, and history that they will utilize in learning
Encourages critical thinking and problem based learning

4. Cognitivism – Learner Benefits
Focuses on facilitating students in processing information
Ordered and sequenced lessons that are taught to be easily comprehensible
Teacher models tactics and strategies for learning step by step
Prepares students to be lifetime learners as it imparts the very tools for learning

5. Behaviorism – Learner Benefits
Well defined, attainable goals are clearly set for students
Reward system makes learning positive and fun – like gamification
Corrective feedback encourages students to attain goals
Most rewarding for students with no foreknowledge on a topic

6. Task B: Learning Theory in Action
Constructivism, Cognitivism, & Behaviorism
Task B: Learning Theory in Action

7. Cognitivism– Lesson Plan
The lesson plan was a demonstration at a crafting day during the holidays.
All materials for the project were packaged into kits and colorways prior to the craft day, so that learners had everything necessary for the project.
The learners were actively involved throughout the process as we made the projects in tandem during the lesson.
This lesson plan was carefully developed into easy steps for the learners, with three main segments, the inner ring, the outer ring and the decorative spires.
The inner ring taught a new skill, the outer ring used the same skill with a different bead, and the decorative spires applied the beading lingo to complete the final rings on the project.
Each chunk of the lesson had a checkpoint to check for understanding and to make sure the project was successful.

8. Task C: Adaptation of Lesson Plan
Changing Things Up for Next Time
Task C: Adaptation of Lesson Plan

9. Behaviorism– Lesson Plan
Instead of completing the project in tandem with the learners, an example of each step should be provided.
An emphasis on the earlier steps with reinforcement of the importance of thread pathing may have cleared up learner misconceptions that I encountered.
This also would have allowed me to monitor and provide feedback of the participants more consistently.
Also, none of the learners had sufficient tension in the completed work.
Therefore a behaviorist plan should include corrective feedback about tension, stressing the importance regularly so that the finished items had sufficient tension
This lesson plan could also be modified for behaviorism by building in rewards at the completion of each chunk of instruction.
The lesson ended up taking over three hours to complete so breaks would have been welcomed.

10. Task d: Lesson Plan Discussion
Cognitivism or Behaviorism?
Task d: Lesson Plan Discussion

11. Behaviorism – The Winner
Since bead-weaving is not a well known craft the Behaviorist lesson plan would likely be more successful, the learners are “blank slates” to a degree.
Behaviorism would still allow the retention of many of the elements of the original lesson plan – step-by-step planning and careful presentation of knowledge in a step-by-step manner
However it would add necessary layers of feedback – both positive and corrective in order for the learners to have a more successful crafting experience.

12. Task E: Effective Instruction Through the Use of design theories

13. Design Theories for Instruction
The theories of instructional design offer different frameworks upon which to build your lessons.
These frameworks provide guides that will improve student accomplishment
By following a framework your information will be organized into a format that streamlines both the design process and the student’s learning

14. Task F: Design Theories
Strengths and Limitations: Wiggins, Gagne &
Teaching for Understanding
Task F: Design Theories

15. Strengths of Wiggins Theory
You design backwards from what you want students to know
Assessment is key to design – aligning with expectations in many workplaces
Authentic tasks are scored with rubrics that explain to students expectations clearly

16. Limitations of Wiggins Theory
Assessment drives the entire design process, and becomes the main focus of the design
Assessments are ongoing throughout the process to gauge learner understanding, teacher is always assessing
This design could be viewed as “teaching to the test” because you design with the test as the first step

17. Strengths of Gagne’s Events
Gagne’s approach is very systematic with easy to follow steps
both for designing your lesson and delivering the lesson
The learners are provided with distinct goals that fall with in domains of learning
There is an emphasis on engaging the learners throughout the lesson

18. Limitations of Gagne’s Events
The systematic nature of this design model can be seen as very limiting
Goals are written in a very rigid “fill in the blanks” style that may not suit all instructional designers
This learning system does not stress transferability of learning

19. Strengths of Teaching for Understanding
Highly transferable, connects easily to other areas as it focuses on generative topics
Focuses on ideas central or core to disciplines and subject areas
Creates a self-reflective learner who is engaged in their own learning

20. Weaknesses of Teaching for Understanding
Goal of “understanding” can be difficult to assess and categorize it is not quantifiable
The nesting and extension of goals throughout periods of time do not suit short-term populations
Not suited for detail oriented subjects or topics where minutiae must be remembered

21. Task G: Most Suitable design Process

22. Going with Gagne!
The rigid system of Gagne’s events will work well for my learner population, they are adult learners who are always short on time.
This design system will allow for a standardized format for each discreet learning module.
The systematic checklist type lesson planning will make designing each of the lessons formulaic
Since these lessons will deal navigating the learning management systems at our school they need to be very standardized, this will allow for easy updating if anything should change.
My goals are straightforward and should fit into the Gagne format easily
The management at our school desires that each learning module have a direct, measurable goal this is best achieved utilizing Gagne’s methods.