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Powerful Lessons

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Introduction

Your work today and tomorrow will be focused on effective lesson design. We hope you will:

  • Create a working definition of "effective lesson design."
  • Use this definition to help others improve classroom lessons.
  • Learn about technology integration and coaching skills.

T2T does not teach an in-depth, whole-curriculum-revision approach to effective lesson design. Instead, we concentrate on key elements of curriculum development and coaching skills to prepare you to deliver practical and effective assistance to colleagues at your schools.

Section A: T2T Leaders and Technology Integration

As a T2T leader, you will provide instructional support to teachers as they learn how to enhance student learning by integrating DLC resources. To do this, it is critical for you to be able to answer several questions:

  • What does it mean to enhance learning with DLC tools and resources?
  • How can technology be integrated into the curriculum to help achieve standards?
  • What are the principles of sound lesson design?

In "Integrating Technology: Some Things You Should Know" (1999), Laurie Dias states that technology integration occurs when technology supports and extends curriculum objectives, engages students in meaningful learning, and is used daily in the classroom.

Dias, L.B. (1999, November). "Integrating Technology: Some Things You Should Know." Learning & Leading with Technology, 27(3), 10–21.

Technology Integration Adds Learning Value to Lessons

Sometimes students' excitement about learning a new technology significantly increases their engagement in a learning activity. But increased engagement is not enough: Technology integration must add learning value.

One of your tasks as a coach is to help your collaborating teacher(s) integrate technology so that one or more of the following objectives is met:

  • Students gain access to information or points of view they could not readily find elsewhere.
  • Students investigate a concept in ways they could not without the technology (for example, virtual dissection).
  • Students organize information to facilitate comparison, analysis, or synthesis.
  • Students use the same problem-solving tools adults use.
  • Instruction is differentiated to meet the needs of different learners.
  • Students collaborate with remote groups or subject-matter experts outside the classroom.

Section B: Learning Activity Checklist

Locate the Learning Activity Checklist in your Participant Handbook.

  • The Learning Activity Checklist can provide a common frame of reference for what makes a strong lesson, unit, or project.
  • The Learning Activity Checklist was compiled from a wide variety of research sources.
  • It is not THE complete list but is reasonably thorough and contains significant findings from a substantial body of research in the fields of cognitive science and education.

Review the Checklist

  1. As a whole group, note elements of the checklist.
  2. Are there elements you or the group generated during our look at Powerful Teaching that are not captured on this checklist?
  3. Are there important parts of the checklist that weren't represented in our look at Powerful Teaching?

Section C: Lesson Design Improvement Role-Play

  • Use the What's For Lunch? Lesson, a traditional middle school health/science exercise, in this activity.
  • Use your Learning Activity Checklist to think about the strengths and weaknesses of the lesson.

Steps

  1. Review the What's for Lunch? Lesson located in the Participant Handbook.
  2. Move into A/B teams with your next clock partner.
  3. A plays the role of a collaborating teacher seeking feedback about how to improve the What's for Lunch? Lesson.
  4. B plays the role of a coach, using the Learning Activity Checklist and the communication skills to coach the teacher to improve the lesson.
  5. After 10 minutes, stop to debrief with your facilitator.

Section D: Debrief

  • How did this activity help you prepare to work with a collaborating teacher on improvement of lesson design?

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