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The competent teacher differentiates instruction by using a variety of strategies that support critical and creative thinking, problem-solving, and continuous growth and learning. This teacher understands that the classroom is a dynamic environment requiring ongoing modification of instruction to enhance learning for each student.
During the Fall Semester of my Junior Year at Trinity Christian College we had the opportunity to do a Flipped Project. I did this using the Flipped method of instruction/ flip model. This is where the lecture and content material I put together is to be done at home by the student and then the homework is done in the classroom, traditionally if there was not a Pandemic. Prior to the pandemic, when students came to class they would have already watched the lesson I created and class time includes working in groups, having discussions about the topics assigned, and having the opportunity to ask questions. This can still be done if you make the assignment online and then share what you have learned during the online class discussions. For the first part of this project I created a google slides presentation with a screencast of my voice teaching the differences between communicable and non-communicable diseases in addition to disease prevention. I tried to make this lecture visually stimulating by using lots of pictures and avoiding reading long texts. I then created a quiz questions requiring answers at the understanding level and conceptual level of Bloom's Taxonomy. With this type of assessment, I know the students understand and can apply the material into their daily lives, rather than them just memorizing facts or switching between screens to find answers. In the long run, I hope the students will be able to apply these skills in their lives.
This project has helped me to meet Standard 5 of the Illinois Professional Teaching Standards; standards that are necessary for effective Instructional Delivery. More specifically Knowledge Indicators 5E, 5F, 5G, and 5H. 5E says; "A competent teacher knows techniques for modifying instruction methods, materials, and the environment to facilitate learning for students with diverse learning characteristics." During the Corona Virus Pandemic, it is very important to be able to reach students at home through online presentations and quizzes like the one I had the opportunity to create for this project. The instructional methods have to be even more attention grabbing and effective while students are participating in remote learning. 5F says, "A competent teacher knows strategies to maximize student attentiveness and engagement." I understand that it is necessary to use a variety of pictures and graphics is also an effective way to reach different learning styles of students in their home environments. 5G says, " A competent teacher knows how to evaluate and use student performance data to adjust instruction while teaching; and 5H) understands when and how to adapt or modify instruction based on outcome data, as well as student needs, goals, and responses. This is where the quiz comes in, I created the quiz using Google Forms which has an automatic grading option. I can take the results of the quiz, analyze the commonly missed concepts and re-touch on these during another class time or create another at home learning assignment. Standard 5 also has Performance Indicators, two of which say "The competent teacher 5N) uses technology to accomplish differentiated instructional objectives that enhance learning for each student and 5O) models and facilitates effective use of current and emerging digital tools to locate, analyze, evaluate, and use information resources to support research and learning" As mentioned for this project I was able to use Google Slides, Google Forms for the Quiz, and Screen Cast technologies to use technology for teaching my students.
Citation: Illinois Professional Teaching Standards 2013. Standard 5.
I have learned a lot from doing this Flipped Project. First of all, I learned about the Flip Model of instruction, which I really like. I think there is a lot students can learn by taking the initiative to do part of their learning on their own. I also learned the value of having time in class for questions and answers as well as student interactions with groups and discussion. It is amazing to see students learn from each other by working in groups. I now understand more that I can learn from my students so I can develop more effective instructional material and lectures. I learned that assessing my students during class time can help to make sure the students are understanding material on a conceptual level, rather than just repeating, or memorizing facts. This has been an excellent learning experience.
Rationale: I taught a cumulative lesson, close to my last day at Hillcrest High School. I asked students to tell me about the subjects and subject matter that they remembered learning about through out their semester in health class. Topics included responsible decision making, food groups, and food labels, affects of alcohol on the brain, effects of drugs on the brain, and so on. As I received volunteer answers I wrote them on the board until there was a collache of ideas. The students were then instructed to use markers and large paper to create a poster of a social medial post that they can create to bring awareness, send a message, or just teach their friends about one of the topics that they learned about.
This was a totally different lesson that allowed students to work together, use creative thinking, make choices, and create something that was unique. Their creation was a positive way to express themselves and make something unique. It took a while for the classes to get started but once they were working, it was so awesome to see all of their great ideas.
I learned that the students really did learn a lot over the semester. I also learned that it may be difficult to get high school students motivated to do something like this, but once they are in motion, they enjoy it. Making the connection to social media was important. This was a really cool and fun thing to teach.
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