Planning
For this lesson, I started the planning process with the two general ideas of diversity and ice-breakers.
From this point, I followed a sequence of steps which refined the focus of the lesson and created the final product.
As seen in the summary above, I originally thought I would take a completely student-centered approach, using collaborative activities as the primary means of instruction.
1. I created a general summary of what I wanted the lesson to accomplish. From there, I developed specific learning outcomes that guided my planning process.
Of course, these early ideas were not the exact final product. As I continued developing the plan, I altered teaching methods and specified learning outcomes.
The most significant change made from this original design was a shift in instructional methods from all collaborative activities to a mix between lecture and activities.
2. I began searching for diversity-centered ice-breaker ideas.
I found an activity called "Familiar and Unique" described by the University of Kentucky's Center for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching. I liked the activity because it helped students explore both the similar and different characteristics that they and a group of peers had. I modified this activity to fit the needs of my class.
3. I designed the lecture components of the lesson.
Choosing the ice-breaker activity helped guide my mini-lecture design because I knew what background information I would need to provide students to support the learning outcomes of the activity. I designed a five-minute lecture and accompanying PowerPoint to present before the ice-breaker activity that would introduce students to the concept of different perspectives and how this combination of varied viewpoints constitutes diversity as a whole.
I also designed the second mini-lecture (which would come after the ice-breaker activity) to focus on the benefits of diversity.
For the information in these two lectures, I relied on both previous knowledge I had acquired on the topic and information from online sources (see Works Cited)
4. I searched for an activity that could help students recognize the benefits of diversity in real-life.
Searches for ice-breaker activities that showed the benefits of diversity came up short. However, the search reminded me of an ice-breaker activity that I did in high school in which the class had to debate what characters (from a list) would be best to start a new world after an apocalypse. I found a version of the activity online and I modified it to fit the purposes of the lesson. I kept the basic idea, but I changed the situation from "Nuclear Apocalypse" to "Trip to Mars." I also modified the characters that would be presented.
I added a two-question pre-lesson and post-lesson survey to evaluate the effectiveness of the lesson in accomplishing the desired learning outcomes.
5. I added pre-lesson and post-lesson surveys, incorporated brief activity debriefings, and planned transitions from one section to another.
Once the mini-lectures and activities were planned, the bulk of the lesson had been completed. I typed up a lesson plan that detailed the procedures and time allotted for each section (see below). I planned questions for debriefings after each activity. I also planned transition phrases between sections to show how the different components connected and give a better flow to the lesson overall.
**COVID-19 Considerations: While planning this lesson, I had to be cognizant of the current COVID-19 pandemic because my COR section was in-person when I presented it. The activities and methods that I chose largely depended on the amount of movement around the classroom they would require. It was an interesting challenge to plan and deliver a lesson during this time!
Lastly, I created the PowerPoint to accompany the lesson plan. I used the notes feature to plan what I would say, and I practiced the lesson the day before to make sure it would run smoothly.
Finalized Lesson Plan:
Diversity Lesson Plan COR 101 PDF.pdf