Enhanced Lesson Plan

SAMR Model:

Puentedura's SAMR model classifies technology integration in the classroom into four distinct stages:

• Substitution: In this stage, technology simply replaces traditional processes without altering the fundamental steps required for the task. The mentioned tools replace paper or Word documents but don't change the review crafting process.

• Augmentation: Technology enhances the process in this phase. It presents an excellent opportunity for students to work with unfamiliar tools, improving their 21st-century skills.

• Modification: This phase involves redesigning the final task to serve a new purpose, such as writing a newspaper review. It introduces students to new tools they may not have previously encountered.

• Redefinition: The final stage represents a transformative use of technology, making the student experience more collaborative, creative, and authentic. Without technology, the assigned task would be impossible; the selected tools significantly facilitate student production.

While CRAM may not necessarily reach the "Redefinition" stage in this particular context, its integration into the SEN model undoubtedly enhances and modifies the learning experience, making it more engaging and effective for students with special educational needs.

Popplet falls into the "Modification" stage as it allows students to redesign the task to serve a new purpose. It transforms routine creation from a simple writing exercise into a visually engaging and collaborative experience. This modification introduces students to new tools and methods for expressing their ideas.

Bloom's Taxonomy:

Remembering and Understanding:

• CRAM: Flashcards are primarily used for memorization and understanding key facts and concepts. They cater to diverse learning styles by providing a visual and interactive tool for reviewing information. Inclusive features may include options for audio playback or image-based flashcards to accommodate various learning preferences.

• Popplet: Mindmaps created with Popplet can help students visualize relationships between concepts and reinforce memory. It fosters understanding by allowing students to organize information hierarchically. Inclusivity is supported by providing color-coding and visual cues that make content more accessible, especially for visual learners.

Applying and Analyzing:

• CRAM: Flashcards can be designed to promote application and analysis by including case studies or scenario-based questions. They can incorporate various question types, making it inclusive for different learners, including those who excel in critical thinking.

• Popplet: Mindmaps are versatile tools for students to apply their knowledge and analyze relationships between different elements. Popplet's collaborative features can facilitate group discussions and collaborative analysis, which accommodates diverse learning styles by promoting peer learning and discussions.

Evaluating and Creating:

• CRAM: While flashcards are primarily associated with lower levels of Bloom's Taxonomy, they can be adapted to support evaluation by including questions that require students to critically assess information. This adaptation aligns with inclusive practices by catering to a range of cognitive abilities.

• Popplet: Mindmaps can be used for creating, synthesizing, and evaluating information. Students can generate creative connections between concepts, fostering critical thinking and higher-order cognitive skills. Inclusivity is supported by allowing students to express their creativity and insights in a structured format.

UNESCO Framework:

• Professional Engagement: Educators can use CRAM to engage professionally by creating customized flashcards that align with their teaching goals. They can adapt the flashcards to meet the diverse needs of their students, which is a critical aspect of professional engagement. Popplet can be used by educators to visually represent curriculum concepts and engage with students in a dynamic way. They can create mindmaps that empower students to explore complex ideas, making learning more inclusive.

• Digital Resources: by using Popplet and CRAM, educators and students can create content that is accessible for everyone. They offer a diverse range of resources to support different learning preferences. This supports inclusivity by offering a variety of resources to suit individual preferences.

• Teaching and Learning: CRAM aids educators in providing a dynamic and interactive learning experience through flashcards. Popplet enhances teaching and learning by enabling educators to present information visually and engage students in concept mapping. This approach can benefit diverse learners by making complex ideas more accessible, in this case, showing understanding.

• Assessment: Educators can use CRAM and Popplet for formative and summative assessment purposes. Both websites enable students to showcase their understanding of complex concepts. It accommodates diverse ways of demonstrating knowledge, promoting inclusivity in assessment practices.

• Empowering Learners: CRAM empowers learners by offering them a platform to create their own flashcards and take control of their learning. Popplet empowers learners by encouraging them to construct visual representations of their knowledge, promoting critical thinking and creativity, which are essential skills for inclusive education.

• Safeguarding: educators should ensure that these tools are used in a way that safeguards student information and complies with relevant data protection regulations.

General information:

Course: 3rd form - Bilingual school 

Time allotted: 90mins

Language function: Talking about routines (revision)

Grammar focus: Simple Present

Activation: 

The students will play a mimicry game. The teacher will provide one of the students with a habit (brush your teeth, wake up, have breakfast, among others) and they will have to act it out so that the rest of the class guesses it. 

ENHANCED ACTIVATION:

This activation can be enhanced by using CRAM, which is a website that helps you create flashcards on any topic you want. In this case, the students will have created the flashcards (in the previous lesson) in the IT lab. The idea for this lesson is for the students to exchange the sets of flashcards they have created and use the “Games” and “Test” mode the website suggests. By doing this, they will revise the lexical items that will appear throughout the lesson.

Pre-watching:

The students will discuss the following questions:

• What do you do every day?

• Look at the picture, do you think Spongebob has a similar routine to yours?

• What do you think Spongebob does every day?

Watching:

The students will watch the following video and check their predictions!

Then, they will watch the video again and play. The teacher will enunciate some sentences about the video that may be True or False. If the sentences are true, the students will clap. If the sentences are false, they will jump. 

Application:

Activity #1:

The students will complete the following printed worksheet:

Activity #2:

The students will work on the following task in their binders:

What do YOU do every day? Write a paragraph about your routine. Remember to connect your ideas! (First, / Then, / After that, / Next, )

ENHANCED ACTIVITY #2:

We’ve decided to enhance this task by asking the students to create their routines on Popplet, which is a website that will allow them to include pictures and organize their ideas in a visually attractive way. Since they are in 3rd form and this is one of the first writing activities they will do using sequencers, the use of Popplet will help them organize their ideas clearly. The Popplet they create may be shared in the course’s Google Classroom so that everyone can see each other’s productions. 

Dincer, Nazmi . «The SAMR Model for Technology Integration». Myeltcafe, 6 de febrero de 2020, https://myeltcafe.com/articles/the-samr-model-for-technology-integration/ 

Applying the SAMR Model in the ELT Classroom – PeacheyPublications.Com. https://peacheypublications.com/applying-the-samr-model-in-the-elt-classroom 

Sneed. (2016). Integrating Technology with Bloom’s Taxonomy https://teachonline.asu.edu/2016/05/integrating-technology-blooms-taxonomy/ 

UNESCO ICT Competency Framework for Teachers. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000265721 

Wedlock, M.S. (2017). The Technology Driven Student: How to Apply Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy to the Digital Generations.  http://jespnet.com/journals/Vol_4_No_1_March_2017/4.pdf

The authors of this post are Victoria Fariña and Evelyn Cáceres.  Visit the following website to find the same post: 

Evelyn's PLE