The ASSURE model is an Instructional Systems Design (IDS) process that was tailored to help teachers design and develop lesson plans incorporating technology and media into instruction. I will be breaking down the six steps of the ASSURE model in my lesson plan as follows:
Analyze Learners
State Objectives
Select Instructional methods, Media, and Materials
Utilize Media and Materials
Require Learner Participation
Evaluate and Revise
Analyze Learners
My students attend the John F. Kennedy public high school on Guam. They are seniors enrolled in a business/career education course titled STW 400-A: School-to-Work Workplace Readiness. This elective course is a semester long and successful students may earn 0.5 credit. These same students have the option of moving on to STW 400-B: School-to-Work Work Experience.
My third period class is made up of 14 students. There are nine male and five female students. The ethnic mix consists of seven Chamorus, five Filipinos and one Palauan student. The age range is between 16 and 18. Nine students have enough credit to graduate in Spring 2010, three will finish in Summer 2010 and two students will return for Fall 2010 and receive their diplomas in Spring 2011. (See Figure 1. Click on image to increase its size.)
Figure 1.
The socioeconomic level of these students ranges from low to middle class. Only three of the 14 have worked or volunteered outside of school and prior to taking this class. Two of the 14 has expressed an interest in attending a four-year university in the fall semester. The 10 graduates of 2010 will either join the military or enter the workforce.
Each of the students is a proficient English language speaker. Most of the students are visual and bodily/kinesthetic learners, but three of them have a higher-than-average verbal/linguistic intelligence. This assessment was made through a series of multiple-intelligence quizzes and activities done previously in class.
All these students have access to desktop computers in this classroom. Each has used Microsoft Office programs like Word and PowerPoint in this classroom, but proficiency varies. This lesson plan will introduce them to Microsoft Excel and Google docs and using a digital spreadsheet individually and as part of a group.
State Objectives
At the end of the lesson, in our classroom, STW-400A students will be able to:
• Define and explain the terms: statistics, spreadsheet, analyze, evaluate, assessment with 90% accuracy
• Use various media to collect data and evaluate the “report card” of Guam high schools in a specific year with 85% accuracy
• Create a digital spreadsheet to graph data with 85% accuracy
• Develop and deliver an oral presentation on the research data with a group of classmates with 80% accuracy
• Compare and contrast the various years studied in a classroom discussion with 80% accuracy
Select Instructional Methods, Media, and Materials
Instructional Methods
• Formative Assessment/Direct Instruction/Modeling/Discussion: the teacher will distribute blank KWL Charts to each student and ask them to provide ‘what they know’ and ‘want to know’ about spreadsheets. After whole-class discussion of the formative assessment, the teacher will discuss the objectives of the lesson and show the students how to create a digital spreadsheet using the Microsoft Excel 2007 and Google docs program. With the use of a laptop, multimedia projector and projector screen, the teacher will provide a tutorial on the various options of graphing and charting data and how students should organize the information using a spreadsheet. After instruction, students will be able to orally compare and contrast the two spreadsheet programs and determine which program will fit their assignment needs. The teacher will write their responses on the whiteboard using columns to delineate information. Students will complete the ‘what they Learned’ portion of the KWL Chart as a part of their notes.
• Cooperative Learning Groups/Peer Tutoring: the students will be divided into four groups of three or four. The four most computer-savvy students will be the group recorder for his or her respective group. Other group roles will include reporter, timer and materials manager. Students will work together using various individual strengths.
• Guided Practice/Q&A/Hands-on Activities: the teacher will facilitate the process of the CLGs by walking around the classroom and answering questions from the various groups. Students are expected to be actively conducting research or collecting data. Samples of previous digital-spreadsheet work will be made available for students to review.
• Discussion/Brainstorming/Peer Tutoring: Students will be able to discuss within their groups approaches and techniques to take to complete the research and layout of the assignment. Open whole-class discussion will ensue so that students may share ideas and further discussion.
• Hands-on Activities/Discovery Learning: Given the environment and the relevance of assignment, ideally, students will enjoy the kinesthetic and visual applications of learning how to build a digital spreadsheet and charting their information.
Media
• Google docs spreadsheet via http://docs.google.com
• Microsoft Excel 2007 spreadsheet site via http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb758869(office.12).aspx
• Additional internet resource with cheat sheet on Google docs via www.google.com/educators/learning_materials/WR_cribsheet.pdf
Materials
• Computers: Students will utilize the classroom desktops during class time.
• Internet Access: Students will be able to access the sites listed above as well as to conduct research so that they may collect data to complete their assignment.
• Multimedia projector and speakers – Teacher presentation on the lesson will be done on creating the digital spreadsheet and options of using charts or graphs to illustrate data. Students will also use material during oral and visual presentation of the assignment to present the data.
• Appointment Book
Utilize Media and Materials
• NOTE: The teacher will ensure that all equipment and programs are ready to go prior to the start of class. The teacher will have audio-visual equipment reserved at the school’s Media Center for the duration of the lesson and presentations.
• Computers: Students will utilize the classroom desktops during class time. The teacher will use her own laptop. For the teacher’s presentation, the back-up plan is to save information online and on to teacher’s desktop. The students leave a class set of personal thumb drives or portable hard drives that they save information, too.
• Internet Access: Students will be able to access the sites listed above as well as to conduct research so that they may collect data to complete their assignment.
• Multimedia projector with speakers and projector screen: Teacher presentation on the lesson will be done on creating the digital spreadsheet and options of using charts or graphs to illustrate data. Students will also use material during oral and visual presentation of the assignment to present the data.
• Whiteboard with dry erase markers and erasers: Further modeling may be done with projecting the digital spreadsheet on a whiteboard and peer-tutoring or teacher running down list of pros and cons for the two different spreadsheet options for students.
• Appointment Book: Students may book use of multi-media equipment during lunch hour or after school to practice presentations and/or seek assistance from the teacher. Groups will also have at least one specific appointment scheduled with the teacher as the lesson progresses to ensure that students are on the right track.
Require Learner Participation
The two-week assignment is to ascertain information on the graduating classes from Guam public high schools in the years 1968, 1978, 1998 and 2008. Each group will be given one specific year to research. Students need to take the information and create a digital spreadsheet with the information. The students will make individual group presentations that use graphs and/or charts to organize and illustrate the information. Key ingredients for research must include, but are not limited to the following demographics:
• Gender
• Ethnicity
• Student Enrollment at the beginning of the School Year
• Number of Graduating Seniors (Spring)
• Number of Public High Schools
• Outside factors i.e. natural disasters, war, workforce options, etc.
The entire lesson plan is designed to engage students from the start. Formative assessments are a great way to transition the kids into a new topic as individuals and as members of the class. Modeling the assignment and allowing the students to work in CLGs on Hands-On Activities and participate in small group and whole-class discussions are good methods of ensuring all students are sharing in one form or another. Delegating different roles to each member of the class provides a sense of belonging and responsibility – one for all and all for one.
Evaluate and Revise
Hindsight is 20/20. In the future, I will give students the option to use Google docs spreadsheets or OpenOffice.org spreadsheets because the two are interactive. The Microsoft Office Excel site is informative, but quite text-heavy and busy.
The assignment itself is interesting and relevant to this age-group as they are all preparing to graduate within the year. I would extend the assignment another week and plan weekly meetings with my students vs. one mandatory meeting to see group progress. I would also schedule mandatory group meetings outside of class time to keep students on track. Another consideration would be to assist my ELL and Special Needs learners.
References:
Chapter 1: An Introduction to Excel Services. Retrieved June 10, 2010 from
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb758869(office.12).aspx
Google Docs. Retrieved June 11, 2010 from http://docs.google.com
Heinich, Molenda, Russell, Smaldino. (1999) Instructional Media and Technologies
for Learning . Retrieved June 9, 2010 from http://www2
.unca.edu/education/edtech/techcourse/assure.htm
Teacher Crib Sheet for Google docs. Retrieved June 9, 2010 from
www.google.com/educators/learning_materials/WR_cribsheet.pdf
Hi:
ReplyDeleteWonderful activities -- could have used some more graphics/media.
-j-