Reflection and Rationale

 

The first indicator of AECT’s standard three states that candidates can “create instructional design products based on learning principles and research-based best practices” (AECT, 2012). I chose this artifact to demonstrate my knowledge of current best practices when it comes to designing learning environments in a K-12 learning environment. For this project I created a learning environment for a tenth-grade chemistry classroom based on the Next Generation Science Standards (2013) and the Pennsylvania Science Standards (2010). I first assessed the learner characteristics, then used the Backwards Design Model (Wiggins & McTighe, 2000) to create the lesson plan. Several pedagogies I had learned during this course with Dr. Carbonara and other courses were also used. Examples include the Flipped Classroom model, the SAMR (Puentedura, n.d) and TPACK models (Mishra & Koehler, 2006), and Gagne’s Nine Steps of Learning (1985).

When I first started teaching, all my lessons were designed according to the 5E’s Inquiry model. While this is an accepted research-based model to use, I was not aware of other practices and models that could shape my approach to teaching and learning with technology. However, this project gave me the opportunity to use more of the research-based practices that I have learned throughout this doctoral program to create an actual unit that I used in my current teaching. It further helped develop techniques and routines that I use to integrate these research-based practices to high school lessons that I currently teach.