Design rationale
The lessons are centered on a group of year 8 students. Many of the class are kinesthetic learners with the other majority being auditory learners. From observation I have noticed that most students in the class have well developed social skills among their peers and relish any opportunities to use group work. Many of the class have iPods and personal computers with some bringing their laptops to school so it can be assumed that most if not all have some basic technological skills.
The lessons have a focus in that the students understand that each lesson helps them prepare for their final task. The task that the students are required to do over the course of the lessons involve collaborative learning, individual thinking, group activities that involve movement and some critical reflections. Students will be required to study and analyze a contemporary version and the original play of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet play. In studying the characters, scenes and plot of the play they will then be required to use the knowledge that they have learnt and the prior knowledge they have tapped into and transform a scene from the original play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare into a modern day soap opera. Students will be asked to use Google, they will have access and be able to watch a contemporary version of the play in the form of Baz Luhrmanns Romeo + Juliet, collaborate in groups to discuss thoughts and ideas, use a blog as a reflective journal, use role play to gain imaginative ideas on transforming and creating and they will be shown and demonstrated how to use movie storm to create an animated scene for their final piece of assessment.
The framework I have used when constructing my e.portfolio has been Kiersley and Schneiderman’s engagement theory. This principle has three basic principles to follow when constructing and learning context, Relate, Create and Donate. All these principles then tie back into the theories basic idea that students must be engaged in learning activities through interaction with others and tasks that they see as worthwhile (Kearsley & Shneiderman, 1999).
Relate is the first principle of the framework and involves team work, communication, planning and social skills (Kearsley & Shneiderman, 1999). In the learning design that has been constructed students are asked to work in groups in multiple activities throughout the unit. Students are asked to discuss their prior knowledge on soap operas and to take noted of the groups thoughts on a piece of butcher’s paper. This list of prior knowledge could then be placed into a mind map using bubbl.us (an online mind mapping and scaffolding website). This could be on the smart white board and being added to while students share with the class their group’s ideas. Think pair share is used as a teaching strategy to allow students the time to gain more knowledge and understanding from peer teaching and collaborating rather than direct teaching. Group work is used in an activity to create dramatic scenarios from regular activities that occur in day to day life. Students are able to explore their creativity in these groups.
Create is the principle in the design that makes the learning creative and purposeful (Kearsley & Shneiderman, 1999). Students are able to create and define their own end task as they are free to pick any scene from the Romeo and Juliet text in which to alter into a dramatized and modernized scene. Using activities throughout the unit in which students can use their imagination and create their own finished product allows them make their own individual learning purposeful. In the group activity involving dramatization and role play students collaborated to make a list of activities that they saw as being a part of everyday life and were then given free rein in making the scene something new. At the beginning of the unit the students are made aware of the end task, to create a scene from Romeo and Juliet that would fit into a modern day soap opera, and each activity and lesson will be easily seen to be beneficial in helping them achieve the end task.
Donate is the principle that acknowledges that it is useful for students to feel as though they making a useful contribution while learning (Kearsley & Shneiderman, 1999). Students are to create a scene from a soap opera using only the Romeo and Juliet play. Students are going to gain knowledge on drama while creating and acting out scenes, representation of how people and scene are displayed and perceived, language and how modern day language has changed and themes of life in this unit. Each student will also hone their collaboration skills and imagination skills in the process of creating their final piece.
Reference Kearsley, G., & Shneiderman, B. (1999). Engagement Theory. Retrieved 2010, from Instructional Science and Development, Inc: http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm
The lessons have a focus in that the students understand that each lesson helps them prepare for their final task. The task that the students are required to do over the course of the lessons involve collaborative learning, individual thinking, group activities that involve movement and some critical reflections. Students will be required to study and analyze a contemporary version and the original play of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet play. In studying the characters, scenes and plot of the play they will then be required to use the knowledge that they have learnt and the prior knowledge they have tapped into and transform a scene from the original play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare into a modern day soap opera. Students will be asked to use Google, they will have access and be able to watch a contemporary version of the play in the form of Baz Luhrmanns Romeo + Juliet, collaborate in groups to discuss thoughts and ideas, use a blog as a reflective journal, use role play to gain imaginative ideas on transforming and creating and they will be shown and demonstrated how to use movie storm to create an animated scene for their final piece of assessment.
The framework I have used when constructing my e.portfolio has been Kiersley and Schneiderman’s engagement theory. This principle has three basic principles to follow when constructing and learning context, Relate, Create and Donate. All these principles then tie back into the theories basic idea that students must be engaged in learning activities through interaction with others and tasks that they see as worthwhile (Kearsley & Shneiderman, 1999).
Relate is the first principle of the framework and involves team work, communication, planning and social skills (Kearsley & Shneiderman, 1999). In the learning design that has been constructed students are asked to work in groups in multiple activities throughout the unit. Students are asked to discuss their prior knowledge on soap operas and to take noted of the groups thoughts on a piece of butcher’s paper. This list of prior knowledge could then be placed into a mind map using bubbl.us (an online mind mapping and scaffolding website). This could be on the smart white board and being added to while students share with the class their group’s ideas. Think pair share is used as a teaching strategy to allow students the time to gain more knowledge and understanding from peer teaching and collaborating rather than direct teaching. Group work is used in an activity to create dramatic scenarios from regular activities that occur in day to day life. Students are able to explore their creativity in these groups.
Create is the principle in the design that makes the learning creative and purposeful (Kearsley & Shneiderman, 1999). Students are able to create and define their own end task as they are free to pick any scene from the Romeo and Juliet text in which to alter into a dramatized and modernized scene. Using activities throughout the unit in which students can use their imagination and create their own finished product allows them make their own individual learning purposeful. In the group activity involving dramatization and role play students collaborated to make a list of activities that they saw as being a part of everyday life and were then given free rein in making the scene something new. At the beginning of the unit the students are made aware of the end task, to create a scene from Romeo and Juliet that would fit into a modern day soap opera, and each activity and lesson will be easily seen to be beneficial in helping them achieve the end task.
Donate is the principle that acknowledges that it is useful for students to feel as though they making a useful contribution while learning (Kearsley & Shneiderman, 1999). Students are to create a scene from a soap opera using only the Romeo and Juliet play. Students are going to gain knowledge on drama while creating and acting out scenes, representation of how people and scene are displayed and perceived, language and how modern day language has changed and themes of life in this unit. Each student will also hone their collaboration skills and imagination skills in the process of creating their final piece.
Reference Kearsley, G., & Shneiderman, B. (1999). Engagement Theory. Retrieved 2010, from Instructional Science and Development, Inc: http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm