Research Project

Scenario
Let's look in at a fifth grade class. Mr. Tabe is in the middle of lesson in writing. He is teaching his class how to create interesting conflicts in their narrative accounts/fiction. His class is well behaved and enjoy writing. The lesson is proceeding as follows:

Mr. Tabe: Who would like to read the objective of the lesson? The objective: to learn what a conflict is in narrative account.
Amy: (Reads the objective) What is a narrative account?
Mr. Tabe: It is a story that is fictional.
Fred: What is fictional?
Mr. Tabe: It is a story that is made-up. OK! Let's get back to it. Remember the movie, Harry Potter.
Class: Yes!!!
Tom: It was great! I like it when Harry bought new stuff for his school.
Shawana: I like the moving paintings in the halls. How did they do that?
Mr. Tabe: Focus, class. You know I like the game called Quidditch. It showed how brave Harry was. OK. A conflict is a problem a character has in a story.
Amy: What's a character?
Tom: Amy, it is the personality of person in a story.
Mr. Tabe: No, who could tell us what a character is?
Jacob: It's the problem in the story?
Mr. Tabe: No, it's a person in a story. Now, let's get back to conflict. It is the problem a character has in a story. (He then reads a story but sets no purpose for his listening).
Mr. Tabe: What is the conflict in the story?
Antonia: It's the setting. The place where the story takes place.
Mr. Tabe: Nope. Halle.
Halle: The personality of the character. The conflict is silly and stupid.
Mr. Tabe: Nope, Manny.
Manny: It is the problem in the story. Kim had to choose between stealing and not stealing.
Mr. Tabe: Correct. Ok, take out your notebooks out and write a story that has a character with a problem. (The class takes out their notebooks quickly).
Richard: What do we have to do?
Jacob: Write a story that has a character with a personality.
Allen: No, guys. We have to write a narrative account of character like Harry Potter.
Glendon: We have to write a story that has a character with a problem.
Mr. Tabe: Great, Glendon. Get to work. (Class begins to write and works for 25 minutes). Mr. Tobe is conferencing with students and realizes his class has not grasped the concept of conflict. He then ends the writing workshop and takes his class to lunch.

(Remember your answers must demonstrate that you have completed the assigned reading).

Questions

1. In a two-page paper, evaluate this lesson. Explain your final rating.
2. What should he address in his next writing workshop? Explain.
3. If Mr. Tabe continues to teach similar lessons for an extended period of time, discuss the possible effects it might have on:
   • His classroom management
   • Achievement/Standardized Testing of his students
   • Student motivation
   • How he feels about his teaching
4. Based on your readings, would Mr. Tabe be justified in grading the stories based on the development of conflict? Explain.

• Possible sources for the lesson's focus.
• Methods to review previous learning.
• Constructing an instructional objective.
• Parts of the lesson plan that will be used.
• Plan to assess learning.
• Incentives to maintain student engagement in the lesson.
• Instructional plan if the students fail to understand the lesson.

Scenario
You are applying for a teaching position (you can select an appropriate grade) in a large school district that requires teachers to use both formative and summative evaluation in their teaching. In order to prepare for the interview, you decide to put your ideas about testing down on paper.

Question

1. Include the following issues in the paper:
   • Your philosophy of testing/assessing students
   • Importance of testing
   • Types of tests you would utilize during the school year and reasons for their use
   • Evaluation as a type of incentive
   • Scoring and interpreting assessments
   • Obtaining students' opinions of the tests utilized
   • Communicating results to students and parents/caregivers.

• Explanation of the importance of testing.
• An overview of the tests given in the school, a description of how they are constructed and an example of each type.
• The method for providing feedback for students and their parents/caregivers.

Scenario
You are an assistant principal and have just observed a class completing a lesson on the Civil War. You reflect on your notes and identify the following instructional patterns from the lesson:

• The objective on the board was:
  • To learn and appreciate the severity of the battles that took place during the Civil War
• The teacher spent a great deal of time (i.e., approximately 50% of the lesson) reading excerpts from Lincoln's Biography that covered his arrival to Washington D.C. as a newly elected president.
• The students had very little knowledge of the Civil War. In fact, they were confusing it with the Revolutionary War.
• The teacher frequently strayed off the topic of the Civil War and spoke about the luxurious life on a Southern plantation.
• Students were asked to write a paragraph about the evils of war. Most students wrote about Lincoln's arrival in Washington D.C. and some wrote about plantation life.
• The homework that was assigned dealt with the effects of slavery on life in the South.

Questions

1. Complete your Observation Report based on your observations, notes and reflections . Please place a check in the column that best represents your evaluation of the lesson.

   Observation Report (PDF format)

2. In a paper, please summarize your evaluation and explain the reasons for your ratings. Please support your summary using your assigned readings.
3. Describe the advice you would provide this teacher about planning and evaluating learning.

Please respond via e-mail to this new teacher using the point of view of each theorist. Please support your work with the readings assigned in class.