Hi there;
Here is a very general overview of curriculum design, in which class activities address learning objectives, which are regularly assessed. My list looks linear, but it's not really meant to be; a triangle is a better image of the relationships between the three parts. Even if the process is something that you have done for years, I hope a link or two is useful. If you would like to add on with additional activities or ideas, please let me know!
Best,
Rachel
(1) Write genuine learning outcomes for your
class. Genuine outcomes are those that:
a.
Accurately describe what you do in the
classroom.
b. Are
authentic to your teaching style.
c.
Aim to include critical thinking and
higher level thinking skills. One way to better understand how your goals
express different levels of thinking, and select terms that accurately reflect
a range of critical skills, is to refer to a document like this one.
If you are curious about Bloom’s taxonomy and it’s various iterations, here is
a place
to start .
(2) Develop activities that help
students meet your objectives. There are many different types of
activities that can be adapted for your class to meet objective. In general:
a.
It is usually best to make a plan at the
beginning of the semester about the sorts of in-class activities that you will use
and incorporate your plan into the syllabus. Students tend to prefer reliability
and a consistent set of activities. For example, you might plan one day of
lecture, one day of problem solving and one case study each week.
b. Only
do as much work as you need to do; do not develop activities simple for the
sake of developing activities.
c.
Most activities must be adapted, and not
simply adopted.
d. Be clear to your students about why you are teaching a class in a specific way and
how it will benefit them .
e. Here
is short list of common learning activities at LCSC, many are missing:
i. Lecture
ii. Student/group
presentations
iii. In-class
group problem solving and discussion
iv. Guided
inquiry – such as POGIL,
pedogogy built on constructivism (wikipedia has a good
introduction to constructivism). Guided inquiry
activities can be written for all levels and classes. It involves some work and
writing before the class.
vi. Case
Studies
ix. Experiential
learning – such as Hells Canyon Institute Spring Break
class, field work, or classes that work in the LCSC garden. Students often
point to these experiences as their favorite learning experiences.
x. On
line active learning – stay tuned for a faculty inquiry project on this topic.
(3) Make sure that your students are
achieving the learning objectives through frequent, low stakes
assignments in addition to major tests.
a.
Here is an intro.
Short assignments can be graded or given a point simply for
participation. I do have the text referred to if you are interested in more
inspiration.
b. Being
consistent with gathering feedback, and explaining why you do it, will help comfort level in the classroom.
