Creating Significant Learning Environments

Aligning Outcomes, activities, and assessments

Introduction

When creating significant learning environments like our innovation project, Blended Learning: Personalizing the Future of Education, Veronica Balli, Ileana Reyna, and myself have many factors to consider. One considerable factor is the alignment of our learning goals, activities, and assessments. According to Fink (2003), the basic components of this design are analyzing the situational factors, formulating learning goals, designing assessments, and selecting learning activities.

By using Fink’s (2003) guide we were able to reflect and develop a 3 Column Table that aligns learning goals, activities, and assessments for a 4th grade blended learning Poetry Unit that includes choice, ownership, and voice through authentic learning opportunities (COVA) while keeping in mind the learning environment and other situational factors. This 3 Column Table is just a sample of how we can create a significant blended learning environment that is aligned and harnesses the power of technology in order to give students personalized knowledge.

Questions for Formulating Significant Learning Goals

In order to create our 3 Column Table we first completed the following guiding question:

A year (or more) after this course is over, we want and hope that students will be able to: analyze, understand, and create poetry. Once we were able to complete that statement, we were able to come up with our BHAG.

Our Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG) for the Unit is:

Learners will create authentic poetry that showcases their knowledge of poetic structure, poetic devices and figurative language.

We then reflected on foundational knowledge, application goals, integration goals, human dimension goals, caring goals, and "learning how to learn" goals. Below you will find the reflections that led to our 3 Column Table.

Foundational Knowledge

What key information (e.g., facts, terms, formulae, concepts, principles, relationships, etc.) is/are important for students to understand and remember in the future?
- Academic vocabulary terms: lines, stanzas, rhyme, repetition, rhythm, alliteration, onomatopoeia, imagery, personification, simile, and metaphor
- Concepts: The reader must understand sensory language, figurative language, and how to create mental images.
What key ideas (or perspectives) are important for students to understand in this course?
- Poetry is a type of literary genre that is read to experience emotion.
- Sensory language is language that appeals to the senses.
- Creating mental images while reading/listening can help readers understand poetry.

Application Goals

What kinds of thinking are important for students to learn?

Critical thinking, in which students analyze and evaluate:
- Make inferences
- Draw conclusion
- Interpret figurative language.
- Interpret poetry.
Creative thinking, in which students imagine and create:
- Create sketches of figurative language.
- Create sketches of mental images.
Practical thinking, in which students solve problems and make decisions
- Apply knowledge of poetic elements in order to understand poetry.
- Make decisions in order to create authentic poetry.
What important skills do students need to gain?
- Students need to be able to read poetry.
- Students need to understand poetic elements.
- Students need to understand poetic structure.
- Students need to be able to write poetry.
- Students need to be able to create authentic poetry.
- Students need to be able to reflect on their learning and journal their questions, new understandings, and connections.
Do students need to learn how to manage complex projects?
- Students will manage the creation of authentic poetry that showcases their knowledge and understanding of poetic structure and elements.

Integration Goals

What connections (similarities and interactions) should students recognize and make…:

Among ideas within this unit?
- Students should understand that poetry is a type of literary genre similar to fiction and drama.
- Students should recognize that poetry has a message that the poet is trying to convey.
Among the information, ideas, and perspectives in this unit and those in other units or areas?
- Students should connect to prior knowledge of literary genres and elements.
- Students should be familiar with the terms lesson, message, morale, and theme.
Among material in this unit and the students' own personal, social, and/or work life?
- Students should recognize that poetry and the elements of poetry are all around us.
- Students should connect with poets and lyricists in order to understand the process of creating poetry.

Human Dimensions Goals

What could or should students learn about themselves?
- Students should learn that they can express their emotions through poetry.
- Students should learn to voice their opinions and ideas confidently.
What could or should students learn about understanding others and/or interacting with them?
- Students should learn how to collaborate and work with others.
- Students should learn how to listen to others opinions’ and feelings with an open mind.

Caring Goals

What changes/values do you hope students will adopt? Feelings? Interests? Values?
- Feelings: growth mindset, learners’ mindset, build confidence and engagement in reading through poetry
- Interests: poetry, lyrics, reading, creating
- Values: collaboration, ownership of learning, failing forward, growth mindset

"Learning-How-to-Learn" Goals

What would you like for students to learn about:

How to be good students in a unit like this?
- Collaboration: work together and participate in group discussion
- Independent Learning: Take ownership of your own learning
- Open Minded: Listen to all other ideas
How to learn about this particular subject?
- Choice: Give students choice on what poems they would like to analyze. (poems, song lyrics, etc.)
- Authentic Learning: Create an authentic poem that describes you, your family, or something you are interested in.
How to become a self-directed learner of this unit, i.e., having a learning agenda of what they need/want to learn, and a plan for learning it?
- Have a reflection journal to document learning needs, plans, and learning.

Learning Environment & Situational Factors to Consider

Along with reflecting on our goals above, we also paid close attention to our learning environment and other situational factors as we will mention below.

1. Specific Context of the Teaching/Learning Situation

How many students are in the class? Is the course primary, secondary, undergraduate, or graduate level? How long and frequent are the class meetings? How will the course be delivered: live, online, blended, flipped or in a classroom or lab? What physical elements of the learning environment will affect the class? What technology, networking and access issues will affect the class?

22 students
Primary level, 4th grade, Reading
Class meets Monday through Friday, 7:45 am-3:30 pm
Delivery Method - In-person classroom with blended learning elements
Physical Elements
- 24 student desks arranged in groups
- 2-3 Collaborative group work areas
- 1 Teacher small group table
Technology
- 1-1 chromebooks
- 12 iPads
- 6 desktop computers
- Promethean Board
- Stable wifi connection
- Adaptive Reading Program

2. General Context of the Learning Situation

What learning expectations are placed on this course or curriculum by: the school, district, university, college and/or department? the profession? society?

4th Grade ELAR standards must be taught.
4th Grade ELAR curriculum must be followed.
Number grades based on major assignments (60% Tests, projects, reports) and minor assignments (30% Quizzes, Labs, Journals) and participation (10%) must be entered on Skyward weekly. Both formative and summative assessments are required.
Students are expected to collaborate with peers and participate in their learning.
Students are expected to take the 4th grade ELAR STAAR Test (Texas State Standardized Test) based on K - 4th grade ELAR standards.

3. Nature of the Subject

Is this subject primarily theoretical, practical, or a combination? Is the subject primarily convergent or divergent? Are there important changes or controversies occurring within the field?

The subject is a combination of practical and theoretical. Some parts of the subject, like learning how to read and learning comprehension skills, are practical and based on practice and action, while other parts, like the interpretation of poetry, are theoretical and a little more abstract.
The subject is a mixture of convergent and divergent. Some elements must be explicitly taught and will be content centered, while others must be divergent and students can apply their learning in a more learner centered manner.
One major controversy at the moment is standardized testing.

4. Characteristics of the Learners

What is the life situation of the learners (e.g., socio-economic, cultural, personal, family, professional goals)? What prior knowledge, experiences, and initial feelings do students usually have about this subject? What are their learning goals and expectations?

The learners are generally of low socioeconomic status, have a high mobility rate, are students with Limited English Proficiency, and considered At Risk.
Our students are generally below grade level in the subject of ELAR and struggle with reading, thus making them reluctant learners.
Students usually are apprehensive about ELAR, so we must teach them growth mindset and grow their self esteem and confidence in the subject.
Students' goal is to grow and to learn to love Reading.
Lack of parental involvement
Students struggle with behavior and mental health issues. District has employed professional behavior interventionists and licensed professional counselors.
Although students struggle and are apprehensive, they generally are motivated and want to feel successful.

5. Characteristics of the Teacher

What beliefs and values does the teacher have about teaching and learning? What is his/her attitude toward: the subject? students? What level of knowledge or familiarity does s/he have with this subject? What are his/her strengths in teaching?

As teachers, we follow the constructivism learning theory with humanism aspects in order to grow them socially, emotionally, academically.
We value CSLE where students participate in a blended learning model that provides COVA.
We value fostering a growth mindset and a learner’s mindset.
We value hands-on learning, collaboration, and reflection.
Our personal strengths are in the area of ELAR. Mrs. V. Balli and Ms. I. Reyna are Dyslexia/Reading Interventionists and I, Mrs. E. Pena, have taught ELAR for 9 years.

Learning environment & Situational factors adopted from: by L. Dee Fink, (2003) Creating Significant Learning Experiences: An Integrated Approach to Designing College Courses. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass

References

Fink, L. D., PhD. (2003). A self-directed guide to designing courses for significant learning. Retrieved from https://luonline.blackboard.com/bbcswebdav/pid-3042999-dt-content-rid30108308_1/courses/13583.201810/Self-Directed%20Guide%20to%20Course%20Design%20-%20Fink%20Summary.pdf

Harapnuik, D., Thibodeaux, T., Cummings, C. (2018). Choice, ownership, and voice through authentic learning [eBook]. Creative Commons License. http://tilisathibodeaux.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/COVA_eBook_Jan_2 018.pdf

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