Course: General Methods of Teaching

Code : 8601
Semester: Spring, 2021
Assignment # 2
Level: B.ed 1.5

Q.1 Develop a lesson plan using combination of inductive and deductive methods?

ANS:

Deductive approach
A deductive approach is to teach language begin by giving learners rules the examples and
practice. It is a teacher focused approach to introducing new content. This compares with the
writing style, which starts with examples and asks students to find rules, and is more focused
on students.

Example

The status and application of the third terms are explained to the learners, then they have the
task of filling in the gap to complete and then their own examples.

The pull method may be tailored to low-level students who need a clear foundation on which
to start in a new language, or to students who are more familiar with the traditional method
and therefore have no training to find the rules.

Inductive method

Inductive reasoning is more of a bottom up approach. It moves from the more specific to the
general, in which we make specific observations, detect pattern, formulate hypothesis and
draw conclusions. As inductive approach involves the learners detecting. Noticing, patterns
and working out a rule for themselves before they practice the language.

Inductive tends to be more useful in the long run, but deductive is less time consuming. Most
it depends on the teacher and the students. You might try and compare both of these
approaches at certain points in your teaching to see which is more effective for your students.

Lesson Plan
 Topic of Lesson: States of matter
General Objectives:

To develop understanding of concept of matter and its states.

To apply the knowledge of matter in their real life.

To formulate the interest of students towards science subject.

To develop scientific attitude and observation among students.

Specific Objectives:

Students will be able to define three states of matter.

Students will be able to differentiate solid, liquid and gas properties.

Students will be able to identify the three major states of matter.

Students will be able to determine and demonstrate whether an example of matter is solid,
liquid or gas.

Students will be able to list characteristics of the volume, shape and molecular distribution of
each state.

Teaching method:

Inductive/deductive method

.AV Aids:

Board, marker, duster, water, spray bottle, wood, balloon, soda, charts.

Previous knowledge:

Students have general knowledge about matter

What we drink when we are thirsty? (water)

What is inside the balloon? (gas)

Ice melts into which state? (liquid)

What happened when we keep water into fridge? (ice)

Announcing the topic:

Students today we will discuss about matter and its states.

Introduction:
Give two minutes to students to notice and tell various things in classroom. Write down the
names told by students on white board (duster, desk, water, table, chair, balloon, air etc)

All these things are present in the class are different state of matter. The teacher will display
chart of matter and its state on wall.

Presentation

Draw in figure 1, 2 and 3 on the board. All the three states of matter are made up of tiny
particles which cannot be seen. It is the way the particles are arranged in matter that decides
its physical state. Solids have fixed shape and occupy fixed volume. Liquids have fixed
volume but no definite shape. Gases neither have fixed shape nor fixed volume.

Solid:

In solid the particles are

joined together tightly in a
regular way. They occupy fixed positions where they can only vibrate. The vibration increase
when temperature increases. The particle arranges explain their fixed shape and fixed
volume. Their position doesn’t change. (fig-1)

Liquid:

In liquid, the particles are arranged irregularly. They can slide over one another as they are in
motion continuously. The particles are packed closely together but together not as close as
those particles in solid. This explains why liquid cannot be compressed. The particles are held
together by forces of attraction between them. This explains why liquid has no definite
volume. The particles are not arranged in a fixed pattern and they are free to move about
within short distances ( in between each other and throughout the liquid). This is why liquid
has no definite shape. They flow and take the shape of the container.

Gas:
In gases the particles are at a very large distance from one another. They are independent of
one another and move in all possible directions. The particles are far apart from each other
and there is so much space between each particle. This explains why gas can be compressed
easily and has low density. The particles have little attraction for one another. This explains
why gas has no definite volume. The particles are not arranged in a fixed pattern and they
move about randomly. They can spread out rapidly to fill up a container. This is why gas has
no definite shape. (fig-3).

Activity 1:

Students will move to demonstrate their understanding of these concepts.(you may have to
move furniture or have them demonstrate individually). To model solids, students huddle
close and link arms together. They can walk in place, but they must keep the whole shape. To
model liquid, students can hold hands and walk or dance slowly around the room. To model
gases, have students move or dance more quickly (but safely) around the room without
touching.

Activity 2:

Teacher will perform this activity with different objects and show different objects related to
states of matter to her/his students.

• Display the balloons, ice, water, wood and soda for the class.
• Ask students to select the item that is a solid. They should select the ice.
• Next ask students to select the item that represents a liquid. They should select the
water.
• Haave students blow up the balloons to demonstrate gas.
• Ask students if any of the items are both a liquid and a gas. They should select the
soda.

Sum up:

In solids the particles are arranged in a regular way where they occupy fixed positions. Due
to their fixed positions a solid has a fixed shape and it occupies a fixed volume.

In liquid the particles are arranged in an irregular way. These particles not only move also
can slip pass each other. Due to their movement, a liquid does not have a fixed shape. Since
the particles of a liquid are attracted by one another and they cannot move away from one
another, so their volume is fixed.

In gases the particles are independent of one another. They also move in all possible
directions. Due to this reason gases neither have a fixed shape nor a fixed volume.
Evaluation:

• Give some examples of liquid state.

• What is the volume of gas state?
• How are the particles arrange in solid?

Home Work:

Ask the students to draw the arrangement of particles of the three states of matter in their note
book.

Observe and write five examples of each state of matter from your daily life.

Q.2 Give an account on individual projects?

ANS:

Individual Project:

The individual project is by far the most important single piece of work in activity method. It

provides the opportunity for individual or student to demonstrate independence and

originality, to plan and organize a project for prescribed period, and to put in to practice some

of the techniques to be taught. During individual project student can show his/her

individuality and inspiration in this project. Overall an individual project is an economically

indivisible series of works fulfilling a precise technical function and with clearly identifiable

aims. An individual project may include one or more sub-projects. An individual project
generally addresses a single activity or issue of economic, environmental or social need

within any one of the priority sectors of any programme.

Steps Involved in Individual Project

Following steps are focused during individual project:

❖ Project Outline

❖ Preliminary Assessment

❖ Application / Implementation

❖ Appraisal

❖ Decision

1. Project Outline

Keeping in view the purpose of given task or activity student will prepare project outline.

This outline comprises on propose targets, resources, methodology and time schedule.

2. Preliminary Assessment

Before execution of project student will assess the requirements of task or activity which are

prerequisite, for it. For example to analyze the physical, human and financial resources which

are required for the fulfillment of given task.

3. Application/Implementation

On this stage project will be implemented or executed practically for the accomplishment of

given task or assigned activity.

4. Appraisal

At this stage student will organize the appraisal of project through which it will be analyzed

to what extent given task or assigned activity has been achieved.

5. Decision
Finally the success or failure of the task or activity will be determined. In all steps teacher’s

role will be a guide and facilitator to assist the student regarding the accomplishment of

project.

A major component of this course will be the execution of a term project. Students may

choose a project from a list of suggested projects or propose one of their own ideas.

Projects can be done singly or in pairs. Projects will naturally be expected to require an effort

proportional to the number of team members. All members of a project team will receive the

same grade on the project, except in extraordinary circumstances.

Phases

Projects will be structured as a sequence of phases. Completion of one phase is not required

for initiation of the next. In many cases, it will benefit you to be working on multiple phases

at the same time. For instance, you might be working on the implementation of an initial

prototype concurrently with searching and reviewing the relevant literature.

Initial Proposal

Describe your plans to meet these requirements in a proposal of approximately a page. Your

proposal should describe:

❖ the motivation for your project (a paragraph or so)

❖ Your approach to the problem. Include as much information about specific

representations, user interface design, and code design as you can.

❖ exactly what you expect to produce (ie, your deliverables).

❖ planned extensions if time permits. Mark these clearly as extensions and prioritize

them.

Annotated Bibliography

Review the literature describing other approaches to problems similar to yours. Summarize

each relevant article in a paragraph or so. Describe how the approach taken in related work is
similar to and different from yours. Include complete references for all papers cited. Your

annotated bibliography will be converted into a literature review to become part of your final

paper. Correct spelling and grammar count, so check them before you hand anything in.

Revised Proposal

Revise your proposal to respond to instructor comments. Also, use what you've learned in

your literature survey to fine-tune your approach. Give a 5 minute presentation to the class

about your plans.

Progress Report

Summarize progress to date (including images) in a report of approximately a page. Give a 5-

10 minute summary to the class. Feel free to ask the class for feedback on how to approach

remaining problems.

Presentation

Prepare and present a 20 minute presentation of your project. Your presentation should be

professional enough to give at a technical conference (e.g. organized approach, prepared

slides, a short demo or video if appropriate).

Final Release

Package all code and supporting documentation into a final release. Your final release should

include:

❖ all code produced

❖ description of how the completed project corresponds to the proposal

❖ a user's guide describing how to use your project.

❖ Project success is generally defined as project completion on schedule, within budget,

with delivery of features and functionality as promised to the satisfaction of key

project stakeholders. Ask almost any information technology project professional

about project success rates, and the answers are abysmal. The Standish Group has
 been studying project successes and failures since 1989 and has determined that in

2005 only 28% of information technology projects come in on time and on budget

(Johnson, 2006, p. 129). Every 100 projects that start create 94 project restarts. In fact,

a project may have multiple restarts (Standish Group, 1995, p. 1).

❖ Standish and others (Kappelman, McKeeman, & Zhang 2006; Pinto & Slevin, 1987;

Schmidt, Lyytinen, Keil, & Cule, 2001) list a number of factors that contribute to

project success or failure; one of the more significant items is project staff

competence.

❖ General agreement exists that projects need smart, well-trained people who are

motivated to do their jobs; however, limited research addresses what specific

performance-based competencies contribute to project success (Skulmoski, 2005).

❖ A search for “competency” in the knowledgebase of the Project Management Institute

returned 79 articles. More than 80% of the research that addresses competence

focuses on the project manager. Nothing appears to address the importance of

competencies in project participants.

❖ This study will demonstrate that project success is a function of the competence of the

project participants. More important, the study will also demonstrate the competence

level of the least competent participant best predicts project success.

❖ Statement of the Problem

❖ General agreement exists in the literature that individual skills are an important

ingredient to overall project success; however, just how important relative to other

factors is a matter of opinion. From 4-14% of project success is attributed to staff

competency. It ranks from fifth to eleventh on lists of contributing success factors

(Johnson, 2006; Kappelman, McKeeman, & Zhang, 2006; Pinto & Slevin, 1987;

Schmidt, Lyytinen, Keil, & Cule, 2001). Exactly how individual competencies relate
 to project success is unknown. Similarly, whether or not the likelihood of project

success could be improved by selecting project participants with above-average

competencies is also unknown. Project teams are too often composed of “available

individuals” rather than handpicked project participants. This research will assist

project managers in selecting a project team with the right mix of competencies that

will directly increase the likelihood of project success.

❖ Purpose of the Study

❖ The purpose of this study is to analyze the relationship between specific competency

measures and specific success measures. Prior studies in this area of project

participant competence have been qualitative, but Skulmoski (2005, p. 291) suggests

that an analytical approach is warranted.

❖ Although the theory of constraints has been applied to project management by

managing the critical path and project plan, this analytical survey study will expand

upon and clarify the theory of constraints by applying it to the project team formation.

This research will examine the relationship between competency in individual project

participants and project success. A web-based survey of members of the Project

Management Institute (Minnesota chapter) regarding their project experience provides

the data for analysis. The independent variables—competence of individual project

participants—are generally defined as scores on a survey assessment instrument

completed by the project manager. Least competent and most competent are

subjective terms used by the project manager in selecting individuals about whom to

complete the assessment instrument. The control variables of project manager

experience and education are defined generally by education level and certification by

the Project Management Institute.

❖ This research will demonstrate that project success is influenced more by the

competencies of the least competent project participant than by those of the most

competent project participant. The study will also explore the offsetting effect of the

most and least competent participants in relation to project success.

❖ Importance of the Study

This study is the first quantitative study that compares the competencies of project

participants with the success of the project itself. Previous research used an anecdotal

or theoretical approach to address two related issues: identifying the key factors that

contribute to project success and identifying the competencies that are important for

project participants.

❖ Competence research has identified those attributes, traits, skills, and characteristics

that are unique to a highly competent project participant. By determining how those

competencies relate to project success, the results of this study provide a potentially

useful framework for project participant selection and team development. Future

application of project participant competency include recruiting, selection, placement,

assessment, retention, promotion, performance management, succession planning, and

compensation of project personnel (Hartman & Skulmoski, 1999, p. 2; Skulmoski,

Hartman, & DeMaere, 2000, p. 3; Spencer & Spencer, 1993, p. xii).

❖ Improving the understanding of participant competence should improve project

performance and the probability of project success (Skulmoski, Hartman & DeMaere,

2000, p. 10).

❖ Scope of the Study

This study uses a quantitative survey method as the best approach to test the theory of

constraints and to what extent it describes the relationship between project participant

competence and project success.

Q.3 Explain the structure of classroom discussion?

ANS:

Structure of classroom discussion

Basic Structure: Students from two circles, one inside circle and one outside circle. Each

student on the inside is paired with a student on the outside; they face each other. The teacher

poses a question to the whole group and pairs discuss their responses with each other. Then

the teacher signals students to rotate: Students on the outside circle move one space to the

right so they are standing in front of a new person (or sitting, as they are in the video). Now

the teacher poses a new question, and the process is repeated.

Variations: Instead of two circles, students could also form two straight lines facing one

another. Instead of “rotating” to switch partners, one line just slides over one spot, and the

leftover person on the end comes around to the beginning of the line. Some teachers use this

strategy to have students teach one piece of content to their fellow students, making it less of

a discussion strategy and more of a peer teaching format. In fact, many of these protocols

could be used for peer teaching as well.

1. Make a safe place. Students don’t contribute to a discussion if they are afraid that they will

be ridiculed for what they say.

2. Small group discussion is useful when there are clear learning objectives. Teacher should

have clear objectives for the discussions and communicate them clearly. It's helpful for the

teachers and students if the objectives are stated in "action" terms. Useful objectives relate to

what students should know, understand, be able to apply, or use effectively. The

memorization of a list of facts or dates is not in itself a very useful objective but being able to
identify how current events both resemble and differ from an historic event, for example,

would be a workable objective.

3. Teacher should formulate and communicate his/her expectations of the students. Will they

be graded on participation? So, there should be clear expectations for what is expected from

the students and how they will be tested. Students also need to understand what they will

have to know, how well they need to know it, and how they will have to demonstrate what

they know.

4. Avoid yes/no questions. Ask "why" or "how" questions that lead to discussion and when

students give only short answers, ask them to elaborate. Also, avoid questions that have only

one answer.

5. Don't fear silence. This may be the most difficult thing to do but it's absolutely essential.

When small group discussion is facilitated, teacher tends to feel that a lack of response within

one or two beats is stretching into an eternity. But even if teacher has posed a very interesting

question or situation, the students will need some time to think and formulate a response.

6. When possible, set up the room for discussion. A circle works best, especially if the group

can sit around a table. If it’s difficult to re-arrange the furniture; then teacher should move

around the room, sit among the students; become a discussion participant rather than a

teacher.

7. Get to know the students' names and who they are. Students are more likely to be engaged

with the group if addressed by name rather than by being pointed at. If a teacher knows the

interests, majors, experiences, etc. of the students, it becomes much easier to think of ways to

involve them.

8. Participants should be provided positive feedback. Feedback can be a good means of

getting through a lull in the discussion also. A recap of what has been discussed so far helps

to reinforce main points, and often stimulates further discussion.

9. Show enthusiasm for the subject. Students can’t become interested in a discussion topic for

which the instructor shows no enthusiasm. If teacher is interested in the subject, then it will

help him to discover what students think and feel about it.

Types of Classroom Discussion

Talking Circle / Word Wheels

The whole class is divided into two groups; these groups sit together in one circle; one group

sits in a circle facing outward and the other facing inward so that each person faces someone

else.

The participants of these groups then share their views on a given problem/topic. The

facilitator sets a time for discussion session and then asks questions from everyone on the

inside to move one seat to the right and discuss with the new person sitting opposite. This

process continues until each person has changed views with several others (Kinne, 2000).

Talking Tickets

Talking tickets provide every student an equal opportunity to speak. Each participant is given

three talking tickets, each representing a certain amount of "air time." Once someone has

used all her or his tickets, that person has no further opportunities to speak. This technique

not only encourages students for critical thinking, time management and confidence, but also

gives every student an equal opportunity to speak. Whole class is involved in discussion and

more talkative and less talkative students are given equal chances to speak (Kinne, 2000).

Think-Pair-Share

This technique was introduced in 1981 by Professor Frank Lyman. This strategy is based on

the idea of co-operative learning and peer interaction. It is considered as a foundation stone

for the development of cooperative classroom with a basic purpose to develop thinking skills,

increase information and develop communication skills among students. The core of this

method is ‘wait or think’ time, which improves students’ responses to questions. It is an

effective and simple strategy, useful from early childhood through all consequent stages of

education. It has a very flexible structure, which has been utilized in variety of ways for

various learning purposes.

Turn to Your Neighbor

This is used when there are easy answers to questions and teacher wants quick response. It

contains simple structure in which a question is asked; students turn to a classmate sitting

next to them to discuss their answer. Usually, students are given 30 seconds to discuss an

answer.

Round Robin

This technique is useful when students are divided into groups (3-5 students per group).

Teacher poses a question and students quickly go around in the circle and share their answers.

This technique is also useful to elicit quick responses from pupils. Students are allowed to

offer answers until teacher tell them to stop. Students are also given one opportunity to pass

on answering.

Line-Ups

In this technique, students are lined up to some standard, such as height, weight, birthdays or

alphabetical order. The teacher poses a question. At this point, the line is folded in a way that

the member at the ends move together to form two lines facing each other. Students then

discuss with the person in front of them. Teacher can then have volunteers share with the

entire class or students can be randomly called. This technique fosters great discussions by

allowing students to move out of their seats and to talk with a diversity of students.

Value Lines

This technique requires the longest to carry out. It is used when teacher wants pupils to

acquire a stance on a problem. When teacher posits a questions or an issue, then students

stand on one side or the other of an imaginary line. One side of the line is for those who agree
with the statement, and the other side is for those who disagree with it. Then students on the

either side of the line turn to each other and discuss why they agreed or disagreed with the

statement. Then each pair turns to another pair across the line and discusses their agreement

and disagreement. Students can be randomly called to share what they heard from individuals

with different opinions from theirs. This technique also allows students to move out of their

seats and expose a variety of different opinions. In this technique, monitoring of students is a

challenging task for teacher.

Jigsaw

In this technique, material or work is divided among each member of the group. Every

individual has a portion of the required task and no one has everything that is needed to

complete the task. Teacher usually uses this method to divide an assignment so that each

group member takes a part. Students share their information within the group members.

Group members need each other to obtain the full experience.

Question and Answer Pairs

Teacher seats the class in circle and divides students into question and answer pairs. These

pairs ask and answer questions on assigned reading or as a great review activity before a test.

These pairs are assigned numbers 1 and 2. The "1’s" are told that they will not be moving.

The"2’s" are told that they will be moving throughout the activity. Teacher then asks

questions and students in 1s and 2s pair up, and sort out the best answer for the question.
Q.4 Enlist some critical thinking objectives for the cooperative learning

activity?

ANS:

Cooperative learning is defined as students working together to “attain group goals that

cannot be obtained by working alone or competitively” (Johnson, Johnson, & Holubec,

1986).

The main purpose of cooperative learning is to actively involve students in the learning

process; a level of student empowerment which is not possible in a lecture format. The

underlying premise is founded in constructivist epistemology.

It is a process which requires knowledge to be discovered by students and transformed into

concepts to which the students can relate. The knowledge is then reconstructed and expanded

through new learning experiences.

Learning takes place through dialog among students in a social setting.

Cooperative learning is a methodology that employs a variety of learning activities to

improve students’ understanding of a subject by using a structured approach which involves a

series of steps, requiring students to create, analyze and apply concepts (Kagan, 1990).

Cooperative learning utilizes ideas of Vygotsky, Piaget, and Kohlberg in that both the

individual and the social setting are active dynamics in the learning process as students

attempt to imitate real-life learning.

By combining teamwork and individual accountability, students work toward acquiring both

knowledge and social skills. It is a teaching strategy which allows students to work together

in small groups with individuals of various talents, abilities and backgrounds to accomplish a

common goal. Each individual team member is responsible for learning the material and also

for helping the other members of the team learn.

Students work until each group member successfully understands and completes the

assignment, thus creating an “atmosphere of achievement” (Panitz, 1996). As a result, they

frame new concepts by basing their conclusions on prior knowledge. This process results in a

deeper understanding of the material and more potential to retain the material.

Cooperative learning involves students working together to accomplish shared goals, and it is

this sense of interdependence that motivate group members to help and support each

other. When students work cooperatively they learn to listen to what others have to say, give

and receive help, reconcile differences, and resolve problems democratically.

However, placing students in small groups and telling them to work together does not

guarantee that they will work cooperatively. Groups need to be structured to ensure that

members will work interdependently if they are to reap the academic and social benefits

widely attributed to this approach to learning.

The role the teacher plays in establishing cooperative learning in the classroom is critically

important for its success. This involves being aware of how to structure cooperative learning

in groups, including their size and composition the type of task set; expectations for student

behavior; individual and group responsibilities; and the teacher’s role in monitoring both the

process and the outcomes of the group experience.

There are two major theoretical perspectives associated with cooperative learning:

motivational and cognitive (Swortzel, 1997). First, because students perceive that their

success or failure is dependent upon their ability to work together as a group, students are

likely to encourage each other to do whatever helps the group succeed. They are also more

likely to help each other with the task(s) at hand. Therefore, cooperative learning increases

student motivation to do academic work (Johnson, Johnson, & Holubec, 1986).

The other theory is that cooperative learning helps students acquire critical thinking skills.

Because cooperative learning creates a situation in which students must explain and discuss
various perspectives, a greater understanding of the material is obtained. Elaborative thinking

is promoted because students give and receive explanations more often (Johnson, Johnson, &

Holubec, 1986).

The use of cooperative learning (CL) also helps students clarify concepts and ideas through

discussion and debate. Because the level of discussion within groups is significantly greater

than in instructor led discussions, students receive immediate feedback, thus advancing the

level of discussion. It is through this process of interacting with students of differing

viewpoints that cognitive growth is stimulated. Emphasis is placed on learning how to

cooperate in order to find the best possible solution to a problem. According to the

constructivist approach, when students formulate their own solutions in this manner, they are

truly thinking critically (Davis, Mahler & Noddings, 1990).

After deciding to implement cooperative learning, the biggest challenge will be planning and

readying the classroom and students for CL. According to Johnson, Johnson, and Smith

(1991), there are several tasks that an instructor must accomplish before implementing

cooperative learning in the classroom. This section will detail those responsibilities.

Specify Instructional Objectives (academic and social) of CL– The instructor must explain

why she is using CL, describe its benefits, and the results typically found from using CL. To

aid in this explanation, the instructor might produce and distribute a handout that describes

collaborative learning.

Determine Group Size and Assign Students to Groups:

Group size can range from two to four students, depending on the CL task. These groups can

be homogeneous or heterogeneous. Groups can be formed by putting students together who

share common strengths, interests, etc, or they can be randomly assigned. Once the groups

are assigned, though, they should not be changed too often; students need time to develop a

cohesive group and work together for a while before moving to a different group.
Arrange room:

Instructors should optimize the space in their classroom so that students/groups can interact

and move about the room easily. It is essential that a group’s seats face one another. Further,

research tools should be made easily available either in the classroom or in another room near

the classroom (see, Resource-based Learning chapter for a more detailed discussion of this).

Plan instructional materials to promote interdependence– The instructional methods and

materials that an instructor chooses must allow each individual to contribute to the group’s

success in a unique and meaningful way. Without these unique contributions, a group’s

structure and cohesion will be put in jeopardy.

Assign group roles:

There is some debate about whether or not the instructor should play a role in this decision.

Whether or not an instructor chooses to assign roles within a group, they should make sure

there is a distinct role for each student. Also, the instructor should choose or assist the

students in choosing roles that use their strengths and improve their areas of weakness.

Instructors should also oversee that students don’t choose the same role over and over again.

Some of the roles that could be chosen or assigned include facilitator, timekeeper, recorder,

checker (for understanding), summarizer, elaborator (on prior knowledge or discussion

points), research-runner (gets materials), and wild card (does anything else that needs to be

done).

Assign task:

When picking an assessment task (product to be produced), the instructor should choose one

standard to address and match it to the learning approach. The cooperative learning group’s

task should be interesting, challenging, and motivating. It should also be a performance

driven and authentic task. The instructor should clearly explain procedures for the task,

provide structure (especially useful for inexperienced CL students), and set a specific time
frame for each part and the whole task. Finally, the instructor should question the students to

check for understanding of the task and its procedures.

Explain Criteria for Success:

The instructor should communicate the group-work skills that will be evaluated. A rubric

should also be created, possibly with the students’ assistance, which will be used to evaluate

the group-work skills as well as the assessment task.

Structure positive interdependence and accountability– Group size should be kept small so

that each member participates and contributes uniquely to the group. Instructors should also

“test” groups and individuals by asking questions of both. A group should be asked to

collectively explain its results and individuals should be able to defend their own position as

well as the group’s as a whole.

Specify desired behaviors:

An essential part of cooperative learning’s success is teaching students how to work in a

group. To accomplish this, the instructor can conduct mini-lessons on ways to respect others

(i.e. praise, taking turns, and shared decision making). Students also need to be trained in

conflict-resolution. Finally, it would be wise to use icebreaker activities before beginning so

that students find that they have something in common.

Before the actual implementation of cooperative learning, students also have several tasks.

First, they can help the instructor generate an evaluation rubric, and they could possibly help

design the assessment task if the instructor is willing to let the students participate in this

capacity. By playing a part in the production of these items, students will have a greater

motivation to participate in the group work (see Six C’s of Motivation chapter about choice

and control as methods to increase motivation).

Finally, the students’ most important role at this point in CL is to question the instructor if

anything is unclear to them. Without students’ complete understanding of the goals,

objectives, and procedures, cooperative learning will not be a success.

As illustrated in the scenario at the beginning of the chapter, the students in Mrs. Solomon’s

classroom are very diverse and appear not to get along. Before implementing CL, it will be

vitally important that Mrs. Solomon spend some time teaching respect, conflict-resolution,

and other group work skills. It is probably a good idea to use some icebreaker activities so

that the students learn that they have some commonalities with other class members.

In addition, because of the tension among them, Mrs. Solomon will want to assign students to

cooperative learning groups; she may even want to assign each individual their role. As Mrs.

Solomon designs and assigns the task to the students, it will be imperative that she chooses a

structured, authentic assignment. This will assist the students in remaining on-task, and it will

help with transferring their knowledge to real-world applications.

Q.5 Write notes on the following:

ANS:

a. Lesson presentation

Lesson presentation is comprised of learning experiences which a teacher sets up to achieve

the learning objectives. Basically, presentation introduces new information, checks learner

comprehension of the new material, and models the tasks that the learners will do in the

practice stage. There are variety of teaching strategies, and as a result of it, there is now a

wide range of learning activities which a teacher can set up to achieve best results. Moreover,

teachers are actively encouraged and expected to make use of a number of different teaching
methods in their program of lessons. According to Kelley (2010) teaching/presentation

includes input, modeling, and checking for understanding.

1. Input:

The teacher provides the information needed for students to gain the knowledge or skill

through lecture, film, tape, video, pictures, etc.

2. Modeling:

Once the material has been presented, the teacher uses it to show students examples of what

is expected as an end product of their work. The critical aspects are explained through

labeling, categorizing, comparing, etc. Students are taken to the application level (problem-

solving, comparison, summarizing, etc.)

3. Checking for Understanding:

Determination of whether students have "got it" before proceeding. It is essential that

students practice doing it right so the teacher must know that students understand before

proceeding to practice. If there is any doubt that the class has not understood, the

concept/skill should be re-taught before practice begins.

• Questioning strategies:

Asking questions that go beyond mere recall to probe for the higher levels of understanding is

necessary to ensure memory network binding and transfer. Bloom's Taxonomy of

Educational Objectives provides a structure for questioning that is hierarchical and

cumulative. By using this taxonomy, teachers can structure questions at the level of proximal

development, i.e., a level at which the pupil is prepared to cope. Questions progress from the

lowest to the highest of the six levels of the cognitive domain of the Taxonomy of

Educational Objectives: knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and

evaluation. During presentation, questioning skill is indispensable for pupils’ active

participation and long term learning.

According to Kyriacou (1998) teacher’s manner is considered the key element in lesson

presentation. Here are some components of lesson presentation skills which a teacher is

supposed to posses. These are:

• Voice:

Teacher should speak in a clear, firm voice and vary his volume and pitch when he wants to

emphasize something. Make sure that all students can hear teacher’s voice easily but be sure

not to shout or talk so loud that his/her sound irritates students.

• Tone:

Many teachers confuse voice and tone. Tone is the ‘feeling’ that emanates from voice and

mannerisms. A tone that is confident and warm, and not dry or egocentric works well in

projecting a comfortable feeling to the students.

• Vocabulary:

While presenting a lecture, teacher should stay away from unfamiliar terms and jargon as

much as possible. If there is a need to introduce technical terms and jargon, teacher should

take the time to define them for students to understand. Acronyms fall into this category. If

teacher has to use them, then students should be told what the acronyms stand for.

• Humor:

A teacher with a good sense of humor can actually help to create a more relaxed learning

atmosphere for the students. Humor in teaching has been known to liven up boring material

and helps to diminish the traditional idea that the teacher is dominant and the students are

subordinate. Too much humor can be detrimental. Teacher wants the students to know that he

takes his work seriously so they will too.

Body Language:

It is a known fact that students respond better to a teacher who is moderately active and

moves around the room to connect with students. The teacher who stands at the board or sits

at his chair all the day does nothing to present an image of comfort in the classroom. On the

other hand, getting too close to a student’s personal space is not good either. Teacher might

want to try teaching from the back of the room when students are doing exercises so that

teacher can readily see if anyone if having problems without making them draws attention to

themselves. Questions such as "how is it going" as teacher approaches a workstation prevents

him from startling the student.

Here are some tips by Flagler and Hamlin (2009) for teachers to make presentation more

effective and attractive for students:

• Teacher should know the material. He should have the content well in hand. Most problems

can be alleviated by being very well prepared.

• Teacher should show interest in the topic to be taught. He must try to find something unique

of special interest about the topic and most importantly, shows your enthusiasm and interest.

An enthusiastic teacher will get an enthusiastic audience.

• Teacher should also know the audience. Whom will he be presenting to? How involved

with the topic is his audience? What level of sophistication does his audience have with the

topic? Does he expect them to be asking questions? How teacher’s presentation of the

material will foster questioning, comments or arguments etc.

• Teacher should prepare an outline of his talk in advance. The fewer notes teacher uses the

more natural his talk will be. Good teachers always get a clear idea of the main points and

supporting information, anecdotes, etc. Keep it simple and to the point and utilize all the

appropriate parts of a speech including introduction, body and conclusion.

b. Steps to prepare lesson for special needs

While many lesson plans can be used universally, special education requires a bit more

crafting. Even the best special education lesson plans will be catered to a specific class style

and level of development. Each teacher must do some added work to decide what parts of the

lesson plan need to be adjusted for the class as a whole.

Certain students will also require varying levels of attention in their assignments. Special

education teachers know how important it is to individually work around their student’s

abilities and lesson plans can incorporate different approaches for specific students.

Special education teachers learn a great deal from their experience in handling each class.

They might utilize some of their past experiences years later with similar students and have

new ways of handling difficult situations.

A special education lesson plan might seem like a disaster the first time around, but as the

teacher redevelops the outline based on what events occurred, he or she can better prepare for

where the objectives did not come through and how assignments and instructions could be

better explained.

Lesson plans are a crucial part of any teacher’s approach to the classroom. However, they are

just one added tool in the educator’s belt. A great lesson plan can help special education

teachers maintain better control of their classroom with clearer objectives and purposeful

assignments.

As the course unfolds, teachers can make adjustments and rework their lesson plans to

accommodate their students’ needs. While a lesson plan may work well with one class, the

next year it may bring about a completely different result. Teachers must not get discouraged

and instead use their own experiences and the lesson plans of other educators to keep

changing their work and preparing for each new class.

Technology has embedded itself into nearly every aspect of education. Today, teachers can

find lesson plans online to help them get a jump start on the course or compare how others

are approaching the curriculum. Many websites showcase free lesson plans and some include

categories for special education. Here are some popular websites for finding free teacher

lesson plans in special education:

• Teacher Planet

• Teachers.net

• TeAchnology

Every teacher knows that the quality of a lesson plan is determined by how well it can be

followed during a course. Top-end materials yield more engagement from students who will

better follow handouts and assignments and show more interest in the studies.

While there are many online lesson plans available for free on the Internet, another option is

to purchase them at sites like TeachersPayTeachers, which lets educators upload and sell their

own lesson plans, prompting them to put more effort into their work and allowing other

teachers to buy, review and rate each lesson plan.