Monique Neysmith
Supervisor: Dr. Rosalina Diaz
Education 492 – Student Teaching II
Cooperating Teacher: Ms. McFadden
Date of Lesson: April 30, 2013
Time: 11:00am-12:00pm
Social studies is a major part of every citizen’s life. It is the basis of creating well rounded individuals who play a major part in their community and understand their role as individuals of a community. The National Council for the Social Studies defines social studies as:
“the integrated study of the social sciences and humanities to promote
civic competence. Within the school program, social studies provides
coordinated, systematic study drawing upon such disciplines as
anthropology, archaeology, economics, geography, history, law,
philosophy, political science, psychology, religion, and sociology, as well as
appropriate content from the humanities, mathematics, and natural
sciences. The primary purpose of social studies is to help young people
make informed and reasoned decisions for the public good as citizens of a
culturally diverse, democratic society in an interdependent world” (NCSS, http://www.socialstudies.org/standards/introduction).
With social studies, students learn about different people from different parts of the world and of different cultures. That brings awareness and allows students to have an understanding of what is going on around them and in the world.
In Educational Psychology: Developing Learners (2000) by Jeanne Ellis Ormrod it says “Make sure students have sufficient prior knowledge about a topic to discuss it intelligently. Such knowledge may come either from previous class sessions or from students’ personal experiences. In many cases, it is likely to come from studying a particular topic in depth (p. 570). My lesson, in which students learn about Yoruba people of Nigeria and make masks, will encourage them to use prior knowledge to learn things about the Yoruba people. They are currently learning different things about Nigeria like the schools, the land, and the religion. They will use that information to help them understand why and what the masks are used for.
Social studies is composed of many themes and two of them are being addressed in my lesson. Theme 3: People, Places and Environments says “Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of people, places, and environments” and Theme 4: Individual Development and Identity says “Examination of various forms of human behavior enhances understanding of the relationships among social norms and emerging personal identities, the social processes that influence identity formation, and the ethical principles underlying individual action” (Wolfinger and Stockard, p. 67). These themes are important because the students are given the chance to learn about people and a place that is foreign to them. This lesson will also help them understand why different people do different things, and make them see that even though they may seem different, people and different cultures actually do some of the same things. I am going to ask them about masks that they have seen before so that they can have some understanding of the African masks.
This lesson includes the use of technology in many ways. First, I will show the students a short video of different African masks. We will also watch a video of people dancing with masks on and I made a slideshow with powerpoint of different African masks that will be on while the students create their masks. I will also show them a mask that I made so they can see how they can create theirs. This meets CEC Standard ICC7S11 which says “Candidates prepare and use appropriate materials which included several teacher-made products during instruction” (Clinical Practice evaluation form).
Vygotsky’s Theory of Cognitive Development (1920’s) includes scaffolding and peer interaction in promoting cognitive development (Omrod, p. 46). Scaffolding is used during the creation of the masks and there is also a lot of peer interaction. The students will be in groups so they will be able to talk and share ideas.
…students can often accomplish more difficult tasks when they work
together rather than alone; in such situations, students are essentially
providing scaffolding for one another’s efforts. In recent years, researchers
and practitioners alike have become increasingly convinced that interactive
approaches to instruction, in which students work collaboratively rather
than in isolation, can be highly effective in promoting both cognitive
development and classroom achievement (Omrod, p. 49).
This is the reason why I chose group work for this lesson. Another theorist who was in mind for this lesson is Bandura. Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory (1960’s) says that children can learn through observation (Omrod, p.436). The students will be watching me as I model for them what they are expected to do.
“Some educators question the authenticity of typical test scores asserting that the scores do not reflect what students do in situations in which they work with, or receive help from, teachers, peers, parents, or supervisors. The purpose behind authentic assessment is to assess students’ critical thinking and problem solving abilities in real-life situations” (Omrod, p. 181). I will be walking around the classroom to be ensure that these students are utilizing their help and using their critical thinking skills. This activity is an assessment in itself because I am using the end result to determine how well the students used their background knowledge and what I will show them before they start the activity to create whatever it is they will be making. Also, as I mentioned, I will be using the scaffolding approach to further assist students.
The students will be assessed by their masks and the completion of their worksheet. This is called a performance assessment, which is defined by Stiggins, et al.(2006), as “assessment based on observation and judgment. Students engage in an activity that requires them to apply a performance skill or create a product and we judge its quality” (p. 191). The masks will be assessed to make sure students followed instructions and used their background knowledge to produce a finished product. This is also a summative assessment. The other assessment, which is the writing assignment, will be used to assess if the students understand what they did.
Along with the CEC Standard I mentioned, I met the requirements for other CEC Standards and ACEI Standards. CEC Standard 4: Instructional Strategies and ACEI Standard 3.3: Development of Critical Thinking and Problem Solving are met with my knowledge of different theorists and theories and why I incorporated the theories in my lesson. CEC Standard 7: Instructional Planning and ACEI Standard 3.5: Communication to Foster Collaboration was met with my use of technology. CEC Standard 8: Assessment and ACEI Standard 4.0; Assessment for Instruction were met with the different forms of summative assessments.
References
Ormrod, J. E. (2000). Educational psychology: developing learners (3rd ed.).
Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Merrill.
Stiggins, R. J., Arter, J. A., Chappuis, J., & Chappuis, S. (2007). Classroom
assessment for student learning: doing it right -- using it well (Special ed.).
Upper Saddle River, N.J.:Pearson Education, Inc..
Wolfinger, D. M., & Stockard, J. W. (1997). Elementary methods: an integrated
curriculum.White Plains, N.Y.: Longman