Steppingstones Chapter 7

Outline:
1. Definition of an Integral Unit
2. 9 Steps of Unit Design

Reading Notes:
An integral unit is a portion of a course or program that has a clear thematic focus
and that:
1. Has internal unity
2. Has external consistency
3. Includes pertinent and meaningful aspects of reality that are related to, and
may even go beyond, the main discipline focus of the unit.

Nine steps in Designing a Unit:

1. Consider the suitability of a proposed topic
a. Determine the significance and relevance of your topic:
i. How can the topic further develop a responsible and responsive
discipleship?
ii. How is the topic relevant to the students?
iii. Is the topic meeting the students learning needs?

2. Brainstorm ideas
a. Consider utilizing mind-maps and other methods that helps you to
design a unit that has integrity, cohesion and relevance.

3. Formulate unit focus (e.g. thematic statement, guiding questions and intended
learning outcomes)
a. Thematic statement: describes overall approach of your units teaching
and learning
b. Guiding questions
c. Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO)

4. Design, balance and sequence learning activities. Begin with a motivational

introductory activity and a culminating summative one.
a. Helpful Questions:
i. Does the learning activity contribute to the thematic statement
and ILOs?
 ii. Will the activities help meaningful learning to take place?
iii. Do the activities include a range of pedagogical strategies?
iv. Do the activities present high but attainable level of
achievement?
v. Are there motivational introductory learning activities?
vi. Will the necessary sources be available?

5. Review linkages with state/provincial/national standards.

a. Review your governments standards if applicable.

6. Plan a schedule.
a. Schedules are important because it helps to keep your unit plans
progress consistent and fluent. Make sure to form a backup plan in
case your plans are thwarted.

7. Select resources.
a. Internet is good, but make sure resources are viable and
understandable. If its complex make sure to provide guidance when
utilizing the resource.

8. Plan student assessment. Consider what evidence will show the students
progress during the course.
a. Make assessments of student learning an integral part of your unit
design
b. Emphasize formative assessment feedback
c. As much as possible, align learning outcomes, learning activities,
student products and assessment strategies.
d. Use varied assessment strategies.
e. Use state standardized tests as only one of a broad array of
assessment strategies
f. Remember that not all intended learning outcomes can be assessed
directly. It is possible to achieve learning outcomes that are unintended.

9. Review the effectiveness of the unit.

a. How effective was this unit?
i. Did I realize the units intended learning outcomes?
ii. Were the concepts, skills and values appropriate?
iii. Which key strategies were successful?
iv. Were the resources relevant and helpful?
 v. Was the student assessment balanced, fair and helpful for
improving learning?
vi. What things were particularly successful? Which would I change
next time?

Reflection:
The definition and steps to designing unit plan helped me understand more
about curricular alignment. I like how in class we shortened the steps into five steps
and skip a tedious process. However, I have learned that as a teacher I must always
think holistically in different sorts of dimensions. I particularly like how the steps
ended with an important evaluative process. With the time available in class and
schedules, teachers tend to forget about this vital part of becoming an effective
teacher.

Act of Teaching: Chapter 6 - 8

Outline
Chapter 6: Planning Instruction
Pros and Cons of Instructional Planning
Planning is Especially Beneficial for New Teachers
Deciding What to Teach
Instructional Objectives
Writing Specific Objectives
Preparing Instructional Plans of Varying Duration

Chapter 7: Four Instructional Alternatives: Presentation, Discussion,

Independent Study and Individualized Instruction
Discussion: Learning through informative discussion
Independent Study: Teaching as Giving and Guiding Seat Work and
Homework Assignments
Individualized Instruction: Tailoring Teaching
Matching Instructional Alternatives to Learners
 Overview of 31 Instructional Alternatives
Using Technology in Teaching
Final Thoughts
Chapter 8: Four More Alternatives: Cooperative Learning, Discovery
Learning, Constructivism and Direct Instruction
Cooperative Learning
Discovery Learning
Constructivist Teaching and Learning
Direct Instruction
Is there the best instructional alternative?

Reading Notes
Chapter 6: Planning Instruction
Pros and Cons of Instructional Planning
1. Pros:
o Determines (1) what to teach (2) how its taught (3)
how it will be determined how students learn
2. Cons:
o Constraint on time
Planning is Especially Beneficial for New Teachers
Failing to Plan is: Planning to Fail
Deciding What to Teach
State Standards (reflected by):
o Societal Expectations
o Nature and Needs of Learners
o Professional Societies and Interests in Education
Instructional Objectives:
1. Cognitive learning
2. Humanistic and behavioral learning
Writing Specific Objectives:
Blooms Taxonomy (different domains):
o Cognitive
o Affective
o Psychomotor
Preparing Instructional Plans of Varying Duration
Apply a top-bottom approach when it comes to planning
(yearly -> semester(ly) -> monthly -> daily)

Chapter 7: Four Instructional Alternatives: Presentation, Discussion,

Independent Study and Individualized Instruction
 Presentation:
Presentation is to inform an audience of certain facts, ideas,
concepts and explanations.
Discussion: Learning through informative discussion
Discussion can be used to
o ensure students mastery of a subject
o have students examine their own ideas and opinions
o to solve a problem
o improve their face to face or interpersonal
communication skills
Independent Study: Teaching as Giving and Guiding Seat Work and
Homework Assignments
Most justifiable when
o students need to rehearse or practice something
o to encourage students to acquire skillsets that they
may help them later in life.
Independent is commonly misused a method for teachers to
have personal time or to escape from their jobs. Teachers
should be dedicated even during independent study.
Individualized Instruction: Tailoring Teaching
Teacher must account all the students needs to tailor their
teaching accordingly.
This method can only be achieved after the teacher have a
deep and vast understanding of the students. A good rule of
thumb to know when you can do this is when the teacher and
students have a good relationship.
Matching Instructional Alternatives to Learners
Instructional alternatives should foremost be beneficial for
students. These methods are ways to improve learning and
teachers should understand that these methods are
alternatives. Think of the alternatives as tools in a toolbox.
Use the tool that is most effective!

Chapter 8: Four More Alternatives: Cooperative Learning, Discovery

Learning, Constructivism and Direct Instruction
Cooperative Learning
 Cooperative learning describes instructional procedures that
place learners in small work teams that are rewarded for what
they collectively accomplish
Good cooperative teachers can get students to work together,
are competent presenters, effective organizers and good work
coordinators.
Good cooperative learning includes preparation, delivery and
closure.
Discovery Learning
Takes place when students are presented with experiences and
are asked to derive their own meaning and understanding from
them. Its purpose is:
o To provide students with the opportunity to think for
themselves to figure something out
o Help students discover how knowledge is gained
o Promote high-order thinking skills such as analysis,
synthesis and evaluation
Constructivist Teaching and Learning
Constructivist will want to maximize the students chance to
understand and use information.
Students should be given steps to think and more importantly a
challenge that can serve as the top of the hill in the learning
experience.
Direct Instruction
Has preparation, delivery and closure
Research on direct instruction is generally positive as direct
instruction more or less influenced a childs learning,
particularly in math and reading.
Is there the best instructional alternative?
No best alternative but there is a best usage. There are best
methods for specific times.

Reflection
Chapters 6-8 have introduced me to a deeper and systematic side of teaching.
Chapter 6 focusing more on producing an effective and efficient instruction and
chapter 7-8 focuses on introducing learning instructions that can be used in class.
The depth of the chapters helps me to think holistically when deciding to teach, and
seeking resources for procedural help. Now I know to think about the steps of the
methods of instruction, its purpose, its advantages, its disadvantage and when to use
them.
Jere Brophy: 12 Characteristics of an Effective
Teacher

Outline:

1. A supportive classroom climate

2. Opportunity to learn
3. Curricular alignment
4. Establishing learning orientations
5. Coherent content
6. Thoughtful discourse
7. Practice and application activities
8. Scaffolding students task engagement
9. Strategy teaching
10. Co-operative learning
11. Goal-oriented assessment
12. Achievement expectations

Reading Notes:

1. A supportive classroom climate

a. Students learn best within cohesive and caring learning communities.
2. Opportunity to learn
a. Students learn more when most of the available time is allocated to
curriculum-related activities and the classroom management system
emphasizes maintaining their engagement in those activities
3. Curricular alignment
a. All components of the curriculum are aligned to create a cohesive
program for accomplishing instructional purposes and goals.
4. Establishing learning orientations
a. Teachers can prepare students for learning by providing an initial
structure
5. Coherent content
 a. To facilitate meaningful learning and retention, content is explained
clearly and developed with emphasis on its structure and connections
6. Thoughtful discourse
a. Questions are planned to engage students in sustained discourse
structured around powerful ideas.
7. Practice and application activities
a. Students need sufficient opportunities to practice and apply what they
are learning, and to receive improvement-oriented feedback
8. Scaffolding students task engagement
a. The teacher provides whatever assistance students need to enable
them to engage in learning activities productively
9. Strategy teaching
a. The teacher models and instructs students in learning and self-
regulation strategies

10. Co-operative learning

a. Students often benefit from working in pairs or small groups to
construct understandings or help one another master skills.
11. Goal-oriented assessment
a. The teacher uses a variety of formal and informal assessment methods
to monitor progress towards learning goals
12. Achievement expectations
a. The teacher establishes and follows through on appropriate
expectations for learning outcomes

Reflection:
The review from last Instructional Alignment course helped me to identify my own
character within the list. Prior to the re-introduction, the 12 characteristics stands as a
mere standard that I must meet if I want to be an effective teacher. The practicum
helped realize that this list serves also as a reminder for teachers to constantly
monitor their professional teacher character. Like Professor Metcalfe would always
say, I have to fake it until I make it as an effective teacher. Of course this means that I
should always strive and know that I am in the process of learning in the journey of
being an effective teacher.

Entry Readings - Geography

Outline:
 Chapter 4: Viewing the whole curriculum
1. The nature of knowledge
2. A biblical view of the child
3. A question of methods
4. A teachers role
5. Assessment

Chapter 5: Models of curriculum development

1. Integrity in curriculum development
2. Curriculum models

Chapter 12: Geography

1. Biblical rationale for studying Geography
2. Mission statements, aims and objectives
3. Content and methods for the geography curriculum
4. Stewardship
5. Development education
6. The Christian teachers as a model
7. Analyzing world views and detecting bias

Reading Notes:

Chapter 4: Viewing the whole curriculum

1. The nature of knowledge
a. The biblical concept of knowledge
i. Knowing by learning
ii. Knowing in the intimacy of personal relationships
iii. Knowing in the context of distinguishing the good and bad
iv. watching over and caring for
b. Wisdom
i. Acknowledge that:
1. God exists
2. He created the world according to His wisdom
3. Everything comes under the sovereign control and
care of the Lord
4. All is dependent on God
ii. Wisdom relates to:
1. skill in songs and proverbs
2. understanding and describing Gods creation
3. metal working
 4. seafaring
5. building
6. warfare
7. government (Genesis 41:33-40; 1 Kings 3:9-12) n
8. farming (Isaiah 28:23-29).
c. Knowledge and the curriculum
i. Include:
1. A biblical understanding of love
2. The inherent worth of individual human beings
3. Caring for creation
4. Restoring broken relationships
2. A biblical view of the child
a. The nature of humanity
i. Created by God
1. A religious being
2. A creature
3. Unique
ii. An Image-bearer
1. Task of an image-bearer:
a. To glorify God
b. To love the Lord
c. To go and make disciples
d. To care for and develop the earth
2. Functions of an image-bearer:
a. The prophetic: to know and share knowledge
b. The priestly: to intercede to bring a person
together with God
c. The kingly: to administer the world God has
created
3. The nature of the child:
a. Unity
b. Rational
c. Interactive
d. Responsible
e. Free to choose
f. Accountable
g. Morally aware
h. Creative
i. Two aspects in Christ:
i. Sinner
 ii. New Creature
b. The child and learning
i. Responsible being
ii. Worldview
1. Moral
2. Judicial
3. Aesthetic
4. Economic
5. Social
6. Lingual
7. Cultural
8. Rational
9. Emotion
10. Physical
iii. School is not the only place of learning
c. The child with special needs
i. The need itself may obscure a sense of:
1. Intrinsic worth of the person regardless of need
2. God given potential and gifts which need developing
3. Truth, perspective and uniqueness of Gods calling for
each individual, that a life it not of less value or use to
God if its expression fails outside of academic gifting
4. to have gifts and abilities that are non academic does
not in itself constitute a lack or disability in the person.
It may reveal an impoverishment in the curriculum.
5. Gods desire and ability to heal, restore and release
faculties so that healthy living and learning are not
hindered. This is not the same as conforming to
norms of measured achievement.
6. the personal nature of the difficulty even though the
learner may fall within a broad category.
7. human frailty and circumstances generally, highlight in
us all special needs of some sort at some time. The
use of norms and comparisons is very superficial.
Weaknesses are not failures.
ii. Creating the right atmosphere (a good ethos will include):
1. a good relaxed relationship with the teacher.
2. all teachers involved with the pupil need to know and
understand the problem and be supportive.
classroom life should be designed to limit frustration
 and sense of failure.
3. systems of marking and praise should not lead to
comparisons.
4. there should be no exposure to despising attitudes or
humiliating situations.
5. a close relationship with the parents should be at the
heart of the help given. Parents have a special
understanding of the child and consistency of
approach is important.
6. where appropriate the place of prayer should be
considered.
7. subtle inferences that a hierarchy exists where
academic gifts are more highly prosed or more useful
to God should be minimized
8. all should be made aware and accept the idea of a
persons unique function in the community.
9. a variety of personal gifts should be developed which
help build self-esteem.
10. strategies for ensuring that each child receives the
support to which they are entitled.
iii.
3. A question of methods
a. What and why?
i. Questions:
1. What does it do?
2. Does it work?
3. Do we want to teach a body of knowledge or a
process or a set of learning techniques?
4. Are we aiming for fluency or accuracy?
5. Do we want an abstract grasp of a concept or a
practical ability to work with it?
6. What are the situations in which we expect the skills
learned to be used
ii. Implications for Christian teachers
1. We cant think Christianly about methods before we
have thought carefully about Christian aims for
education (see Chapter 2: Mission Statements,
Development Plans and Aims) and for our particular
subject area (see Section III).
2. Christian aims for our subject area will be related to a
 Christian understanding of our subject area our view
of what is to be taught will also influence our methods.
b. When and where?
i. Context includes
1. the time and equipment available
2. classroom conditions (size of class, time of day,
weather etc.)
3. the individual learning styles of pupils
4. the teachers personality, skills and relationship with
the class
5. the schools values and expectations
6. the values of pupils families and community
7. the values of the wider society within which the school
is situated.
c. Whom?
i. Students have characteristics such as:
1. spiritual
2. creative
3. responsible and accountable
4. moral
5. rational
6. emotional
7. embodied
8. created in and for relationship
ii. Teachers should be aiming for qualities such as:
1. compassion
2. truthfulness
3. love
4. patience
5. forgiveness
6. faithfulness
7. readiness to serve
4. A teachers role
a. The changing nature of the role of the teacher
i. Traditional vs Progressive
ii. Other approaches
1. Liberal education
2. Humanist education
3. Technological education
4. Radical education
 b. Calling or Profession?
i. There is no dualism between calling and profession. They
both go together in establishing an effective teacher.
c. Developing relationships
i. There needs to be a balance between professionalism and
student-teacher relationships.
d. Commitment
i. Faith
ii. School Commitment
5. Assessment
a. Questions for Assessment:
i. Do our methods of assessment acknowledge that God has
given different gifts in different measure to different
individuals? Or do they exalt intellectual ability over other
abilities and compare students on the basis of their ability in
a narrow area?
ii. Do our methods of assessment encourage students to adjust
and improve their learning, or do they discourage by
repeated messages of failure?
iii. Do our methods of assessment encourage students to learn
for worthwhile goals, or do they promote a tendency for
students to learn for the sake of grades, without regard for
the meaning of what they learn?
iv. Do our methods of assessment focus on helping each
individual to grow, or do they promote forced competition and
rivalry by ranking students against each other?
v. Do our methods of communicating our assessments to pupils
and parents encourage renewed care and effort or do they
promote resignation or public pride or shame?
b. Encouragement

Chapter 5: Models of curriculum development

1. Integrity in curriculum development
a. Curriculum is not neutral
b. Foundations are important
2. Curriculum models
a. The education equation
i. Romanticism/progressivism
 1. The child <----> knowledge <----> teacher
ii. Rationalism/traditional
1. Knowledge <----> child <----> teacher
iii. Christian teacher:
1. God <----> the teacher <----> the child <---->
knowledge taught
b. Nature and character of God as a focus for learning
i. Model A: The Kings School Model based on the concept of
the Trinity
ii. Model B: Curriculum developed at Oak Hill School
iii. Model C: The Dolphin School
1. Tree diagram
c. The Christian world view expressed in the CFRR as a focus for the
curriculum
i. Model D: Christian Schools Trust Science Curriculum Team
d. The Creation Order as a focus for curriculum development
i. Model E: Covenant Christian School
ii. Model F: Christian Schools Trust
e. Knowledge of God as a central focus for learning
i. Model G: The Shepherd School

Chapter 12: Geography

1. Biblical rationale for studying Geography
a. Christian assumptions:
i. The world was created by and belongs to God
ii. The purpose of humanity is to develop and care for creation
iii. What went wrong
iv. Putting it right
b. A biblical rationale for geography curriculum planning
i. God created a vast Universe and it bears His imprint
ii. The Earth is the Lords and everything in it for He founded it
and established it
iii. God placed Man on the Earth to fill it and subdue it
iv. God continues to uphold the Universe and is intimately
concerned and involved in what happens on the Earth
v. God made the nations and every nations different, reflecting
Gods love for variety
vi. Gods love extends to all nations and His desire is for a family
drawn from every tribe, language and people and nation
vii. Human behavior affects the Earth and all the living things
 viii. Unfaithfulness to God and His laws of justice, stewardship,
love and righteousness will bring a terrible curse upon the
face of the Earth
ix. Jesus commands us to Go and make disciples of all
nations in the power of the Holy Spirit
c. Spiritual and moral development in the geography curriculum
i. The spiritual dimension of the geography curriculum
1. The pursuit of excellence for every pupil in all
respects of the syllabus
2. Respect for other people, viewpoints and beliefs
3. Sensitivity to the feelings of the community in which
we live.
4. Detection of bias inside and outside the school and
eliminating as far as possible within the school.
5. Enable a personal search for faith by which to live
6. Engender a sense of awe and a developing
awareness of the self in relation to creation
2. Mission statements, aims and objectives
a. Mission statement and aims for the geography department of a
county secondary school
i. Mission statement
1. The world is diverse
2. Areas, themes and methods need to be selective
when applied
3. Geography allows for integration in schools
4. Our task is to develop students understanding of the
world sufficiently to allow them to make informed
decision and to realize the consequence of their
actions.
ii. Statement of aims
1. Will enable students to acquire geographical
knowledge of the world
2. Will enable students to develop understanding in a
wide range of key geographical concepts
3. Will enable students to master a range of skills and
techniques usable as their abilities develop
4. Will enable students to develop their own
appreciation of their own values, attitudes, identity
and worth
b. Aims and objectives for geography in a Christian school
 i. Overall aim:
1. Our aim is to inform our pupils and to teach them
that they have a responsibility to take care of the
earth, by looking at examples of how societies have
adapted successfully or otherwise to their
environmental setting. Within this overall approach
we will look at the physical, economic and political
factors.
ii. Detailed aims:

1. To help pupils develop their understanding of their

surroundings and extend their interest in and
knowledge of, other places.

2. To help pupils get a perspective within which they can

place local, national and international events.

3. To help pupils to learn about the variety of physical

and human conditions on the earths surface, and the
ways in which people react to, modify and shape the
environment; and how the environment influences the
human factor.

4. To help pupils understand the spatial organisation of

human activities.

5. To help pupils to understand the processes which

produce pattern and variety on the earths surfaces
and which cause change.

6. To help pupils to be sensitive to the constraints and

opportunities facing different peoples in different
places under different economic, social, political and
physical conditions.

7. To help pupils to understand other cultural and ethnic

societies and to be aware of prejudice and injustice.

8. To help pupils to be aware of controversial social,

political, economic and environmental issues, and
their responsibility to arrive at informed judgements
 and obedient God-honouring actions.

9. To help pupils develop the skills and competence to

carry out a geographical enquiry.

10. To help students to be able to develop the

necessary study skills to be able to work individually,
in groups and with or without supervision and able to
go on to study geography, or bring their geographical
perspective to bear on the issues of the day.

3. Content and methods for the geography curriculum

a. A geography curriculum should include:
i. an understanding and appreciation of the diversity and
differences in land and people.
ii. the interaction of humanity with the natural world.n the
adaptation, modification, or transformation of the
environment, and the uses made of the available
iii. resources.
iv. the responses individuals, whole nations and cultures have
made to God through social, political and economic
decisions, in obedience (i.e. righteously and with justice), or
in disobedience (i.e. sinfully).
v. the world views and values which have influenced choices
and developments.
vi. a critical analysis of the nature of our own society and
personal and corporate responsibility for decisions and
choices made.
4. Stewardship
a. The land, people and environment
b. Environmental concern
i. Biblical basis for environmental concern
1. Caring for the world
a. Christians believe that God created a good
world (Gen 1
b. The Lord God placed man in the Garden of
Eden to cultivate it and guard it (Gen 2 Good
News Version)
c. Economic activities
i. Primary industry: farming
 ii. Secondary industry: fishing (or more complex tasks)
d. Quality of life
i. Understanding cultures
ii. Inner city development
iii. A new bypass
5. Development education
6. The Christian teachers as a model
a. To teach Geography successfully from a Christian perspective
means accepting that your lifestyle must match the message you
give in your lessons. This may mean uncomfortable changes in your
personal lifestyle. Out goes the new car and the transcontinental
holiday. In comes positive action such as establishing a can
recycling project, making links over the Internet with schools in
developing countries, tackling the consumerist attitudes of our
pupils.
7. Analyzing world views and detecting bias
a. The idea of progress
The idea of progress is a Western concept which developed
with the growth of technology, and is related to the idea of
evolution; that is, things improve. From this notion we often
regard less technologically advanced cultures as primitive,
ignorant, inferior, and therefore of less value. The following is a
page from a teachers notes on the idea of progress, intended to
expose some of these prejudices. The Escalator Picture,
referred to in the diagram below, shows a stairway with primitive
man on the bottom step, travelling upwards towards
technological man.

Reflection:
 Chapter 4,5 and 12 of the Entry Points helped me to see the different ways
Christ can enter my teaching. I would often believe in the dualism between what is
Christian and what is secular. However, understanding that all things are part of
Gods world, I should have no comfort in holding on to my dualistic belief. Chapters
4-5 helped me to see the entry points in teaching generally. It shows that Christian
values are applicable in curricular planning, attitudes and approaches. Chapters 12
particularly helped me to understand how God fits in Geography. Often, I would stop
in the principle that God is the Creator and stop at that. This chapter however
showed me that God is in everything and that I start applying my knowledge of Him
in my teachings.