Link to Standard Often, the process of change leads to design and development projects. I
became an agent of change during a one-semester, high school geometry teaching
assignment. The mathematics teachers at the school relied
pencil-and-paper as the media for instruction and student assignments.
Technology integration was absent from all aspects of student
instruction. After creating and delivering several computer-assisted
activities with my own students, I designed and developed a training workshop
and web site filled with instructor resources, centered on the Geometer's
Sketchpad software. My goal was to be a catalyst for pedagogical and
perceptual change among my fellow math teachers.
The process of design and development derive from information revealed in
analysis. To inform the processes involved with change, I conducted a study centering
on:
Identification of barriers to use
of GSP software
Discovery of training needs
Derivation of an
instructional/training system
Using data to inform the design ensured that instruction aligned directly to
the audience's characteristics and included the tasks relating to my
overarching goal. My analysis yielded data , leading to the specific
design elements in the table below.
Analysis
Data
Application to Design
Audience Analysis
75% of teachers responded anonymously
Misconception
that GSP's functionality is limited to modeling geometry-specific concepts
Perceived inability to manage student behavior in computer lab setting
Teachers possess basic computer skills but are unfamiliar with managing
electronic student work
Training preference is equally split between online and face-to-face delivery
Tailored
instructional system correlated to the audience's characteristics
Graphics and sample lessons selected to convey GSP's benefit to non-geometry
teachers and their students
Instructional workshop includes an objective, practice, and assessment item
focusing on managing electronic forms of student work
Created resources for online and face-to-face delivery
Interview
Conducted in person with computer lab staff
Reservation
process and procedures
Used to
write workshop objectives, practice, and assessment
Function Analysis
Completed through hands-on practice of steps
Delineation
of the steps a teacher will perform to facilitate a mathematics lesson that
incorporates a GSP activity and receive an electronic deliverable
The
foundation of the workshop. Each task is represented in the workshop's
objectives
The development process
encompasses the mechanics of the work specified in the design phase (Branch
& Gustafson, 2007). This is the phase when web development, graphic design,
and creativity converge to bring instructional design concepts to life.
By the time a design document reaches the developer's hands, it is thoroughly
vetted. Developers must trust the design document to guide development of
the instructional materials. Failing to remain true to the designer's
roadmap risks tainting the instructional effort. For this reason,
development often feels like the easiest part of instructional design for
me. I can relax, trust in the work I've completed thus far, and
concentrate on layout, media selection, and so on. Web site creation tools,
which provide development tools such as widgets and visual editors, allow
individuals to develop web-based instruction with relative ease.
Depending on the functionality I require, I may choose to use such tools or web
authoring tools like Adobe's Dream Weaver.
Challenges and Opportunities Although I did not formally deliver this workshop, the greatest barrier to
change was the teachers' attitudes toward change. The average length of
time in the faculty for teachers at this school is eight years. Teachers
had entire course's instructional plans mapped out and had negative feelings
toward the extra work new lesson development requires. I designed and developed
to support a change in attitude, however, I feel that further research on
specific techniques is necessary on my part to maximize my effectiveness in
this area. My efforts were successful with two staff members who stated
that they would incorporate GSP activities in their classrooms the following
year.
This was my first experience teaching high school level geometry and using
Geometer's Sketchpad. It was challenging to familiarize myself with the
software's functionality in math courses other than the one I was currently
teaching. The substantial documentation and lesson resources available
from the publisher and user community shortened my learning curve. The
challenge morphed into an opportunity as I learned about the versatile nature
of the software.
Professional and Personal Growth This project allowed me to practice common tasks in the instructional design
field and to address common instructional issues as well. The
authenticity of the setting offered first-hand experience with issues that I'm
sure to encounter again. I have a knowledge base to build upon in future
efforts. Experience and knowledge are equally important in the field of instructional
design and technology. I gained both in the change, design, and
development efforts within this project.
References
Branch, R., & Gustafson,
K.L., (2005). Trends and Issues in Instructional Design and Technology (2nd
ed.). Upper Saddle River NJ: Merrill/Prentice-Hall.
The Buck Institute for Education. (2003). Project based learning: A guide to
standards-focused project based learning for middle and high school teachers
(2nd, Ed.). Oakland, CA: Wilsted & Taylor
