Meet the Bears WebQuest Assignment

MEET THE BEARS

Kaitie Barrett, Mary Weber,

Lauren Ubelhor, Sharon Morris, Rachel Sherfield, Kym Rollins

OUR UNIT – MEET THE BEARS

• This unit is geared for children K-2, using life

science, measurement, and report writing skills.

• Children need skills of analysis and synthesis to be

successful with this unit.

• Please look at the Meet the Bears unit for yourself.

• This unit is designed to have a 5th grade helper

assigned to help each student.

• Overall, the goal of this project is to identify ways

that this unit supports engaged learning.

MEET THE BEARS UNIT SUMMARY

• Students work with older buddies to study eight different types of bears.

• Students compare and contrast themselves to their chosen bear.

• Students evaluate two bear species to compare needs, sizes, and habitats.

• Students study one bear species extensively and prepare a brochure to be used at a local zoo.

THESE ARE THE BEARS IN OUR UNIT

WHAT DOES ENGAGED LEARNING LOOK LIKE?

• Activities

Memorable

Useful

Hands-on

Visual

Interactive

Kinesthetic

• Teachers

Enthusiasm

Knowledgeable

Structure

Classroom Management

Real life applicable

ENGAGED LEARNING CONT.

• Students

Review before class

Take notes

Remove distractions

Participation

Motivated

Ask Questions

• Assessment

Able to do activity

Able to pass test

Able to answer questions

verbally or nonverbally

• Valuable

Relevant

Enjoyable

Appreciated

The

Educational

Theorist

WHAT IS AN EDUCATIONAL THEORIST?

Educational Theorists:

Are people that come up with different opinions on how students and people learn throughout the course of their life.

They study many different aspects of the learning such as:Behaviorism: operates on a principle of “stimulus-

response.”

Cognitivism: argues that the “black box” of the mind should be opened and understood. The learner is viewed as an information processor (like a computer).

EDUCATIONAL THEORIST CONT.

Constructivism: sees education as an active,

constructive process. The learner is an

information constructor.

Design-Based: a lens or set of analytical

techniques that balances the positivist and

interpretivist paradigms and attempts to bridge

theory and practice in education.

Humanism: a

paradigm/philosophy/pedagogical approach

that believes learning is viewed as a personal

act to fulfill one’s potential

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE MAIN EDUCATIONAL

THEORIES?

• Behaviorist Theories:

Pavlov created “Classical Conditioning.”

• Cognitivist Theories:

Jean Piaget created “Piaget’s Stage Theory of Cognitive

Development.”

• Constructivist Theories:

Lev Vytgotsky created “Social Development Theory.”

• Humanist Theories:

Maslow created “Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.”

• Design Theories:

Keller created “ARCS Model of Motivational Design.”

AN EDUCATIONAL THEORIST’S VIEW OF THE

MEET THE BEARS UNIT ADVANTAGES

• Advantages:

This unit covers many different areas of study; not just science.

There is a real life connection between this unit and the real world.

Children’s Literature is connected to this science-based unit.

The unit incorporates many different ways to learn.

Hands on

Discussion

Visual Aids

It will broaden their sense of constructivism.

AN EDUCATIONAL THEORISTS VIEW OF THE

MEET THE BEARS UNIT DISADVANTAGES

• Disadvantages:

This unit is time consuming.

This is a unit that is not necessarily suitable for early elementary age.

This age of student will not have had adequate computer use to complete this unit. It is good that they are paired up with a 5th grade buddy to help with this.

At this age their cognitivism will not be where it needs to be to complete this activity in its entirety.

The

Educational

Psychologist

WHAT AN EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGIST

KNOWS:

Educational Psychologists:

• Study how students learn in educational

settings.

• Believe that each student has an individual

profile of characteristics, abilities and

challenges that result from their learning

experiences and personal development.

LEFT VS. RIGHT BRAIN

Left Brain Learners• Prefer to work alone

• Read independently and incorporate research into their papers

• Favor quiet classrooms without distractions

• Sometimes referred to as perfectionists

Right Brain Learners• Prefer to work in groups

• Enjoy art projects, industrial art, and graphic design

• Would rather design and make a mobile than write another paper

CONTINUING THE EDUCATIONAL

PSYCHOLOGIST’S POINT OF VIEW

Bloom’s Taxonomy

• Cognitive: Mental skills (Knowledge)

• Affective: Growth in feelings or emotional areas (Attitude)

• Psychomotor: Manual or physical skills (Skill)

The 4MAT System/ Learning Styles

• Type One: Imaginative Learning–Making connections. Key question:

Why?

• Type Two: Analytic Learning–Formulating ideas. Key question: What?

• Type Three: Common Sense Learning– Applying ideas. Key question:

How?

• Type Four: Dynamic Learning–Doing and feeling. Key question If?

AN EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGIST’S VIEW OF

THE MEET THE BEARS UNIT ADVANTAGES

Unit Advantages:

• Left and right brained activities are for both types of

students

• Hands on activities

• Interactive lessons for students to reassess

themselves

• Knowledge is presented in a variety of ways

• Lessons are done so that teachers are able to

assess their students work ethic

AN EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGISTS VIEW OF THE

MEET THE BEARS UNIT DISADVANTAGES

Unit Disadvantages:

• There is not much structure

• Lessons are scattered with no structural

order followed

• Comparing weight activity is questionable for

certain personality types

• Bear Brochure on only one bear lessens the

amount of knowledge obtained from this unit

COGNITIVE TASKS

Cognitive Tasks: Involves knowledge and the development of intellectual skills.

Many of the activities in this unit involve the use of metal skills.

Examples:

The Bear Scavenger Hunt

• This is done to introduce the unit.

• Students are able to recall the information they learn during this game when they are learning about each bear.

Research Time

• Students are able to make comparisons and analyze the information about bears.

COGNITIVE TASKS CONTINUED..

Bear Brochure

• Students are able to apply their knowledge and create an in

depth brochure on one type of bear.

• This unit is very strong cognitively, but the information being

taught is very scattered.

• The lessons do not lead up to one large assignment, but

instead, is broken down into several large projects.

The

Instructional

Designer

FROM AN INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGNER’S POINT

OF VIEW

What is an Instructional Designer?• Instructional Designers develop curriculum content,

and instructional tools that help foster the student’s

learning.

• The Instructional Designer must also be fluent in

educational theories, educational psychology, and

pedagogy.

FROM AN INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGNER’S POINT

OF VIEW CONT.

Three questions an Instructional Designer asks

before creating a unit:

• What topics are worth understanding?

• What is it about the topics that needs to be

understood?

• How can the teachers foster the children’s

understanding during the process?

• How can we tell that the child has understood?

What skills will the student need to demonstrate?

AN INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGNER ANALYZES THE

MEET THE BEARS UNIT

Advantages: • Ways to differentiate instruction with students who have

IEP’s, gifted students, and English language learners.

• Student has ongoing assessment.

• Student’s prior knowledge is evident by their “Know” section on their “Know, Wonder, Learn” Chart.

• Skills needed to complete the assignment are listed.

• Allows one to collaborate with another at various different times to consider concepts like “Are We Like Bears?”while hearing them from a different viewpoint.

• Essential Questions are clearly posted so no student has a question as to what to do.

INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGNER ADVANTAGES CONT.

Advantages continued:

• Incorporates the 6 facets of learning Interpret- What exactly a habitat is, what

different foods the bears eat.

Explain-How they are like the bears (what they

eat).

Apply-They will use their knowledge of the 8

different species of bears to see which bear is

represented at the Bear Den.

INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGNER ADVANTAGES CONT.

Shift perspective-If the student guessed the wrong number of them it would take to make one of the designated bears, then they could shift their perspective after they receive feedback from their peers.

Emphasize-Students will be able to stress the difference of the bear’s size to theirs.

Self-assess- The student will always know where he/she is at, by checking the checklists, and rubrics, also, based on the demonstrations of their classmates on the characteristics of their bears, they will know what they need to work on more.

FROM THE INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGNER

Disadvantages:

• Doesn’t really support affective learning-

different options for feedback are not evident.

• Doesn’t support recognition learning - there

aren’t a variety of medias being used.

PREPARING FOR LEARNING TASKS

In Order to Design an Activity Ask Yourself 4 Questions

• What topics are worth understanding?

• species of bears, habitats, characteristics.

• What is it about the topics that needs to be understood?

• Where the bears come from will often times be an indicator of their

looks, their habitat, and what they eat.

• How will we be able to foster the child’s understanding?

• Through the use of a real-world situation, scaffolding, working

collaboratively, the Know, Wonder, Learn chart, activities like the

Compare What We Eat Poster.

• How can we tell what the students understand?

• Their attitude about it, the paper they will write, and the activities that

will be completed.

PREPARING LEARNING TASKS CONT.

• Have set of goals for the students to achieve.

• How the Meet the Bears Activity breaks the project down

into parts, i.e.. What they eat, what do they need to live, and

where they live.

• Know what prior knowledge the students have- The Know,

Wonder, Learn Chart.

• Know what skills or past experiences the students have

had- For example going to the zoo or using the internet etc.

The

Pedagogy

Specialist

WHAT A PEDAGOGY SPECIALIST DOES:

• Implement, monitor and encourage engaged

learning.

• Ensure that teachers provide interesting and

interactive tasks to keep students engaged.

FROM A PEDAGOGY SPECIALIST VIEWPOINT

Advantages of the Meet the Bears unit:

• Engaged Learning:

Group work: Working with a buddy to complete a task is

a great educational approach.

Assessment: By students going to the zoo and

observing the bears

Teacher: Guiding the students through the project with a

rich environment for learning experiences.

• Inquiry Learning:

Ask/Answered Questions

PEDAGOGY SPECIALIST ADVANTAGES CONT.

More Advantages:

• Outcome Based: Objectives clearly defined

Students given opportunity to gain fro others.

• Cooperative Learning: Students and their buddies used butcher paper to

created a life-sized image of their bear.

• Socratic Learning: It can arouse curiosity

Motivate student to search for more information

PEDAGOGY SPECIALIST DISADVANTAGES

Disadvantages of the Meet the Bears unit:

• Concerning Engaged Learning…

Tasks need to be more challenging and authentic

• When Thinking about Inquiry Learning…

Debating ideas is not included in this unit

• When Considering Outcome Based Learning…

Students don’t have choices or options

• Socratic Learning…

Is not included, so it doesn’t enhance problem solving ability

The

Curriculum

Specialist

WHAT DOES A CURRICULUM SPECIALIST DO?

• Curriculum Specialists ensure that learning:

Covers the core subjects while integrating

technology use

Meets the NETS standards for students

Achieves the state academic standards

Uses authentic assessments of true learning

Frequently uses rubrics for assessment of

diverse and creative projects

CURRICULUM SPECIALIST CONT

• Advantages of the Meet the Bears Unit:

Works on core curriculum tasks, such as Life

Science, Math (measurement) and Language

Arts skills (brochure writing) while integrating

tech use (21st Century Skills) in an authentic

setting

Allows students to work on meeting the NETS

standards for students

Meets educational standards for Math, English,

Science and Technology

CURRICULUM SPECIALIST CONT

• Advantages of the Meet the Bears Unit

(cont):

Uses rubrics for authentic assessment

Frequent feedback

• Disadvantages:

Kindergartners would need capable 5th grade

helpers to successfully complete assignments

K-2 may need more focused assignment or

concrete teacher created templates for

displaying research

STANDARDS/LEARNING OBJECTIVES COVERED

IN THIS UNIT:

• Life cycles of an organism (science)

• Structures and functions of an organism

(science)

• Similarities and differences (science and

language)

• Multiple attributes can be measured (science,

math)

• Meanings of numbers/relationships (math)

• Organize data in graphs and tables (math)

What

did you

say

about

NETS?

STANDARDS/LEARNING OBJECTIVES DRIVING

THE USE OF TECHNOLOGY

• Use of tech tools to improve learning, improve productivity, and encourage creativity (NETS)

• Use of tech for models, publications, and other creative items (NETS)

• Use of tech to find, evaluate, and gather info from several sources (NETS)

• Use of tech to evaluate data outcomes and display results (NETS)

• Use of tech to create and publish a brochure (language, NETS)

OVERALL FOCUS OF TECHNOLOGY USE

• The teacher introduces the students to

Internet navigation by having them engage in

a bears scavenger hunt with a buddy.

• The students will have to know uses of

spreadsheet, word processing, and file

management.

Do I need to

know this for

the test?

ASSESSMENT PRACTICES

• Have a range of different assessment methods.

• The children are given rubrics, checklists, and revisit old

ideas which ensures that they have learned the topic in

the first place.

• Give feedback- Students are constantly getting up in

front of the class, and are asked to defend their bear,

and the lesson gives numerous places where the

students can ask questions or give their inputs.

• Anchors Assessment with Authentic Tool to demonstrate

knowledge and skill-The students have a checklist for

their brochure (authentic tool being the brochure) to

demonstrate their knowledge of the bear.

ASSESSMENT PRACTICES CONT.

Incorporates the Assessment with the 6 facets of learning

• Apply-concept of your weight to that of the bears “How many of you would it take to make the panda bear”

• Explain-the differences between our habitat and a bears.

• Interpret-what exactly a habitat is (they have own vocab. Sheet)

• Shift Perspective-if they were wrong about their size compared to the bear’s, based on the teacher’s response they can change their way of thinking.

• Self-Assess-checklists are a guarantee that they are on track/rubric is what grade they should expect.

END REFLECTIONS

• Overall, the consensus of our group is that

this would be a fun and engaging unit for K-2

students.

• The weaknesses of this unit are

compensated by the use of a 5th grade

helper.

• Although the unit seems scattered, this may

help it appeal to a wide range of learning

styles.

RESOURCES

• Assignments That Matter

• Meet the Bears

• Google Pictures

THE BEARY END