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Instructional Design Activity: Lesson Design


 

Overall Instructor Rating: Exemplary

Ratings explanation:

  • Exemplary - A model answer in almost every way (this is given out very rarely).
  • Satisfactory - Very well done; you've met the expectations of the assignment. There are some minor problems, so read my feedback well.
  • Marginal Pass - You pass, but there are lots of issues to consider. Read my feedback very carefully and be sure you understand the points/issues I raise.
  • Not satisfactory, redo and resubmit - The assignment was not completed appropriately. I am concerned that you do not understand the process well enough yet. To get credit for the assignment, you need to redo it, most probably on another topic. Read and consider my feedback very carefully before redoing.

Instructor's Overall Feedback:

Excellent lesson! You really seem to understand the process well. (I get the feeling you could be teaching this course!)

(As always, I enjoy the 'banter' between you and Dan. Good feedback, yet with a healthy sense of humor!)

 


The purpose of this activity is to design a specific lesson based on the lesson objectives identified in one of your unit instructional curriculum maps (ICMs). This IDA is designed to give you practice in planning lesson based on Gagne's events of instruction (see Dick, Carey, and Carey, chapter 8).

Complete the instructional strategy planning sheet below for one lesson of your choice. Preferably, this is a lesson that you identified during the unit design analysis. However, you can choose any lesson you wish. As outlined by Dick, Carey, and Carey, it may be helpful to organize the events of instruction in the following major groups or components: Pre-instructional activities, Content presentation, Learner participation, Assessment, Follow-through activities.

Your instructional plan should emphasize materials-centered instruction. That is, you should consider resources other than a live instructor for the delivery of the lesson. As you consider possible media, also consider the affordances, or special characteristics, that various media possess.


Instructional Strategy Planning Sheet

Write the instructional objectives of your lesson here (it can be more than one):

Your final response:

The instructional objectives for this lesson are in two forms: the conceptual objective and the behavioral objectives.

Conceptual Objective = Beat is a steady pulse which governs rhythm.

Behavioral Objectives . . . (Based on Bloom's Taxonomy)

1) KNOWLEDGE -- Following an initial lecture by the instructor, SWBAT name and describe two phenomenon that have a steady pulse. The instruction is deemed successful when mastered by 95% of students.

2) COMPREHENSION -- Following an initial lecture by the instructor, SWBAT provide examples of two phenomenon that do not have a steady pulse. The instruction is deemed successful when mastered by 95% of students.

3) APPLICATION -- Following group and individual activities, SWBAT demonstrate a steady pulse with the use of claves and/or other indefinite pitch auxilliary percussion instruments. The instruction is deemed successful when mastered by 90% of students.

4) ANALYSIS -- Following presentation of recorded musical excerpts and live performance by instructor of musical excerpts, SWBAT determine and discuss whether a performed rhythm contains a steady pulse, or an unsteady pulse. They will demonstrate this determination by standing for a steady pulse, and sitting for an unsteady pulse. The instruction is deemed successful when mastered by 90% of students.

5) SYNTHESIS -- After selecting from a variety of "instruments" (including hand clapping, finger snapping, tongue clicking, other instruments, etc.), SWBAT improvise two short rhythms: one demonstrating a steady pulse, and the other demonstrating an unsteady pulse. The instruction is deemed successful when mastered by 85% of students.

6) EVALUATION -- As the remaining students listen to each performance (from # 5, above), SWBAT compare and contrat the two performed rhythms and critique if they were indeed clear and accurate examples of steady and unsteady rhythms. The instruction is deemed successful when mastered by 85% of students.

Please note...in addition to the use of each of Bloom's Taxonomy Levels, the behavioral objectives utilize many different musical skill components, such as: Moving, Listening, Singing, Playing, Listening, and Creating.

The instructor's feedback to this step:

Wow, these are model objectives! Tying them in to Bloom's taxonomy is excellent. Of course, the field of instructional technology prefers Gagne's domains of learning, so be sure you are comfortable "talking that lingo" as well.

(Are you sure you are not "overshooting" the mark for this one, single lesson? In other words, can all of this be achieved in one lesson?)

 


 

Enter your instructional plan for each of the instructional components. Also indicate your media choice for each instructional component.

Instructional Component
Instructional Plan
Media Choice

1. Pre-instructional activities

  • a. Motivating the learners/gaining their attention
  • b. Informing the learners of the lesson objectives or purposes
  • c. Informing the learner of what they already need to know to be successful in this lesson (i.e. prerequisite skills)

2. Content presentation

  • a. Presenting the content to be learned (i.e. stimulus material)
  • b. Guiding the learners as they are presented with the content

3. Learner participation

  • a. Giving the learner opportunites for practice (i.e. eliciting the performance)
  • b. Giving the learner feedback during practice

4. Assessment

  • Tests and other assessments to see if anything has been learned as a result of this lesson

5. Follow-through activities

  • a. Memory aids for retention
  • b. Activities to help learners transfer their learning to other contexts

Your final response:

1. Pre-instructional activities

1a. As students enter, instructor will play a metronome and tap his foot to a steady beat and gesture for them to do the same. THIS WILL CONTINUE UNTIL ALL STUDENTS HAVE ENTERED THE ROOM AND FOUND A SEAT. AT THAT TIME, THE INSTRUCTOR WILL BEGIN gradually speeding up until a clear pulse is lost

1b. Instructor will explain that the goal of the day's lesson is to learn about a steady and unsteady pulse.

1c. Instructor will inform students that participation will involve motion, singing, playing of instruments, and creating pulses.

2. Content presentation

2a. Instructor will discuss the musical concept of rhythm and define/demonstrate a steady and unsteay pulse.

2b. Instructor will discuss the items presented on a Rhythm Worksheet.

2c. Instructor will provide aural examples of a steady and unsteady pulse.

3. Learner participation

3a. Students will form groups. Each group will be asked to name two things with a steady pulse and two things that do not have a steady pulse.

3b. Working in pairs, students will improvise a musical excerpt and perform on various instruments (and to be sung), demonstrating a steady and an unsteady pulse.

3c. Students will discuss examples presented and/or performed by the instructor and will discuss whether the excerpts contained a steady pulse or not.

3d. The teacher will present several different rhythms, first visually-then aurally, students will be asked to identify those with a steady pulse, and those that are unsteady.

4. Assessment

4a. Assessment will mainly come in the form of teacher observation, classroom and individual evaluation, amount and effort of participation, etc. Student progress will be charted in their file.

5. Follow-through activities

5a. Students keep Rhythm Worksheet in their individual music folders

5b. Students are asked to list 5 items with a steady pulse, 5 items with an unsteady pulse, and to compose 5 measures of music and label each as steady or unsteady.

The instructor's feedback to this step:

This is awesome! You have a very solid lesson designed here. Excellent attention to all of Gagne's events of instruction.

 

 

Your final response:

1. Pre-instructional activities

1a. Teacher; metronome

1b. Teacher; rhythm worksheet

1c. Teacher; rhythm worksheet

2. Content presentation

2a. Teacher; metronome

2b. Teacher; overhead projector

2c. Teacher; CD Recording; DVD recording; musical instruments

3. Learner participation

3a. Teacher

3b. Teacher; instruments

3c. Teacher; CD recording, DVD recording, musical instruments

3d. Teacher; powerpoint presentation

4. Assessment

4a. Teacher; computer file for each student (to track progress)

5. Follow-through activities

5a. Teacher; Rhythm Worksheet

5b. Music composition software (located on hard drive of computer in music room)

The instructor's feedback to this step:

Excellent range of media! Your lesson is a wonderful model of how to incorporate appropriate media even in a predominately teacher-led lesson.

 

 

 

 


Provide a rationale for your media choices. How do the media you have selected support the instructional plan you have designed? Do the affordances of the media you've selected match the instructional strategy and support student learning?

Examples of media affordances:

  • Video: dynamic representation of people, social situations, psychomotor tasks, etc.
  • Computer simulation: dynamic representation of concepts and principles
  • Computer spreadsheets: dynamic representation of numeric relationships
  • Computer databases: dynamic representation of categorical relationships

Your final response:

Metronome - Rhythm Worksheet - Overhead Projector - CD Recording - DVD recording - Musical Instruments - Powerpoint Presentation - Computer Files - Music Composition Software

The media used in this lesson are each instrumental (no pun intended) in achieving the instructional objectives. The metronome is an electronic device that creates both an aural sound of a steady pulse, but also a visual LCD of the pulse (oscillating dot of light) - this provides students with an immediate sound and sight stimuli in order to introduce them to the concept of a steady pulse. The Rhythm Worksheet is an example of printed media. It lists, in outline form, the various concepts and activities to be discussed/carried out that day. It is useful in helping to keep students "on track" and engaged in current activites. The overhead projector is a valuable resource for efficiently disseminating information to a large group. It also helps to focus each student's attention to the front of the room, and to the selected transparency being displayed.

The CD and DVD recordings provide excellent aural and visual (DVD) models demonstrating steady and unsteady pulse. These allow students to replicate what their senses have received in the form of various follow-up exercises/activites using a variety of musical instruments. The powerpoint presentation works well with this lesson as it allows for visual presentation of music notation, as well as subsequent accompaniment by aural information. Animation and special effects can be used to further enhance the demonstration and to maintain a high degree of class attentiveness and on-task behaviors.

Finally, each student will have access to the classroom computer, on which they can keep track of their individual progress (in terms of accomplishments of various musical objectives and activities). The computer contains a music-composition software package, facilitating students' use for after-class activities involving music composition, notation, aural skills, etc.

The instructor's feedback to step 4:

Excellent rationales for all of the media identified. Your use of media is clearly intended to support and enhance all of the learning objectives!