Authentic Prolem - A great problem to have

Today I quickly incorporated an authentic problem into a lesson plan. I have a lesson that I teach on the Marketing/Promotional mix. I teach the material then have an activity with the students. Rather than giving my normal activity & examples....I transitioned to "creating an authentic problem." I usually "lecture" on the various types of items involved in a Promotional mix and have student "think, pair and share" examples as I lecture. This time....rather than lecturing - I had the definitions of each promotional mix element on the whiteboard...I then told students that H&M in Fair Oaks mall called me to ask my students to help them with an upcoming fashion show. I asked the groups to tell me a plan that they would propose for each of the elements (Advertising, promotion, publicity, public relations, personal selling). They got very excited and began to work and stay on Task! The concept of an authentic problem is GREAT. I do know the manager @ H&M....and I do plan to sumit their ideas so that I can get feedback from him to respond to the students. In this scenerio - having an authentic problem is a great problem to have:)

Grading as a part of Design

The concept of design has not only challenged me to re-create my lessons, but it also has me thinking of different ways to evaluate my students. I find myslef re-thinking what I truly need them to "master" so rather than assigning students certain tasks that are a part of the grading process, I will either do research or have pre-created worksheets(teacher-created) or if it is student-created - I re-think the need to grade them on certain aspects of the assignment. In addition to looking at the organization of a course, I think its important to re-focus how we grade or evaluate the students on their comprehension of the "design" that we have created. I find myslef grading less, but more effectively. (I hope:)

Blackboard

I really enjoyed the usage of a book club on blackboard. I do silent sustained reading in my classes and I think this strategy will work great! The only challenge I have is that all my students are not reading the same book. They are simply reading a book that pertains to the fashion industry. I need to develop a way to have a discussion on various books OR I need to select one book that all students can read throughout the year.

got me thinking!

Understanding the importance of design, I have started to recreate several lesson plans. I have started a new LP format and have re-thought the "tools" that I am using. I am trying to be more creative in "off-loading" as well as utilizing more effective tools for various types of assignments. I feel a sense of "urgency" to re-create. Ignorance is bliss:) Now that I am learning more, the more I think and the more work I do to make effective changes.

technology "pieces"

In an assignment that I recently did with my students, I had them demonstrate their knowledge of the design elements in fashion by completing a VMA Award assignment. They were required to explore various websites then put their findings and evaluation of the design elements in a powerpoint presentation. I showed/demonstrated the use of the basic creation (using a template) within powerpoint. This allowed not only the reinforcement of content but a small portion of technology usage.

Blogspot

I was very excited to have incoporated the use of blogspot to my COOP curriculum. I normally require my COOP students to submit a journal for their work experiences. In the past - I required them to write in the journal once a week and submit it at the end of each quarter. Many of my students would wait until the end and write in all 9 in one day. I have incoporated the use of blogspot - this makes it wonderful because it not only uses a more modern use of technology but it allows me to see when they are actually making posts. It also eliminates the pain on my arms from carrying tons of journals home each 9 weeks......Love this concept of "design"

Use of "offloading"

I loved the concept of "offloading" - I believe in teachers serving as facilitators in the learning process. Utilizing the document for a reading activity is something I have been looking for! I do sustained silent reading in my class, but it has been always a challenge to ensure students are reading and more importantly - getting something out of the reading. I plan to utilize this style of document for groups to work to demonstrate the comprehension of their reading:)