|
SECNDED
426 Methods of Teaching English
Assignment: Comparison of Two Teaching Plans
Due September 19, 2005
Purposes of the
assignment (Goals):
- Practice thinking
critically about instructional plans
- Increase awareness of
available resources to use in planning
Objectives:
- (WTS
1) Given two instructional plans, students will develop an
insightful, reasoned evaluation of curriculum that refers to evidence in
the plans specific to English
- (WTS
2) In comparing plans, students will show a clear understanding of
how students construct knowledge, acquire skills, and develop habits of
mind.
Directions:
- Locate two
published teaching plans on the same or similar subjects (e.g., a story,
a grammar concept). Use books,
professional journals, or the Internet as a source.
- Identify the plans by
name and source (e.g., Web address) and briefly describe them.
- Compare and
contrast the two plans in a way that highlights their relative strengths
and weaknesses.
Use a standard comparison/contrast format such as the
following:
- Introduction
- Description of
Plan 1
- Description of
Plan 2
- Analysis/evaluation,
considering such elements as the following if applicable:
i.
Completeness of plan—does it have any
gaps or raise questions about how it should be implemented?
ii.
Clarity of purposes and objectives
iii.
Appropriateness for the intended
students
iv.
Usability—can you envision the plan
being used in a real teaching situation?
v.
Engagement/Interest—do the activities
take students’ interests and background into account? Are they likely to generate curiosity or
sustained participation?
vi.
Assessment plan—if included, does it
show a clear relationship between the activity and the stated objective? Does the assessment truly provide the
information the teacher seeks?
Length: 3-5 pages. Length of plans being described does not
matter, but be careful not to select plans so big that they’re difficult to
describe adequately in such a short paper.
Evaluation criteria: Highest-scoring
papers will have the following characteristics (see detailed scoring guide):
- Two plans from
published sources are described clearly, compared, and contrasted. (70%)
- The
analysis/comparison/evaluation shows good understanding of the culture and
complexity of English. (10%)
- The
analysis/comparison/evaluation shows insightful consideration of how
students learn and develop. (10%)
- Presentation: The
paper is well organized, it uses an appropriate academic style, and it
has no more than two errors of punctuation, spelling, or usage (10%)
Back to
course requirements
|