This week was very interesting. It is a nice review of the importance of learning objectives and how they focus and direct student learning.
We used this article by Christine Casey "Studying the first Amendment: exploring Truth in Journalism".
http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0ASZkoRlT3PnCZGNud3ptcTJfMGY3ZHd3Zmhz&hl=en
It is an excellent article on the process of creative thinking and lesson planning a broad topic. I could feel her wheels turning as she was spinning out the options. The ideas flowed as the Christine Casey was planning. If she used a concept map, it would have had many branches as she kept creating more ideas, the more she looked at issues in the concept.
The negative side of the article is it was very free flowing. It was busy and hard to follow. I used a highlighter to separate her ideas.
I was taught that understand is not a good verb to use in learning objectives because it is hard to measure, Christine used it often. I read it as "understand" meant the knowledge and comprehension level of Bloom's taxonomy.
Concerns that I have about this article are that is really several very broad topics that she kept randomly elaborating on. How much time does she have to teach this unit? In my opinion, she will have to cut down on the assignments because this would produce too much homework for a student carrying a full time class load in high school. I would suggest, she post topic areas, and have students sign up for specific ones. Then bring the class together for a "capstone" summary of this huge unit. Maybe even have it at an open house event if f2f or web enhanced. If it is full online course, posting this unit on the classes Web page with different links to the variety of topics.
Online would work with clearer directions, specific assessments and a very clear direction of where she wants to lead the assignment. I think the mechanics of the assignment could be done using on line assessment tools, but Christine's excitement could get lost in the impersonal online environment.
In this table, I noted the verbs that Christine used and which activity she applied the learning objective to.
| Bloom categories | Learning objective verbs | Activity |
| Knowledge (recall, list, define, identify, collect, label) | · Recognize · Examine · Define | · Propaganda, first amendment · Role and responsibilities · Terminology |
| Comprehension (summarize, describe interpret, predict, discuss) | · Discuss · Seek · distinguish | · How CNN, internet changed the role of journalist. · Interpret truth · Private vs. public people |
| Application (apply, demonstrate, illustrate, classify, experiment, discover) | · Refer
· Research and report | · Research stories where the journalist lost their job from not revealing sources · Find current sensational news stories |
| Analysis (analyze, classify, connect, explain, infer) | · Analysis
· Determine | · Analyzing biased writing · How well the media is performing |
| Synthesis (combine, integrate, plan, create, design, formulate) | · Explore · Lead discussion | · Independently following and evaluate: ways news coverage has changed reflect today's society · Plan and create a report of findings of censor. |
| Evaluation (assess, recommend, convince, compare, conclude, summarize) | · Reflect
· Redefine
· Write | · Independently following and evaluate: How changes reflect the values of today's society · What is obscene, indecent, profane, and present to class · Persuasive essay |
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