Running Head: Online Lesson Reection!

Online Lesson Reection Concentration: Writing a Statement

Claire Burgoyne ETEC 530 - University of British Columbia

Online Lesson Reection

The concentration lesson I wrote is one that will benet my online Advanced Placement

(AP) Studio Art students. In the past these students chose their concentration topics in isolation and wrote the commentary that accompanies their e-portfolios after the artwork was complete. They were not provided with opportunities to work with their peers to test their concentration ideas but were left on their own to reect on past work and discover a focus independently. Students were required to share their topics in a discussion forum but often resisted this requirement. I can now see how this expectation was threatening and meaningless, as students had no opportunity to share ideas in stages and receive feedback prior to identifying their nal topic. By asking students to work with a partner before presenting ideas to the class they have opportunity to gain condence that their chosen topic is one that is suitable for a concentration.
Some of the resources I included in the online lesson are included in a Moodle course I

wrote including: lists of concentration ideas, best practices, and problematic starts, slide shows featuring each of the portfolios, and some information about writing the commentary. However the scaffolding to use these resources was not in place. Students were left on their own to sort through the content and gure out how best to use the information provided.
Working through the lesson tasks allows students to explore content in a purposeful

manner. Collaborating with peers to identify strengths and passions allows students to test their ideas prior to investing time creating portfolio content. Drafting a statement and then beginning their concentrations helps ensure a clear focus and contributes to the ability to sustain the focus required for success in completing a collection of twelve works centred on a theme or issue.

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Students who write their initial statements before creating any of their visual pieces are at

an advantage. Writing this statement serves as a form of goal setting, it encourages reection, and it allows students to build a strong community of peers that can offer support throughout the creation of the portfolios. Participation in such a community provides these student artists with an opportunity to participate in an authentic experience similar to the community professional artists form for the purpose of testing ideas, critiquing one anothers work and providing support.
As students work collaboratively and post ideas, comments, and questions to forums I am

able to closely monitor students progress at this critical beginning stage. This monitoring allows me to identify problems and recognize strengths as they are presented rather than addressing student challenges after signicant time has been invested in creating artwork. In this way students have the advantage of experiencing learning in an environment that more closely resembles apprenticeship learning where they learn alongside their peers but have the input of a skilled mentor.

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Evaluation Criteria for Online Constructivist Lesson

Ratings: 5outstanding 4good 3satisfactory 2fair 1unsatisfactory Learners prior conceptions are examined and related to new knowledge. Learning builds on what the learner already knows. The learning environment focuses on a problem, project, question, or issue. Students experience a range of possible options rather than a single truth. The learning environment includes forums for the social negotiation of meaning. Learners express dissonant views, consider alternate views, and reconcile views. Relevant content to aid in problem solving is available for learners (e.g, realworld sources and forums for peer discussion). Learners are encouraged to explore and test ideas and views. They examine interests and focus on strengths. The teacher assumes a role of mentor or facilitator and establishes expectations, scaffolds learning, and monitors progress. Learners are required to plan, set goals, and establish strategies for achieving their goals. Meaningful and engaging problems are presented that allow learners to experience real-world tasks. Collaborative experiences with peers and mentors are part of the learning experience. Learners employ creativity and critical thinking skills to interpret, discuss, analyze, problem solve, and synthesize. Communities of learners participate in peer review and critiques noting strengths and challenges. Learners revise, reorganize, and restructure to achieve meaning. Learners self-regulate and monitor their own learning through reection and self-evaluation.

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Online Lesson Reection References

Driscoll, M. P. (2005). Constructivism. In: Psychology of learning for instruction (pp. 384-407). Toronto, ON: Pearson. In ETEC 512 course pack. Driver, R., and Oldham, V. (1986). A constructivist approach to curriculum development. Studies in Science Education, 13, 105-122. Jonassen, D. (1999). Designing constructivist learning environments. In C. Reigeluth (Ed.), Instructional design theories and models: Volume II Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum. Lefoe, G. (1998). Creating constructivist learning environments on the web: The challenge in higher education. Paper presented at the ASCILITE 1998, University of Wollongong.