Action Plan

Qurrat-ul-ain RazaThe City School

Darakhshan CampusEnglish Language/ Literature in English Teacher

GoalsLong term goals:

The very idea behind chalking out an action plan is to:

execute and adopt 21st century skills to teaching

Creating 21st century learning environment in class

Fostering critical thinking and collaboration in classroom

Facilitate student centered classrooms that encourage self direction and higher order thinking.

And thus making learning conducive for 21st century learners

Goals Short term

goals:

Alter my questioning techniques to promote critical thinking; (applying bloom’s taxonomy)

Encourage collaboration among students through group work and peer checking

To evoke creativity and intellectual curiosity amongst the students through innovative assignments

Adopt student centered learning in suitable lessons

Making lessons flexible, creative, challenging and complex.

Developing self confidence and good communication skills in the students

Assigning group work according to the potential of the students (keeping Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences in mind)

Instructional Strategies and TasksTopic Task Instructional Strategy 21st century

Skills involved

21st century approach

Descriptive Creation

Drawing a Comic Character

•I will provide students with few sample comic creations and their examples as reference•I will ask students to research or bring images of their favourite comic character.•Students will compare and contrast between any two characters (selected by class votes) on basis of their idiosyncrasies and physical appearance•I will assign groups with five participants. In each group, members should assume the roles of artist, facilitator, recorder, story board writer, and presenter • I will give clear individualized directions as to how to each role player (i.e. artist, story board writer etc) will help approach the task•I will allow students to choose their way of execution• Outline of the Lesson

•Creativity and Intellectual curiosity•Critical Thinking•Interpersonal and Collaboration Skills

•Speaking and Listening Skills•Giving Directions skills•Observing and monitoring Skills•Encouraging Skills

Cognitive skills involved (Bloom’s)

•Remembering•Analyzing•Understanding•Applying•Creating

Instructional Strategies and TasksTopic Task Instructional Strategy 21st century

Skills involved

21st century approach

Narrative Creation

•Making a story board

•Drawing a comic strip

•The task will be carried out in groups (previously divided)•I will provide a sample story board to the students. They may also use their favourite comics as samples.• I will give clear individualized directions as to how to each role player (i.e. artist, story board writer etc) will help approach the task•I will allow students to choose their way of execution•I will resolve any conflicts in the group members and encourage the de-motivated students.• Outline of the Lesson

•Creativity and Intellectual curiosity•Critical Thinking•Interpersonal and Collaboration Skills

•Speaking and Listening Skills•Giving Directions skills•Observing and monitoring Skills•Encouraging Skills

Cognitive skills involved (Bloom’s)

•Remembering•Analyzing•Understanding•Applying•Creating

Instructional Strategies and TasksTopic Task Instructional Strategy 21st century

Skills involved

21st century approach

Presentation

•Introducing your Comic character to the class

•Presenting your comic strip

•The task will be carried out in groups (previously divided)•The Presenter of the group will introduce the character.• I will give clear individualized directions as to how to each role player (i.e. artist, story board writer etc) will help approach the task.•I will allow students to choose their way of execution (the students may use props or dress up like the character when presenting. Also, they will be awarded extra marks for bringing in creative ideas)•The group will narrate the story and display the comic strip (they may make use of role play, create and play a theme music in the background through ipod)•The presentation will be evaluated by the audience( class mates)•All comic strips shall be displayed on the class board•Top five comic strips shall be displayed in the year book• Outline of the Lesson

•Creativity and Intellectual curiosity•Problem Identification, formulation and solution•Interpersonal and Collaboration Skills•Communication skills

•Speaking and Listening Skills•Giving Directions skills•Observing and monitoring Skills•Encouraging Skills•Questioning skills

Cognitive skills involved (Bloom’s)

•Remembering•Analyzing•Understanding•Applying•Creating

Instructional Strategies and TasksTopic Task Instructional Strategy 21st century

Skills involved

21st century approach

Descriptive Writing

•Introducing your character in writing

•Writing a Descriptive prelude to the “Setting” of your story

•Lesson 1:The task will be assigned individually•I will allow students to choose their way of execution •Students will write a 350-500 words descriptive essay m creatively describing the idiosyncrasies and physical features of their comic character•The students will first self-assess their work and redraft it and then they will peer check it for any mistakes.•Lesson 2: I will read out different descriptive passages and preludes from the classical novels and modern stories.•I will ask questions related to higher order thinking•Students will then write a descriptive prelude of the setting of the story they narrated in the comic strip.•They will make use of Descriptive techniques such as imagery in their writing.•Top five comic strips shall be displayed in the yea• Outline of the Lesson

•Creativity •Interpersonal and Collaboration Skills•Communication skills

•Speaking and Listening Skills•Giving Directions skills•Observing and monitoring Skills•Encouraging Skills•Questioning skills•Intervening Skills

Cognitive skills involved (Bloom’s)

•Remembering•Analyzing•Understanding•Applying•Creating

Instructional Strategies and TasksTopic Task Instructional Strategy 21st century

Skills involved

21st century approach

Narrative Writing

• Writing a Narrative Essay on “a day in a life of ….(the name of the character created earlier)

•Lesson 1:The task will be assigned individually•I will allow students to choose their way of execution (i.e.; the genre of the story : dramatic, tragic, humorous, science fiction, romantic etc)•Students will write a 350-500 words narrative essay creatively narrating a day in a life of their imaginary character.•The students will first self-assess their work and redraft it and then they will peer check it for any mistakes.•The best pieces shall be read out in class, displayed on the board and chosen for the publication in year book• Outline of the Lesson

•Creativity •Interpersonal and Collaboration Skills•Communication skills

•Speaking and Listening Skills•Giving Directions skills•Observing and monitoring Skills•Encouraging Skills•Questioning skills•Intervening Skills

Cognitive skills involved (Bloom’s)

•Remembering•Analyzing•Understanding•Applying•Creating

Instructional Strategies and TasksTopic Task Instructional Strategy 21st century

Skills involved

21st century approach

Building an argument

• Inventions & Discoveries-blessings or a curse?

•Lesson 1:The task will be assigned in pairs of two•I will allow students to research 5 to 10 top scientific discoveries of the last 100 years on internet, brainstorm and then decide upon one invention which they think had the most impact on people.•They will later elucidate the pros and cons• I will give clear individualized directions as to how to each role player will help approach the task

•A debating session shall be held where one member will attack the invention while the other will defend it• I will design my questioning strategies to evoke higher order learning of the speakers•I will allow the audience to choose which of the member was better at pursuing and to conclude whether the invention is a blessing or a curse.• Outline of the Lesson

•Creativity & intellectual curiosity•Accountability•Interpersonal and Collaboration Skills•Information & media literacy•Interpersonal and Collaborative skills•Communication skills•Self direction•Interpersonal and collaborative skills

•Speaking and Listening Skills•Giving Directions skills•Observing and monitoring Skills•Encouraging Skills•Questioning skills•Intervening Skills

Cognitive skills involved (Bloom’s)

•Remembering•Analyzing•Understanding•Applying•Creating

Instructional Strategies and TasksTopic Task Instructional Strategy 21st century

Skills involved

21st century approach

Argumentative Writing

• Writing an Argumentative Essay on “did the invention of….(chosen invention) had made our lives easier or more complicated?

•Lesson 1:The task will be assigned individually•I will allow students to choose their way of execution.•Students will write a 350-500 words argumentative essay either persuasively supporting the invention or condemning it.•The students will first self-assess their work and redraft it and then they will peer check it for any mistakes.•The best pieces shall be read out in class, displayed on the board and chosen for the publication in year book• Outline of the Lesson

•Creativity •Interpersonal and Collaboration Skills•Communication skills

•Speaking and Listening Skills•Giving Directions skills•Observing and monitoring Skills•Encouraging Skills•Questioning skills•Intervening Skills

Cognitive skills involved (Bloom’s)

•Remembering•Analyzing•Understanding•Applying•Creating

Instructional Strategies and TasksTopic

Task Instructional Strategy 21st century Skills involved

21st century approach

Discursive Activity

• Recognizing and solving Social Problems

•Lesson 1:The task will be assigned in pairs of two•I will allow students to research a social problem on internet and later film a 5 minutes documentary on the occurrence of the phenomenon in our society. The documentary will include interviews of the affected. •They will later showcase their documentaries in front of the class on a projector (in the audio visual theatre)•A debating session shall be held where the members of the group will present plausible solutions to the problem and will take audience’s consensus.• I will design my questioning strategies to evoke higher order learning of the speakers•I will allow the audience to choose which of the documentaries were better and which of the member provided with more practical solutions. The winners will be awarded with the certificates of merit• I will give clear individualized directions as to how to each member will help approach the task

•Creativity & intellectual curiosity•Accountability•Interpersonal and Collaboration Skills•Information & media literacy•Interpersonal and Collaborative skills•Communication skills•Social responsibility•Self direction•Interpersonal and collaborative skills

•Speaking and Listening Skills•Giving Directions skills•Observing and monitoring Skills•Encouraging Skills•Questioning skills•Intervening Skills

Cognitive skills involved (Bloom’s)

•Remembering•Analyzing•Understanding•Applying•Creating

Instructional Strategies and TasksTopic Task Instructional Strategy 21st century

Skills involved

21st century approach

Discursive Writing

• Writing a Discursive Essay on “how to solve ….(the chosen social problem)

•Lesson 1:The task will be assigned individually•I will allow students to choose their way of execution.•Students will write a 350-500 words Discursive essay discussing the social problem of their choice and elucidating effective and plausible solutions to it.•The students will first self-assess their work and redraft it and then they will peer check it for any mistakes.•The best pieces shall be read out in class, displayed on the board and chosen for the publication in year book• Outline of the Lesson

•Creativity •Interpersonal and Collaboration Skills•Communication skills

•Speaking and Listening Skills•Giving Directions skills•Observing and monitoring Skills•Encouraging Skills•Questioning skills•Intervening Skills

Cognitive skills involved (Bloom’s)

•Remembering•Analyzing•Understanding•Applying•Creating

Bloom’s taxonomy and learning activities

Higher-

order thinking

Actions ActivitiesCreating

(Putting together ideas or elements to develop an original idea or engage in creative thinking).

DesigningConstructingPlanningProducingInventingDevisingMaking

FilmStoryProjectPlanSongMedia productAdvertisementPainting

Evaluating(Judging the value of ideas, materials and methods by developing and applying standards and criteria).

CheckingHypothesisingCritiquingExperimentingJudgingTestingDetectingMonitoring

DebatePanelReportEvaluationInvestigationVerdictConclusionPersuasive speech

Analysing(Breaking information down into its component elements).

ComparingOrganisingDeconstructingAttributingOutliningStructuringIntegrating

SurveyDatabaseAbstractReportGraphSpreadsheetsChartOutline

Bloom’s taxonomy and learning activities

Lower-order thinking

Actions Activities

Applying(Using strategies, concepts, principles and theories in new situations).

ImplementingCarrying outUsingExecuting

IllustrationDemonstrationPresentationInterviewPerformance

Understanding(Understanding of given information).

InterpretingExemplifyingSummarisingInferringParaphrasingClassifyingComparingExplaining

RecitationSummaryExplanationShow and tellExampleQuizListOutline

Remembering(Recall or recognition of specific information).

RecognisingListingDescribingIdentifyingRetrievingNamingLocatingFinding

QuizDefinitionFactWorksheetTestLabelListReproduction

Illustration of Bloom’s taxonomy

21st century Learner

Challenges and Solutions

Challenges Solutions

Parents will not understand my teaching strategies

The head mistress may not support my new approach

There are students of heterogeneous intellectual levels in my class

Parents will be sent news letters and a pre emptive (beginning of the session) parent teacher meeting will help parents understand the importance of complying with the new teaching methodology

Through a discussion meeting based on the designed curriculum the head mistress will be acquainted with the necessity and effectiveness of the new teaching methodology

Individualized instructions will be given to slow learners. Plus an after school extra learning support class will help them catch up with the curriculum

Challenges and Solutions

Challenges Solutions

Computer lab and audio visual room might not be available for all the sections

Time constraint may hinder the execution of interactive activities

Computers might not be available all the time

Prior permission will be taken from the lab in charge and the availability shall be confirmed a week prior to the class

P.E.Periods and library periods can be utilized on the alternative basis.

The teachers and students will bring their own laptops, ipods and phones for the presentation.

Time Line

LessonStart Week

no.End week

no.No of

Periods Academic Weeks

Descriptive Creation 1 2 6 3rd-14th Jan

Narrative Creation 3 4 6 17th-28th Jan

Presentation 5 6 6 31st Jan-11th Feb

Descriptive Writing 7 8 6 14th Feb-25th Feb

Narrative Writing 9 10 6 28th Feb-11th March

Building an argument & Argumentative writing 11 14 12 14th March-8th April

Discursive Activity & writing 15 18 12 11th April-6th May

Timeline

Descriptive Creation

Narrative Creation

Presentation

Descriptive Writing

Narrative Writing

Building an argument & Argumentative writing

Discursive Activity & writing

0 1 2 3 4 5

No of Weeks required

No of Weeks required

Resources Websites Referred: http://edorigami.wikispaces.com/Bloom's+-+Applying http://

www.21stcenturyschools.com/What_is_21st_Century_Education.htm

http://21stcenturylearning.typepad.com/ http://www.21stcenturycollaborative.com/ http://www.21learn.org/ http://

www.p21.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=254&Itemid=120

www.ets.org www.stewards.edu/eet/articles/bloomrev/index.htm Intel teach program booklet

“One can’t believe impossible things.”

“I daresay you haven’t had much practice,” said the Queen. “When I was your age I always did it for half-an-hour a day. Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”

Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

Conclusion

I hope this mapped out Action plan will help innovative learning facilitate 21st century learning and serve as the stepping stone to innovative teaching and discover new possibilities

“The essence of teaching is to make learning contagious, to have one idea spark another”. Marva Collins

“By learning you will teach, by teaching you will learn.” Latin Proverb