21st Century Lesson Plan

To continue with my study of 21st century learning, I am considering how to incorporate aspects of 21st century learning that have been missing previously into my classroom. I have struggled with the way social studies has been taught previously in which students were expected to memorize a list of presidents or several dates of various events. While I would not say those are unimportant, I do not think it is where the focus of instruction should be. I am moving towards what Bransford, Brown, and Cocking (2000) call learning with understanding in a knowledge-centered environment. Bransford et al. (2000) share that “students’ interest or engagement in a task is clearly important” (p. 23). I want to create lessons that are engaging and interesting for my students, while there is still meaningful learning occurring.

Photo by John Schnobrich on Unsplash

I was tasked with writing a lesson plan for my curriculum that includes technology. I immediately thought about TPACK, a framework by Dr. Matthew Koehler and Dr. Punya Mishra that combines technological knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, and content knowledge to make learning more accessible to students. I needed to decide how I would incorporate all three knowledge areas into one lesson that would align with my standards. I decided to create a lesson for a unit that I enjoy teaching - the Antebellum Reform Movements. I wanted to incorporate elements of 21st century learning, like collaboration and creativity, into a lesson on the abolitionist leaders along with technology use. I ultimately decided on using FlipGrid for this lesson as it is a way to give students a voice in the classroom and encourages collaboration and creativity. My Abolitionist News Report lesson plan has students collaborating in groups to create a news report on one abolitionist leader and learn how to use technology to inform others.

References
Bransford, J.D., Brown, A.L. & Cocking, R.R. (2000). How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press. Retrieved from http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?isbn=0309070368

Mishra, P., & Koehler, M. J. (2006). Technological pedagogical content knowledge: A framework for teacher knowledge. Teachers College Record, 108(6), 1017-1054.

Schnobrich, J. (Photographer). (2018, January 18). Work in progress coworking [digital image]. Retrieved from https://unsplash.com/photos/2FPjlAyMQTA

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