Author: raspberrycheesecake (Page 1 of 2)

The video I choose to analyze for a possible activity is: 

are you okay? | Award-Winning Short Film –  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJsGGsPNakw 

Question 1: What kind of interaction would the video require from your students? Does it force them to respond in some way (inherent)?

The video has more of a passive structure, meaning there is no inherent response required from learners who are watching (i.e., there are no quizzes or discussions that ask the student to stop the video and do something). However, because of the video’s emotional nature, it will likely evoke an emotional response/engagement (see more on this in the next question). 

Question 2: In what way are they likely to respond to the video on their own, e.g., make notes, do an activity, or think about the topic (learner-generated)? 

Once again, because of this video’s emotional nature, there is a high probability learners will want to engage/respond further on their own. The following are some possible ways a learner may do this: 

• Reflect on themselves: Have they ever felt this way? Have they seen others feel this way? 
• Their emotional connection may be strong enough for them to become more proactive on the topic. For example, it could inspire a desire to help others. 
• The learner may feel compelled to make notes on the video that they could then connect to other lessons regarding bullying or health. 

Question 3: What activity could you suggest that they do after they have watched the video (designed)? What type of knowledge or skills would the activity help develop? What medium or technology would students use to do the activity? 

Activity idea: Wellness Check-in Toolkit 

Purpose: Gets students to create a digital “toolkit” that outlines how to deal with cyberbullying when it happens to them or others. 

Areas could include: 

• How to check in with a friend (i.e., how to approach a conversation or possible methods of support) 
• Signs that someone may need help 
• How to identify when cyberbullying is happening to them 
• Available resources at their school or surrounding community

Knowledge and Skills to be Developed: 

• Emotional literacy 
• Communication skills for hard/emotional scenarios 
• Awareness of mental health resources 

Medium/Technology Used: 

• Google docs or Jamboard for idea/tool creation (possibly collaborate with other on ideas) 
• Canva to design any visual components 

Question 4: How would students get feedback on the activity that you set? What medium or technology would they and/or you use for getting and giving feedback on their activity? 

There are a variety of ways feedback could be given on this activity, see possibilities below: 

• Peer Feedback: learners could share their toolkits in small groups where each student reviews and provides feedback for one another (this could be done using a simple piece of paper and a pen) 
• Instructor Feedback: there could be a rubric that outlines important components to be included in the tool kit. For example, clarity/empathy of “how to check-in with a friend” or thoughtfulness/originally of the toolkit. (this could be marked on paper or given back digitally) 

Our learning resource will ensure that it meets the needs of all learners by putting a focus on accessibility and flexibility. This will be done by creating:

• Multiple ways to engage in the lesson plan: The resource will include both synchronous (i.e., group discussion) and asynchronous (i.e., quizzes) modes of learning to ensure students can engage at their pace. Additionally, there are a variety of interactive tasks that promote emotional reflection/engagement, allowing students to connect their learning to personal experiences (i.e,, design challenge, scenario simulation, etc.). 
• Multiple ways to express learning: The resource includes a diverse set of activities and assessments that give learners multiple chances to express their learning in a way that suits them. Moreover, students are given multiple times throughout the assessment to do so (i.e., formative assessments). For example, writing, visual creation, peer discussion and more are to be included to allow learners to express their understandings. 
• Clear Language and Visuals: The resource will aim to have all instructions written in clear, accessible language accompanied by visuals to help complex topics seem a little simpler. The resource will also aim to use consistent design elements and captions/transcripts where applicable. 

By incorporating the above traits into our resource we hope to create a collaborative, accessible, and well-rounded learning tool that will support the education of cyberbullying and the effects it can have on one’s mental health.

Direct Instruction (DI) works to shift the focus from personal experience to student-generated data through a highly structured approach (Mason & Otero, 2021). It encompasses the following characteristics, which have been derived from Mason and Otero (2021): (1) Overarching Theme: Structured/Scripted lessons, (2) Goal: Teaching Core Concepts Directly, (3) Activity: Choral Responding and Error Correction, and (4) Assessment: Measurement of Student Behaviour. 

1. Overarching Theme: Structured/Scripted Lessons
   1. DI takes a highly structured approach in which lessons are pre-made and carefully sequenced to ensure students understand a concept before moving to the next (Mason & Otero, 2021). 
   2. This structure would be good for teaching about cyberbullying and its effects on mental health because it provides a clear outline for such a sensitive topic, ensuring all students receive the same foundational understanding; however, its limited flexibility does not leave room for the emotional responses students may have to the topic. 
2. Goal: Teaching Core Concepts Directly
   1. The structure of DI is made to ensure learners understand overarching concepts (i.e., big ideas) not just isolated facts. Therefore, learners should be able to apply a concept across a variety of examples (Mason & Otero, 2021). 
   2. Learning overarching concepts such as digital citizenship (and traits such as empathy or respect) would serve learners while in their education and lives. It could help students to recognize bad patterns in their behaviours before engaging in harmful activities on or offline. 
3. Activity: Choral Responding and Error Correction
   1. DI is applied through using techniques such as choral responding and error correction (Mason & Otero, 2021). Choral responding is when students respond to a question on a teacher’s cue all together and generally in response the teacher will immediately correct any errors (error correction) (Hill, 2023). 
   2. These activities promote immediate participation and feedback which may not be great for a topic as heavy as cyberbullying and its effects on mental health. Additionally, this style does not leave room for much personal reflection which is important when dealing with conversations surrounding mental health. 
4. Assessment: Measurement of Student Behaviour
   1. DI puts an emphasis on direct measurement of student behaviour through the production of relevant outcome data and systematic measurement practices (Mason & Otero, 2021). 
   2. A direct measurement of the learner’s understanding can be helpful in determining whether or not they are grasping the concept at surface level; however, it does not capture possible shifts in empathy, respect, emotional awareness, etc. 

Resources 

Hill, M. (2023, June 22). Why Unison Response Works in the Classroom. Inspired Ideas. https://medium.com/inspired-ideas-prek-12/why-unison-response-works-in-the-classroom-1c867e53acf3 

Mason, L., & Otero, M. (2021). Just How Effective is Direct Instruction? Perspectives on Behavior Science, 44(2), 225–244. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40614-021-00295-x 

Prompt: Describe an example from your life of when you were taught using each method described in this article: behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism? 

Behaviorism: 

In high school I took Spanish as one of my classes. Each week after learning our new set of words or conjugations we would have a couple of different tests, including one that was auditory. During the test we would listen to the teacher pronounce a word and then we would write it down on paper. If we received a score higher than xx (i.e., 70%) we would get to pick a candy from a bin. 

This learning embodies a behaviorist approach because (1) the learning was observable (correct/incorrect), (2) it focused on stimulus-response (hear word then write word), and (3) it used positive reinforcement (for a correct answer). 

Cognitivism: 

While on one of my co-op work terms I had to learn the program PowerChart. In order to do this I followed a series of structured tutorials that led me through each section of the program. Within was a variety of analogies to help support my recall of where items were located. Additionally, it built on previous knowledge of programs such as MS Word for basic toolbar functionalities. 

This learning embodies cognitivism because (1) the tutorials were in a logical/meaningful structure, and (2) use of mental processing by connecting/categorizing information in relation to already known programs. 

Constructivism: 

Last year I took on the role of fundraising coordinator for my softball team. I branched out to my community to find available opportunities and determine which would be suitable for the team. I chatted with previous fundraising coordinators as well as event managers such as the HarbourCats Foundation. I am now applying what I learnt last year to the events again in a few months. 

This learning embodies constructivism because (1) I learnt through real-world experience (reaching out to the community and organizing), and (2) applied adaptive learning by taking what I learnt last year and applying it this year.