Talk:Elise's Portfolio Page

Instructor's comments on your instructional analysis and objectives -- Jz833665 14:25, 18 October 2009 (EDT)

Hi Elise,

You've certainly thought and worked out a lot in this design project. Great work!

Several points to share with you:

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Upon completion of this course, individuals will be able to:
   * Identify specific learning disabilites
   * Identify characteristics of the learning disabled
   * Identify and draw conclusions about the common misconceptions about the learning disabled and instructional methods
   * Experience being learning disabled by participating in an online simulation
   * Identify best practices associated with the learning disabled

As I know learning disabilities is often content-specific. LD in math is very different from LD in reading; the interventions are therefore different too. Are thinking about LD as general and whole, or focusing on a particular type of LD?

"Experience being learning disabled by participating in an online simulation" is more like a learning activity instead of learning objective/outcome. What's the target result of doing so?

"Identify best practices associated with the learning disabled" "identify" is a "low" performance. Do you expect the learners to be able to select and execute/implement some of the practices/strategies?

PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES

   * In the web based learning environment, given study guides with indepth text, the learners will identify and define specific learning disabilities and the socio-emotional impact of being learning disabled by participating in simulations, responding to reflective based questions, and posting in discussion areas, using the study guides provided within the context of the course.
   * Through this course, given study guides with indepth text and audio visual references, the learners will express their perpsective (and/or misconceptions they may have had or continue to have) about the learning disabled by posting reflections in discussion areas and answering questions posed using the study guides provided within the context of the course.

I understand that you were trying your best to formulate the objectives using performance-based terms. (this is often harder than we think) But reading the above two objectives giving me an impression that you were describing performances during the learning processes/activities instead of performances on the assessment. Performance objectives tell how the learner will be assessed instead of how they will be taught.

Instructor's comments on your refined objectives -- Jz833665 13:15, 19 October 2009 (EDT)

   * Gain strategies to improve their interactions with learning disabled (LD) individuals
   * Utilize the techniques given to decrease the frustration level of LD students

Are the strategies and techniques the same outcome or different enough to be listed as two objectives?

   * State what the best practices are to improve the learning environment for LD students

"State" might not be the best performance term for "practices". What about: Give examples of...; choose among..., etc?

   * Provide feedback in their facilitation in others recognizing misconceptions concerning LD students and their learning capabilities

Not so clear to me. Do you mean identifying misconceptions among educators re. LD?

Instructor's comments on your ICM -- Jz833665 16:27, 28 October 2009 (EDT)

You've been doing excellent work in this project. The overall structure and flow of your mini-course seems to work very well. My comments are about the specifics.

UNIT 1: What are Specific Learning Disabilities?
Objectives:
   * Participants will be able to define vocabulary related to specific learning disabilities
   * Participants will be able to define and recognize characteristics of individuals with learning disabilities
   * Participants will be able to respond to questions on new terms and vocabulary 
Activities:
   * K-W-L based on learning disabilities
   * Reflection and Response

I often find it helpful to begin with a specific case/story to unfold the inquiry, with follow-up reading and thinking/discourse supporting the inquiry, leading to a solution/conclusion about the case. Can this story line be used in this course?

 UNIT 2: What are the Misconceptions & Issues Surrounding Learning Disabilities?
 Objectives:
   * Participants will be able to identify misconceptions and issues among educators and their common practices in learning environments relating to learning disabilities
   * Participants will be able to recognize attitudes related to learning disabled students in the learning environment

I guess you goal is to establish a proper and refined understanding through identifying misconceptions. Your second objective is not so clear to me: recognize attitudes?

UNIT 3: What are Effective Instructional Strategies & How Best Do We Implement Them?
Objectives:
   * Participants will complete processing activities to experience frustration and anxiety related to learning disabilities

This is an activity, and it supports the objective of understanding LD students, not instructional strategies.

   * Participants will examine instructional media

what do you mean in this specific context?

   * Participants will recognize best practices relating to individuals with learning disabilities

Are you going to be focusing on the principles or specific methods?