Talk:Katie Sheehan

Instructor comments on your topic and instructional analysis -- Jz833665 (talk) 10:46, 23 February 2015 (EST)

Katie,

Your project focusing on teaching world problem solving will very helpful for teacher learners. The analysis of the nature of the outcomes and the learner sets a nice direction for your mini-course. Two suggestions:

1) Understanding the gap: Word problem solving has been a traditional focus in math ed. What's the gap in practice that this mini-course will help teachers address? For example, is the main problem about ineffective teaching of basic understanding/decoding of word problems (more basic skills), or about teaching problem solving for deep understanding and transfer (high-level skills)?

2) About the nature of the learning outcomes: In addition to the focus on cognitive strategies and intellectual skills, I think there is an attitude and understanding-related side to help teachers understand the nature of word problem solving beyond practicing circulations.

Instructor comments on your objectives -- Jz833665 (talk) 15:50, 27 February 2015 (EST)

Your objectives currently focus on techniques; I think there is conceptual thing to be learned about the nature and process of word problem solving, which is the basis for understanding student difficulties and strategies.

Instructor comments on your task analysis and unit-level performance objectives -- Jianwei Zhang (talk) 14:22, 5 March 2015 (EST)

Katie-

It's great to reading your timely work.

Re. your course-level objectives: the two items do not seem so different to me.

Re. your performance-based objectives for the units, you need to take another pass to define "objectives" (in term of what students will be able to perform and understand as the result of learning in the units) instead of "activities" (what they will be doing in the units, such read...). Moving backward from your course-level objectives, what the learner will need to progressively know/understand in order to achieve the target objectives? This will help you define the enabling/supportive subobjevtives to be addressed through a well sequenced unit structure.

You may also read: General_Suggestions_and_Feedback#Relationships_between_course-level_objectives.2C_unit-level_objectives.2C_and_prerequisites.3F 4 What do task analysis and Instructional Curriculum Map mean to do? 5 Good examples of Curriculum Maps 6 Relationships between course-level objectives, unit-level objectives, and prerequisites?

-- Jz833665 (talk) 09:53, 12 March 2015 (EDT)

Hi Katie,

Q. I have a question regarding the discussion comments you made on my mini-course wiki page. I understand that my performance objectives need to be more objective based, and less activity based. I also read the "general suggestions" page you posted and closely followed the task analysis of one of your previous students' wiki page from the "good examples of curriculum maps" section. I felt as though my performance objectives and unit-level objectives reflected the example you provided. I fear that if I make my performance objectives for each unit solely objective based then they will be too short, unlike the model you provided for us.

A:

It’s fine and appropriate for you to have a short list of course-level objectives that highlight the target overarching objectives. From there, you need to slow down to carefully analyze the enabling and and supporting (sub)objectives to achieve the course-level target objectives, so you are better informed and more purposeful when working out the units. If you look at the example I suggested: Melissa_Filotas'_Portfolio_Page

Melissa’s topic has similarity with yours, focusing strategies of teaching for a specific content area need. Her course-level objectives are similar to yours. However, her unit-level objectives are objective-based, unpacking the “strategies” noted in her course-level objectives based on different types of strategies, followed by an integrated objective in the last unit focusing on lesson implementation. Your unit objectives are activities taking place during the units.

So in your case, you could be more analytical, unpacking the key components involved in your target overarching objectives. For example, what are the different types of difficulties students encounter in problem solving (understanding the problem, mapping/modeling the math relationships…)? What are the different types of strategies to address these different difficulties?

If different difficulties require different strategies to address, it would make sense to sequence the objectives by first understanding the difficulties (unit 1), then identifying/demonstrate strategies to address each type of difficulties (say that you will have two major types of difficulties and corresponding strategies to be addressed through unit 2-3), and finally, integrating different strategies in lesson planning and implementation through analyzing examples and creating their own lessons.

If the strategies do not map onto different difficulties, and instead, you plan to present different strategies (methods) to address the difficulties as a whole, then your unit level objectives will name and focus on the different strategies. (Say that you have three types of strategies, then you will plan out unit 2-3 focusing on these strategies).

I hope you now clearly see the difference between current list of unit objectives and what I suggested to you.

Q. Rather than breaking down my units and having several performance objectives for each, should I just state the performance objectives for the course and then list the units in sequential order?

A.

As I said, please slow down, be reflective, and thinking analytically in the content/task analysis process. You know what your units will focus on only if you know what objectives need to be achieved through the units.

I hope this helps.

Instructor comments on your refined task analysis and unit-level performance objectives -- Jz833665 (talk) 10:52, 23 March 2015 (EDT)

Katie,

Your new pass of the course-level and unit-level objectives has worked out beautifully. Great work!

Instructor comments on your curriculum map -- Jz833665 (talk) 10:52, 27 April 2015 (EDT)

Hi Katie,

The unit objectives laid out in your curriculum map are well defined and sequenced. This gives you a clear organization structure for the whole mini-course.