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As indicated, a number of these practices are incorporated into the four units of each course: Scientific Models, Te Nature of Scientific Inquiry, Promoting Student Tinking, and the Learning Cycle.


Te overall unit design has been guided by instructional design principles used by Michigan Virtual University’s project team. In this case, the project team included science teacher educators, biology and chemistry classroom teachers, and online course designers. At the core of each unit is a framework described by M. David Merrill as the “First Principles of Instruction,” that includes the instructional phases of activation, demonstration, application, and integration.


• Activation – connect with the learners in terms of what is relevant to them, such as through showing pertinent real world use of the lesson concepts.


• Demonstration – convey the facts, the principles, and the procedures that are relevant to the topic. Tis is what is most commonly done in “teaching” and the challenge in course development is oſten to ensure that the course materials don’t simply stop here, with a few problems assigned to work through.


• Application – have the learner work with the content so that they understand how it all fits together, including manipulating it to see how changes impact results. Tis is a common place where activities are provided.


• Integration –move the learner to applying their learning to their larger world, preferably into real world applications beyond the course content.


Let’s see how these design principles are converted to course components for “Biology for All Online” and “Chemistry for All Online.”


First is the Activation or the way to draw the learner into the unit. In these courses, we’ve started with the “dilemma,” a scenario around one of the questions. Our “star” teachers, Derek, Julie, Rani, and Carole, set the stage for the work of the unit. We want to answer the question of the unit such as “How do I get my students to think harder?”


Here’s a sample of the script of “Rani” who is trying to resolve this dilemma. Visuals and an audio track are presented in the Moodle classroom to share the dilemma with the professional development teacher (PDT).


RANI: I tell you, I don’t know what to do. I’ve tried everything to keep my students engaged, to get them to actually think about what I’m trying to teach, and all I get is that same, tired, “is-this-going-to-be- on-the-test” expression.


MACULJOURNAL | FALL 2012


Not all of them, of course. But a lot. Too many.


Like today, I was lecturing on the elements in the periodic table. And I could tell that a lot of them weren’t paying attention. No note taking, A couple even looked like they were nodding off.


And public speaking abilities aside, that shouldn’t be happening.


So I stop and I ask one of the particularly disengaged-looking kids, “Name an element that should have properties very similar to calcium.”


And he straightens up, a bit startled, then stammers out something close but no cigar. Clearly he wasn’t listening.


But at least I’d gotten their attention for the moment. “Hey, guys,” I said. Pleaded almost. “This is really important. I need you to stick with me.”


There was a show of hands from the few that always pay attention, but it’s all the others that I’m worried about.


I mean, I know my question scared them into paying attention, but that only lasts for a few minutes.


I’ve tried class discussions, and it’s like pulling teeth. I always end up doing most of the talking.


And I can’t show a video or have an activity for everything. How can I get them more engaged, all of them, and stay engaged?


How can get them to listen? To think about what I’m saying and remember it?


I feel like I’m giving them everything they need to succeed here, and then to see so many of them tune out and do poorly on their exams – it’s frustrating.


I work really hard at this. What else can I do?


This sets the stage, or activates, the professional development teacher (PDT) for continuing on in this unit on Promoting Student Thinking. The next phase in the design process is Demonstration. This is the opportunity for instruction about ways that the PDT might resolve the dilemma. The pedagogical concepts are now integrated with pertinent content from biology or chemistry, depending on the course the PDT is taking. After an on-screen activity about remembering words, the PDTs read an article about effective questioning that describes how to use the SATIC Code Checklist to evaluate their own questions.


In the Application phase of the unit, PDTs have an opportunity to practice what was demonstrated. PDTs use the SATIC Code Checklist to analyze some transcripts, both bad and good, and then compare their analysis to an exemplar. They are able to experience using questions to encourage deep thinking on the part of their own students.


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