Blades Design Process

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Design Process

Credit to:neomam.com Edited Coloring & Design by S. Blades in Canva

Educational theorist William Glasser said,
"We learn...

10% of what we read
20% of what we hear
30% of what we see
50% of what we both hear and see
70% of what is discussed
80% of what we experience personally
95% of what we teach to someone else"

So, if I wanted language to become long term memory for students, I was going to have to create personal experiences that were memorable. For six and seven years olds, that meant integrating hands-on opportunities.

The Challenges
In the back of my mind and in my heart, I always felt the fixation of focusing instructional time to only language arts and math was not right. The messaging when assessment results came in or when asked to create a daily schedule for the year fostered this hyper-focus on reading, writing and math.
Another challenge I faced was equity. If I provided something different from my colleagues, was that fair to students who were in the same grade level but not in my class?

The Participants
We started with a team of 24 first graders. Here's our initial stats:
71% identified by their family as English Language Learners (ELLs)
63% male and 37% female
25% had Individualized Education Plans (IEP)
Then on the 46th day of school, due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the class roster changed and only ten of the initial students remained. Our new stats were:
80% ELLs
80% male and 20% female
20% had IEPs

The Vision
The "loop hole" to overcoming the challenge of language arts and math being our primary focus meant I needed to integrate art and engineering into a core content area. Since I wanted to improve language skills for students, specifically around academic and expressive language, integrating into English Language Arts (ELA) seems like a natural fit. Much of this is what influenced the creation of my logo. I wanted language arts to be an anchor or foundation. Then the addition of art and engineering infused lessons to be what sparked student language. My school has a strong culture around leadership so I wanted to play on the acronym, LEAD (Language, Engineering, Art, and Design).

Design Models

SITE Model

The acronym SITE represents:
Sociocultural, Informational, Technical, and Educational.
These are some of the many layers or sub-contexts involved with being a learner. The sub-contexts are interconnected in a larger educational context such as school.

When educators understand these sub-contexts and how they are connected, teachers can design learning experiences that will relate closer to real world contexts as well as provide students with the necessary skills to be successful when in those contexts or situations.

For more information check out this SITE Model description with case study examples.

Pebble in the Pond

M. David Merrill wrote an article titled "Pebble in the Pond" (Merrill, 2002) because he felt there were some wholes or gaps in some of the popular design models. A major whole Merrill believed existed in other design models was not selecting or using the right scaffolds to support learners at the right moments.

He supported design models that promoted four basic principles:
1. Activate prior knowledge by making learning and concepts relevant to learners.
2. Demonstration: Educators should reflect on the following questions; Am I telling what is to be learned? Or am I showing a way to learn what's needed?
3. Application allows the learner to practice within a variety of contexts with scaffolds taken away as knowledge or skills are acquired.
4. Integration and transfer of knowledge across contexts happens when reflection is part of the learning process.

Merrill, M. D. (2002). A pebble-in-the-pond model for instructional design. Performance Improvement, 41(7), 39-44.

Credit to: www.mybrainisopen.net

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