Connections Across the Discipline Review

As an English major, it was an almost default to cater my group's lesson plan utilizing technology around a work of Shakespeare. Our group wanted students to use the vast resources of the internet to explore various interpretations of the famous play Othello within the context of different cultures and countries. We would hope that students would use this activity to not only gain a better understanding of other cultures and the norms and values they hold, but also to reinforce or challenge the depictions and beliefs they had about the scene we reviewed. It was interesting and enlightening to look at a lesson plan within the scientific realm of biology, and I learned a lot from reading Jesse, Sarah, Sara, and Wilbur's Tree Species Exploration.

After going through their lesson plan, I admired the amount of depth in every element of their process, and really appreciated the development of the lesson through the order of the steps done (starting with the relevant bell-work, followed by a brief discussion and lecture, then changing the scenery and environment for the activity). I think the process would allow students to not get lost in all that would be going on in the class period, and I think the learning would definitely be internalized through the various mediums the students are receiving info (both lecture and personal exploration). In addition, I really appreciated the explicit directions that the group provided for how they would instruct their class in regards to tech. Especially in scenarios with technology being put in place, I think explicit directions are helpful and almost necessary to keep students on task, and maintain a manageable and healthy environment. Like I said, really love the depth that was elaborated on for each step.

Since the lesson was so in depth, it was not something I could really be critical of. However, I think the only area of concern was the feasibility of the whole lesson in one day, both due to accessibility issues as well as a time constraint. In terms of accessibility, it may just be important to consider any students with physical disability that may have difficulty completing such an activity, but I imagine the teachers could very possibly accommodate for that somehow. In terms of time constraint, I just think with all that is hoped to be accomplished in the lesson, it may be difficult to complete in one class and maybe the lesson could have occurred the class before, to allow more time for the exploration outdoors.