CEP822 Research Introduction and Background

Introduction

We all hope and pray that every young infant is born healthy and without incident. We hope and pray that every child grows up to enjoy a life filled with happiness, love, and good health. However, the reality is that many children are born with, or develop, long-term or life-long illnesses that require repeated hospitalization and acute care. This begins a life of doctors, nurses, care givers, tests, treatments, procedures, and hospital stays. It is a life that many do not consider or give much thought to if they are not directly affected or know of a family with this stark reality.

While the health and mental well being of each and every child is at the forefront of our care and concern, we must also consider the educational needs of the child. With repeated illness, hospitalization, care needs, procedures and tests, treatments, and travel time, students and their families must balance a life of academics with a life in and out of medical facilities. The question is; how do we, as an educational community, ensure that these students are provided with sound and supportive educational opportunities?

My exploration has shown that little research has been done on the needs, effects, and educational resources available to students and parents that face this reality. I have discovered that often times, the responsibility falls on to the local school system that is ill equipped to deal with these issues and the parents that have more important issues to attend to. Or, parents take on the role of both care giver and teacher by home-schooling their child. Both scenarios show that each child or family must face this problem on their own with the local school system and that each time they must find their own unique solution. It does not appear that anyone has looked at a curriculum program that would assist students, parents, teachers, and school systems with their educational needs while out of school and receiving care. Nor, is there an online community where these students can communicate with one another for support and social interaction; a place where they can talk openly about this issue and how they approach it.

It is my opinion, with the increased use of technology in education and the advances in online classrooms, that a program can be put in place to guide, assist, and support both the student and their family, as well as the teacher and school district with this issue. My research shows that there are private online systems in place for health education and emotional support for children with these health needs. However, I have found nothing of this kind for K-12 curriculum. The goal of this project is to work with a concentrated group of children’s hospitals: such as the Texas Medical Center in Houston, TX, where you can  work closely with Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital, Shriners Hospital for Children-Houston, Texas Children’s Hospital, and The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. Each of these hospitals care for children from across the United States and around the world, who suffer from long-term illnesses that require repeated hospital stays. In working with the hospital staff, the students, the parents, and the various teachers and school systems, research can be conducted and the critical educational needs can be identified; from this, a comprehensive program can be developed. It can then be piloted within the Texas Medical Centers hospitals, results can be studied, and a strong national program can be put in place.

Background

I am a teacher; it is who I am and what I love to do. I have 10 years of experience in the academic field as a high school teacher, a college instructor, and as a developer and facilitator of professional development for teachers and student-teachers. In January of 2010, at the age of 37, I was diagnosed with Stage 4 Metastic Well-Differentiated Appendiceal Adenocarcinoma, a rare form of abdominal cancer stemming from the appendix. With the rarity of this form of cancer, the local and regional doctors and medical facilities around my home in Michigan were not equipped to effectively treat my illness. After careful research, several consultations, and with the help of my local Oncologist, I chose treatment with Dr. Mansfield at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. Over the last 30 months, I have made 7 trips to Houston, had 8 surgeries, and been in the hospital a combined 16+ weeks. This, above my initial surgery and hospital stay when I was diagnosed, and several trips to the University of Michigan Cancer Center for acute wound care. Not to mention the in-home health care that has lasted close to 18 months. For me, my family, and my friends this new reality was foreign and at times over-whelming. What I quickly discovered when speaking to other patients and their families is; this is not so uncommon. In my time at M.D. Anderson, I watched thousands of patients, just as myself, come and go in the hospital. The most disheartening was watching the children come, and go, and come back again.

During my battle, I wanted to have something outside of medicine to focus on. Since I was not able to work, I chose to pursue my Masters degree in Educational Technology at Michigan State University. While this was a positive pursuit for me and gave me something to focus on and strive towards while going through the various procedures, surgeries, and hospital stays, it also posed several problems. My degree program was online which eliminated the issue of missing class, but created several technical issues. Often times, I was not able to get internet service while in the hospital and there were few alternatives for me to find service. For this reason, I was disconnected from my courses at times for weeks. There was little technical structure or support for my academic pursuits while in the hospital. My professors and advisors were sympathetic, understanding, and supportive. However, this was not a solution to the problem; how do you continue your education while receiving treatments during your repeated and extended hospital stays?

This led me to wonder, how do K-12 students and their parents handle these issues. As I began to ask this question of my doctors and nurses, they had very few answers. As I began to ask the young patients and their families that I met during my hospital stays, I heard frustration and exhaustion in their stories. However, I heard few positive answers. That is when this idea began to grow in my mind. As an educator, I want to ensure that every child has the very best opportunity possible at a quality education. As a student and a cancer patient and survivor, I understand the frustrations these students and their families go through. I believe that I am in a strong position to help find a solution to this unique problem.

CEP 800 Module 5 Lesson Plan

Lesson Descriptors

Instructor: Mr. Gary J Brumbelow

Subject Area(s): Social Studies – U.S. History and Geography         Date Developed: 07/02/12

Lesson Topic: World War II: The Road to the Cold War                        Grade Level: 9^th – 12th

Objectives: The student(s) will understand the relationship and underlying factors of how World War II changed the political, social, economic, and military landscape of the global community and how these factors lead to the transition from post-WWII to the beginnings of the Cold War.

Standard(s) and benchmark(s):  Michigan Department of Education High School Social Studies Content Expectations, V 10/07

U. S. History and Geography Content Expectations

1.      K1 General Knowledge – embedded in USHG standards and expectations

a.       K1.2 – Know that each discipline is subject to criticisms and limitations; be aware of the primary criticisms of history and geography.

b.      K1.4 – Understand historical and geographical perspectives.

c.       K1.5 – Understand the diversity of human beings and human cultures.

d.      K1.6 – Analyze events and circumstances from the vantage point of others.

e.       K1.7 – Understand social problems, social structures, institutions, class groups, and interaction.

f.       K1.8 – Apply social studies concepts to better understand major current local, national, and world events, issues, and problems.

g.      K1.9 – Integrate concepts from at least two different social studies disciplines.

2.      Social Studies Procedures and Skills – embedded in USHG standards and expectations

a.       P1 Reading and Communication – read and communicate effectively

                                                                          i.      P1.2 – Analyze point of view, context, and bias to interpret primary and secondary source documents.

                                                                        ii.      P1.3 – Understand that diversity of interpretation arises from frame of reference.

3.      Disciplinary Knowledge – embedded in USHG standards and expectations

a.       Historical and Geographical Knowledge and Perspective

                                                                          i.      Know significant periods and events in world history; social, religious, and political movements; and major historical figures who influenced such movements

                                                                        ii.      Identify and define specific factual information, themes, movements, and general principles operating United States history and geography to deduce meaning and comprehend patterns

b.      Historical and Geographical Analysis and Interpretations

                                                                          i.      Distinguish value judgments in historical and geographical information, weigh evidence, synthesize information, apply knowledge, make judgments, formulate generalizations, and draw conclusions.

4.      USHG Era 8 – Post World War II United States (1945-1989)

a.       8.1 Cold War and the United States – identify, analyze, and explain the causes, conditions, and impact of the Cold War Era on the United States

                                                                          i.      8.1.1 Origins and Beginnings of Cold War – analyze the factors that contributed to the Cold War including

a.       Differences in the civic, ideological and political values, and the economic and governmental institutions of the U.S. and U.S.S.R.

b.      Diplomatic decisions made at the Yalta and Potsdam Conferences (1945)

c.       Actions by both countries in the last years of and years following World War II (e.g., the use of the atomic bomb, the Marshall Plan, the Truman Doctrine, North American Treaty Alliance (NATO), and Warsaw Pact) (National Geography Standard 13, p. 210)

Materials needed:      Multi-media Projector and Screen

                                    Computer Lab

                                    PowerPoint Presentation

                                    Video Montage from previous lessons

                                    Individual and Classroom Blogs

                                    Mindomo Accounts for teacher and students

                                   

Instructional Phases

Phase 1:  Focus

           

            Initiating Activity and Prior Knowledge Assessment

–        Video Montage Presentation and Creative Writing Assignment

–        Prior Knowledge Discussion Questions at Beginning of PowerPoint Presentation

Explanation: The students will be given a short scenario by the teacher and then have 5 minutes to free write, describing their responding feelings to the given scenario. The students will then watch a short historical video montage from the previous lessons of World War II and discuss their feelings from the creative writing scenario and compare to how the U.S. servicemen and American society may have felt during the European and Pacific Campaigns. After discussion of this activity, the instructor will engage the students in an open classroom call-and-response activity over prior knowledge information covering World War II. This immediately engages the students on the subject matter of the day, brings them together in an open classroom atmosphere, allows the instructor to gauge the students level of prior knowledge, and the time limit keeps the students in a challenging and engaging atmosphere.

Phase 2:  Construction

            Acquisition of new knowledge from instructor

–        Interactive Classroom Discussion and PowerPoint presentation

o   Teacher will introduce students to the facts of how the ending results of World War II and the shift in the global community socially, economically, politically, and militarily ultimately led to the beginning of the Cold War. This lesson will cover the facts of the events from Japan’s attack on America to the beginning of the Cold War.

o   Students will openly participate in the classroom discussion and follow along with the PowerPoint presentation. Students will also take notes on what they feel are the key points or aspects that led to the evolution of the Cold War. This will allow the students to actively participate and freely express their views and ideas, see the information through the PowerPoint presentation and actively synthesize the information through the note taking process.

            Processing Declarative Knowledge

–        Organizing and storing Knowledge through classroom activity

o   Students will be broken into small groups. They will then use their individual notes, as well as the class list of key factors created via the discussion, to create their Mindomo mind-map. Students will be given class time in the computer lab to work collectively on this project, as well as, access to the Mindomo site to work outside of the classroom. The instructor will circulate the classroom assisting or guiding groups as needed.

Explanation: The information will be presented through a combination of call and response questions, classroom discussion, and corresponding PowerPoint presentation. This will allow the student(s) to see and hear the information being presented. Secondly, the student(s) will take notes that follow along with the presentation highlighting key points of the discussion and presentation. Students will then work collaboratively to construct a detailed, comprehensive, and well-organized mind-map.

Phase 3:  Assessment

            Completed Group Maps

-          Each group will complete their mind-map and make a short presentation to the class. Grades will be given based on observed group dynamic, as well as, the project rubric given to all students outlining the project expectations.

-          The class will then combine each groups map to create one overall comprehensive class map and ensure that all key factors are recognized and identified.

Explanation: By having each group present their map to the other groups, the students will be able to recognize key components that are repeated or that were not identified in each map. This will allow them to then work together as a class to combine their projects into one comprehensive collection that represents all aspects and factors resulting from post-WWI that led to the Cold War.

Content: This lesson is designed to engage students in recognizing and understanding how the outcome of World War II and key factors of post-WWII society led to the beginnings of the Cold War.

In social studies, we often work with concepts or ideologies that lead to historic world events. The identification and understanding of these factors is crucial for students to build upon in order to see and grasp the evolution of society as a whole. Therefore, it is often critical for students to understand the relationship and underlying factors of how one event can change the political, social, economic, and military landscape of the global community and how these factors can lead to the transition of society and trigger a global event. Unfortunately, while this is a crucial concept for students to master, it is one that they often struggle with.

Pedagogy: This is a constructivist style lesson, where the instructor will use pointed questions and a PowerPoint presentation to guide the students in a class-room discussion of the key factors and ideologies the students need to recognize and understand. By calling upon prior knowledge and scaffolding the lesson, the instructor will move from a guiding role to that of facilitator of the discussion. The lesson will then take on a stronger social-constructivist role as the class is broken into small groups to work on the Mindomo project.

Content and Pedagogy: When teaching a concept that relies on students recognizing and connecting ideas and factors, it is imperative that they discover and make the connections themselves. If I was to just give them these ideas on a handout, or model the map and then print it out for them, they would have the facts. However, the student would not have achieved a deep understanding of the lesson. By connecting the content with the social-constructivist method in instruction, the students are the facilitator in their own learning and achieve a greater depth of knowledge and understanding.

Technology: I am using a variety of technology from the PowerPoint presentation, the computer lab, the student’s individual Blogs for the creative writing assignment and the Mindomo site for the mind-mapping project. While this lesson could be completed free of this technology, the tools used strongly enhance the overall effectiveness of the lesson and work to engage the student in the learning process.

Technology and Pedagogy: Each of the technology tools allows me to scaffold my lesson and transition the learning process into the control of the students, while maintaining an observational and guiding role in the learning process and the outcome of the projects. By using Mindomo, the students are able to work collectively in a small group setting, yet still work when it fits their schedule outside of the classroom and independent of one another.

Technology and Content: With the technology used in this lesson, it allows for the class to work collaboratively to identify the outlining factors that led to the Cold War. They are then capable of creating the mind-map and work in small groups to organize, identify, and connect how the factors affected society as a whole while working online outside of the classroom. While this lesson could be completed minus the technology tools used, the instructional process would be more difficult and less effective.

Assessment: Each group will complete their mind-map and make a short presentation to the class. Grades will be given based on observed group dynamic, comprehensiveness of their map, as well as, the project rubric given to all students outlining the project expectations. The class will then combine each groups map to create one overall comprehensive class map and ensure that all key factors are recognized and identified. By having each group present their map to the other groups, the students will be able to recognize key components that are repeated or that were not identified in each map. This will allow them to then work together as a class to combine their projects into one comprehensive collection that represents all aspects and factors resulting from post-WWI that led to the Cold War.

CEP 800 Digital Storytelling Project

CEP 800 Interview - Audio Production

I had the opportunity to interview my best friends daughter shortly after she finished her senior year of high school. As an educator, I wanted to know a key issue...what was her honest critique of her high school academic experience. I wanted to know her opinion on how effective her academic life had prepared her for post-high school and this fall as she entered college. Are we as educators doing our jobs effectively...her answers surprised me...

Alicia's Interview