Level 1 of the taxonomy of instructional design is simply relaying of information from the teacher to the student. I think that far too often this is the only way information is taught in a classroom. In a special education classroom this is usually not the best way for a student to actually learn. For example if you were to stand up in front of the class and say a quarter is worth 25 cents, a dime is 10 cents and so on the students won't know what the coin values are. I would be willing to bet that if you waited ten minutes and then asked what the value of a quarter was the majority of the class if any would not be able to answer the question. However in some situations this would be an adequate way to relay information. For example if you were doing an arts and crafts project simply giving instructions step by step would fulfill the purpose of completing the project.
Level 2 is applying knowledge; level two requires more learner involvement. An example of a level two activity would be some sort of question answer session. In a special education classroom this could be done while reading a story. We did this a lot at the camp I worked at this summer. After every page or every chapter depending the cognitive level of the students we would first ask the students concrete, WHAT questions. What kind of animal was it? WHAT did the bully say to the main character? What was your favorite part? Then we would follow with some more complex questions. HOW would you feel if? WHY was that your favorite part? Then we would have the students ask each other questions about the story. For many of the students socializing like this was a huge step. They were not only applying knowledge from the story but also using social kids needed in life.
I plan on working with students with severe disabilities. Utilizing the last three levels of taxonomy are a little harder, but they can be done especially when teaching life skills. Level 3, Extension involves the concept of generalization. If yelling in one classroom is inappropriate then yelling in someone else's classroom is too. If yelling in the school is not accepted, yelling in the mall or library is equally inappropriate. Getting students to this level where they can generalize behaviors will be one of the goals in my classroom. For the population I plan to work with Level 4, generation of solutions or complex ideas will be very difficult. I can use Level 4 lesson plans when I need to 'teach' or promote socialization. Autistic students have a notoriously hard time connecting to other people. My goal will be lesson plans that prompt the students to talk and play or work with each other without explicitly telling them to do so. Level 5 lesson plans would be the hardest to incorporate into my curriculum.
Level 2 is applying knowledge; level two requires more learner involvement. An example of a level two activity would be some sort of question answer session. In a special education classroom this could be done while reading a story. We did this a lot at the camp I worked at this summer. After every page or every chapter depending the cognitive level of the students we would first ask the students concrete, WHAT questions. What kind of animal was it? WHAT did the bully say to the main character? What was your favorite part? Then we would follow with some more complex questions. HOW would you feel if? WHY was that your favorite part? Then we would have the students ask each other questions about the story. For many of the students socializing like this was a huge step. They were not only applying knowledge from the story but also using social kids needed in life.
I plan on working with students with severe disabilities. Utilizing the last three levels of taxonomy are a little harder, but they can be done especially when teaching life skills. Level 3, Extension involves the concept of generalization. If yelling in one classroom is inappropriate then yelling in someone else's classroom is too. If yelling in the school is not accepted, yelling in the mall or library is equally inappropriate. Getting students to this level where they can generalize behaviors will be one of the goals in my classroom. For the population I plan to work with Level 4, generation of solutions or complex ideas will be very difficult. I can use Level 4 lesson plans when I need to 'teach' or promote socialization. Autistic students have a notoriously hard time connecting to other people. My goal will be lesson plans that prompt the students to talk and play or work with each other without explicitly telling them to do so. Level 5 lesson plans would be the hardest to incorporate into my curriculum.
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