A Student-centered Activity of Environmental Learning

 To increase the use of specific details on environmental protection, students are required to review informational websites in groups of ten and complete personal blogs based on their understanding on environmental conservation and how they can encourage others to conserve the environment.

A full-fledged lesson plan that includes the environmental learning activity as the centerpiece

Name of the lesson: Environmental learning

Grade level:                        Subject:                        Prepared by:

The lesson plan will follow the following steps:

1. Review.

 The lesson requires the students to understand the meaning of reviewing, discussing and using the information for a student-centered activity. I need all the students to have a recap of the above terms and how they are best done. Similarly, they should be conversant with multimodal elements. Since it in an environmental learning, I will provide a brief introduction to the lesson touching on the above terms so that the students have a foundation on how to approach the assignment.

2. Launch

 The lesson necessitates students to organize their information on reviewing of non-literary items and how to use discussions for sharing information and coming up with consolidated results. Environmental teaching can be used in conjunction, particularly assignments/problems when students work together to identify the issue/concept/objective and apply what they learn about how to communicate effectively and appropriately their view, opinion or perspective (Hillocks, 1984). Consequently, I require all students to answer how they can review items as a group and apply the results from the discussion in personal assignments.

3. Deliver

Overview and purpose:  The lesson will allow students to assess some of the informational websites and understand how they are made and use the information for their blogs on environmental conservation. A blog is an information website where an individual or group shares their views concerning a particular issue whereby the recent posts appear first (Djuraskovic, 2018). Students are expected to use the knowledge they have on persuasion and presentation to convince others to safeguard the environment. The purpose of the lesson is to equip the students with knowledge about the use of specific details on environmental conservation and apply it in real life personal writing through blogs. The assignment expands the knowledge of the students in collaboration to studies, application of learned knowledge, making inferences, persuasion, environmental conservation, and technology use.

Materials required: The materials needed for the lesson include the web, personal computers, reference books, pens, internet connection and a project to be used by the teacher in demonstrating relevant information to the students. The lesson is crucial for the students as it enables them to transfer the knowledge they learn in class into real life issues such as environmental conservation. Similarly, the lesson will allow them to use specific details in the issue thereby increasing the sudents’ mastery on the application of concepts learned in class into real-world situations.

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Expected outcomes: By the end of the lesson, I expect every student to demonstrate considerable knowledge on blog writing and environmental conservation. Therefore, the group discussion should lead formulation of a simple outline of a blog, and at the end, every student will be expected to submit a well-written blog on environmental conservation.

Required prior knowledge: The lesson requires the students to review informational websites and come up with their blogs which will convince individuals to conserve the environment. As a result, the students will apply knowledge learned in previous lessons such as article review, argument delivery, persuasion skills and excellent presentation skills. They should also know multimodal elements. These elements include pictures, audio, and visuals which utilize both signs of linguistic system and visual-spatial meaning systems (Lemke, 2005).This prior knowledge will help the group to understand how the information is arranged as well as enabling the individual students to come up with real blogs that are persuasive and show portray the significance of environmental conservation. 

Procedures/steps: I will first introduce the lesson to the students and state the purpose, expected outcomes and the prior knowledge that is needed for the lesson. I will then allow the students to form groups of ten. After creatingof groups, the students will begin on a search for informational websites using their personal computers and the school internet connection. The students will then put down few notes on the arrangement of the informational websites. The students will then break from their groups and submit their notes on the outline of blogs to the teacher for assessment. I will then take the students through an explanation the requirements of blog writing. The students will then start their assignments on writing blogs on environmental conservation. Finally, the teacher will assess the work of every student and make follow up to ensure that the students improve the process by giving another assignment on the same issue.

4. Apply

Discussion and review: The students will form group of ten and sit together to review various informational websites. The review will not be limited informational websites offering information about a particular issue but will rather focus on any blog. In environmental learning, “Teachers, in contrast to the presentational, are likely to minimize lecture and teacher-led discussion, structuring activities so that, while teachers may provide brief introductory lectures, students work on particular tasks in small groups before proceeding to similar tasks independently.” (Hillocks, 1984, p. 144). The students are required to go through at least five informational sites and a maximum of seven to save on time. They will read the blogs to understand them. I will supervise the class to ensure that there is order and all students contribute to the assignment. The students will identify and develop the arrangement/outline of the informational websites. They will then compare the outline of the blogs they have analyzed and come up with a general framework that will be used by each group member to write a personal blog on environmental conservation.

Blog writing: Then students will then embark on knowledge application whereby they will apply the prior and current knowledge in writing a personal blog. The students will write several strategies that can be used to conserve the environment. They will use the previously learned knowledge of persuasion to persuade others to make an effort towards safeguarding the environment. Each student is required to write a blog of two pages. This is a concise piece of work that goes straight to the point, and therefore quality surpasses quantity. The students will follow the format they established during the group discussion while incorporating my suggestions made after the group discussion.

5. Close

Assessment: There is the need for students to understand the concepts learned in class and apply them in real life examples. Consequently, I will assess the work of the students to ensure that they follow the necessary steps and the assignment is donesatisfactorily. I will ensure that the groups are productive and each memberplays a part in the establishment of the process. The success of the groups shall be measured on how the group has come up with a good and appealing outline of the blog. The groups will be allowed to justify their outlines,and the teacher will then advise them on the necessary amendments to make and what needs to be includedon the personal blog. The students will then start writing their blogs following assignment requirements, the teacher’s recommendations and the outline identified during the group discussion. It is a critical assignment not only for the students but also for the world as these blogs can have a life-changing impact on many individuals. They can persuade people to be pioneers in safeguarding the environment and eventually result in improved conservation and safeguarding of natural resources. I will then assess how each student has used prior knowledge and the current understanding of environmental trends into the assignment. Those who demonstrate a proficientknowledge of environmental trends and conservation milestones will be awarded a better grade while the students whose their tasks are not satisfactory will be givena chance to repeat the work and submit it in the next class.

Enrichment: Blogs are supposed to be continuous and regular whenever possible. The students are required to write blogs on the same issue after every two weeks and submit them to the teacher. This will help them improve their writing and communication. Persuasion is essential when dealing with specific topics and therefore, the students will master the art of persuasion through blog writing to inform the people on the need to conserve the environment, how to conserve it and the obligation of everyone in preserving the environment.

A reflection that justifies the choices

 The lesson plan is crucial for the class and will lead to learning in several ways. Firstly, the activity is student-centered,and therefore students feel motivated to act on it. Student-centeredness means that student needs are given priority, and they have the responsibility of making inquiries, applying knowledge and making meaning of whatever they learn (Gorzycki, 2018). It helps to increase the time they spend on activities involving analysis, evaluation and information processing. I will create a conducive environment for learning. “The environmental mode is characterized by (1) clear and specific objectives, such as to increase the use of specific detail and figurative language; (2) materials and problems selected to engage students with each other in specifiable processes important to some particular aspect of writing; and (3) activities, such as small group problem-centered discussions, conducive to high levels of peer interaction concerning specific tasks.” (Hillocks, 1984, p.144). Environmental learning is essential as it is characterized by clear objectives with increased use of specific details, description of necessary materials and activities such as group-centered discussions. The lesson plan also allows the teacher to communicate the purpose of the assignment, the expected outcomes, the materials required and the need for the use of prior knowledge. Prior knowledge is essential for learners as it enables the students to use it to expand their knowledge. Mainly, the knowledge helps the student to learn a topic and understand it better. It, therefore, forms the basis of future knowledge,and it allows the student to learn continuously. Additionally, the lesson plan illustrates the necessary steps to be followed during the session. Consequently, it will enable the students to focus on a particular stage at a time and learn the requirements efficiently. Moreover, the lesson incorporates student discussions as a way of learning and sharing information. Discussions and reviews are vital in opening up the minds of the students and sharing of information among the students (Cumming, 2010). Sharing of information leads to a collective bargain that lead to practical outcomes. The expected outcomes of the assignment include a demonstration of deep understanding of environmental conservation and blog writing. As a result, the discussion will lead to the establishment of a general outline for writing that could prove to be difficult for an individual student. This means that the students learn from each other more easily than if they were left to accomplish the assignment on their own or by merely being given instructions by the teacher (Cumming, 2010). Students can discuss review several informational websites thereby expanding their knowledge on blog writing. Furthermore, the lesson plan allows me to assess the progress of the groups. I am also able to inform the students of the corrections needed. Eventually, students can learn during the assessment period and be able to make the necessary amendments to their outlines.

 The lesson plan is also capable of fostering transfer outside the classroom. Transferentails application of knowledge learned from one lesson or context to another of a near of far context (Thadani, 2013). Precisely, the lesson plan allows the student to review several informational websites and discuss their outlines. Eventually, the students are expected to come up with a general outline that can be used for a personal blog. Furthermore, the lesson plans necessitate the students to apply the outline in blog writing, use prior knowledge on persuasion and use personal knowledge and understanding of environmental conservation to write the blogs. It thus reveals that students can apply the knowledge they learn from the lesson to another context since they have a foundation on the application of learned knowledge. Additionally, the students are required to write regular blogs on the same issue. It means that the students understand the application of knowledge and will, therefore, be able to apply the knowledge in other fields or contexts. The information learned during the lesson can be applied in the workplace by writing articles for magazines as well as writing policies for organizations concerned with environmental conservation.

 I predict that the students will be able to apply the blog writing skill taught during the lesson more often in their future because they will be extremely conversant with blog writing by the end on their sessions due to the practice. The student is required to write a personal blog after every two weeks so by the end of schooling they will be masters in blog writing and the zeal and determination in writing them will be high. It will be possible for them to write blogs on any topic since they understand the outline and the content that needs to be reflected on a blog. Similarly, they will have gained interest in blog writing due to continued exposure, and therefore it is highly likely that they will apply the skill in the future.
 

References

• Cumming, J. (2010). Student-initiated group management strategies for more effective and enjoyable group work experiences. Journal Of Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism Education (Oxford Brookes University), 9(2), 31-45. doi:10.3794/johlste.92.284
• Djuraskovic, O. (2018). What is a Blog? – Explanation of Terms Blog, Blogging & Blogger. Retrieved from https://firstsiteguide.com/what-is-blog/
• Gorzycki, M. (2018). Student-Centered Teaching | The Center for Teaching and Faculty Development. Retrieved from https://ctfd.sfsu.edu/content/student-centered-teaching
• Hillocks, G. (1984). Research on Written Composition. ERIC Clearinghouse on Reading and Communication Skills.
• Lemke, Jay. (2005). Multimedia Genres and Traversals. Folia Linguistica. 39. 45-56. 10.1515/flin.2005.39.1-2.45.
• Thadani, V. (2013). Learning and Teaching Environments that Foster Transfer. Retrieved from http://www3.lmu.edu/Page85900.aspx