Implement+&+Evaluate

Implementation This statistics unit is designed to be completed within a week and a half on a block schedule. For the duration of the various activities students will be formatively assessed by the teacher. They will have many opportunities to do peer assessments and self assessments as they work in their groups. Some of the types of achievement targets that need to be monitored as the unit plan is implemented are: knowledge, reasoning, performance skills, products, dispositions. These ideas reflect parts of Bloom’s Taxonomy, which is good for the teacher to refer to during the implementation stage to insure that students are engaged in higher level thinking and thus authentic learning. To master content knowledge means to know and understand the facts outright. It could also involve knowing how or where to find the facts. Reasoning requires seeing relationships among things. Students must be able to draw their own conclusions, synthesis new avenues of thought. By following logical steps to find out similarities and differences, classifying items, and inductive inference should be progressively more manifest. Analyzing and evaluating judgments happens more and more by proper use of assessments (Stiggins, 2006). Performance skills and products show evidence that students comprehend their lessons to the point that they can implement principles appropriately. These provide opportunity for expressions of creativity. As the unit design is being carried out attention must be given to whether or not it is accomplishing its desired purpose. It is important to know how the students are receiving the instruction and adjusting to the new technologies that have been introduced. A better disposition for learning can be had by every student. There are not just “good” students and “bad” students. Teachers can develop positive feelings, attitudes, interests, and motivational intentions of students, in the end helping them to be more inclined to take on learning tasks with joy (Leader & Middleton, 2004). Evaluation As I go through this unit I plan to regularly reflect on the reasons that I designed the unit as it is and evaluate the effectiveness of the design. The purpose of the unit is to help students to understand that statistics are not an end in themselves but tools used to help us make decisions. As the students work through the unit I expect them to learn how to choose and use the tools of statistics, specifically mean, median, mode, and standard deviation. In order for this unit to be a success, upon evaluation it should be obvious that students are less intimidated by the request that the use statistical instruments, that they more readily converse intelligently about the topic, and are able to do error analysis. Peer assessment offers a fresh, new, perspective on material that the teacher has already covered. If the design plan is working this will not be a problem. Often times the presentation of the information may be more appealing and understandable coming from a peer. Self-assessment should definitely be employed because it is a motivator. Students can chart their progress in class, thereby building anticipation and desire to achieve the next level of learning. Also the final project needs to be evaluated in terms of whether or not it thoroughly tests for the intended standards. All of the essential questions should be answered. Students should become more familiar with practical technologies. They should also be savvy in using them appropriately.