At Jean Farb Middle School (JFMS) the AVID program has been implemented school-wide to support student achievement and create a college-going culture. AVID stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination and it provides specific strategies for teachers to use to increase academic rigor in their classrooms.

I created this design document in preparation for staff training at Jean Farb Middle School. The purpose of the training was to teach math teachers how to use Costa’s Levels and also to give them experience using other AVID techniques such as Cornell Notes, process writing, and tutorials.

I took a construcitivist approach toward this training. Math teachers would be learning the skills by working together in groups and taking part in the same activities that they would be asking their students to do. This allowed teachers to develop their own schema for each AVID skill while teaching them how to create that same opportunity for their students.

I also relied heavily on Keller’s ARCS model to plan the instruction and motivate learners in a training they were obligated to attend.

• Attention: I gained attention through variability and arousing inquiry. Each part of the training used a different AVID strategy in a different setting. In one setting learners took Cornell Notes, and in another they participated in a tutorial discussion. In each setting learners were presented with questions and encouraged to discuss their thoughts.
• Relevance & Confidence: In each part of the training learners were immersed in the same activities that they would be asking their students to do. This gave them ample time to practice each AVID strategy and explore details at their own pace.
• Satisfaction: Each section involved ample time for whole group discussion so learners felt that their questions would be answered and it provided for deeper inquiry into each AVID strategy.

The greatest challenge in creating this design document was balancing the time constraints placed upon me by the AVID coordinator at JFMS (the whole training was supposed to take place in an hour and a half) while trying to incorporate each piece of Keller’s ARCS model. In hindsight, and with the added experience I have now, I would focus more on the attention piece. I would post an agenda so learners can track their progress without staring at the clock. I would also add in a raffle contest so learners could earn tickets throughout the training and win prizes periodically when attention waned.

This project was quite a challenge. It was the first time I had used learning theory to plan a lesson. Given the number of lessons I teach per week to large classes in a short amount of time it is easy to leave the theory behind and just present information, hoping that the learners are intrinsically motivated enough to learn the material. This project helped me think about motivation on a daily basis and incorporate the ARCS model in most lessons. This has affected the organization of my lessons as well as my classroom management techniques. Although it was difficult, I feel that this project has made me a better teacher.

 

References:

Keller, J. (1987). Strategies for stimulating the motivation to learn. Performance & Instruction,8,1-7.

Marshall, J. (2008, December 14). Perspectives on instruction. Retrieved from http://edweb.sdsu.edu/Courses/EDTEC540/ltmodule/mod11.htm