Module+4

D. Ryan Huff

Within S&I (Seminaries and Institutes) lessons, media is used quite effectively. In fact, some of the best lessons come in connection with the videos that the church produces. Although I am only starting my third year as a seminary teacher, I have never seen any time of media, made for specific lesson, that didn't meet most if not all of the qualifications for effective media as described in the last few chapters. The church is quite impressive in that regard. However, for this particular lesson, there isn't any media included for the benefit of the students.

I might suggest one video clip that could possibly fit in with this lesson. It is a "Mormon Message," a brief excerpt from a general conference talk mixed with actual video footage, entitled "Good things to come." This is based on a talk given my Elder Holland about not giving up during the journey and that good things will come despite the hardships we are currently facing during our own journeys. Since I don't want to stretch this piece of media and try to "make it fit" within the lesson, I would have to make sure that the message of the clip directly correlates with the principles that are found within this lesson’s block of verses.

I think, in regards to a structural framework, in this lesson, we can easily find a “checklist summary frame. This framework is used to fulfill its purpose in helping students with the application of the principle. It is actually designed quite nicely. The first part of this unit is all about the children of Israel and their wanderings in the wilderness. Towards the end of the lesson there are a series of questions that allow the students to ponder on their own situations and see how they compare to the Israelites. The questions also allow them to consider what changes they can make now to prevent some of the same consequences from happening to themselves. I think this structural framework was very well done.

Lastly, this course did not plan for peer interaction. What I would like to do is have my students spend a few minutes writing in their journal. I would offer a prompt that would be similar to the following: In what way(s) is the wandering in the wilderness for 40 years similar to your own lifespan and describe in two ways how you have seen the hand of the Lord throughout your own journey? After a few minutes of writing time, I would then have my students share their responses with a partner. Hopefully, their responses are not too personal that they won’t want to share, but also personal enough to help strengthen the testimony of those they share it with. After this has taken place, I would invite a few students to share their responses with the class. This is not peer to peer sharing, but peer to peers, which I think can also be quite effective in a gospel learning environment.

Brandon's Module 4 In looking at the Seminary course in general, I found that while there were few principles taught that successfully utilized all of the things we learned in chapter 8 and 9, that all of them did at least one of the things mentioned properly. For instance, in regards to multi-media usage, several video presentations were available throughout the book of genesis, some of which depicted the story being told in the scriptures, but most of which related to an additional real life problem. In the student and teachers manuals, there were also several examples of graphics, none of which seemed to be irrelevant, at least to me. I copied a few examples of graphics used in the manual. In Moses 7 the city of Zion is taken to heaven, and the manual gives a quote about the three steps, or levels we must attain to build a Zion like city, and gives this graphic:

In another case, the manual quotes Enoch as having said in relation to the last days, “Righteousness will I send down out of heaven, and truth will I send forth out of the earth.” While speaking of the verse the manual recommends showing the following pictures, all of which depict heavenly messangers decending out of heaven. The pictures could be easily shown to help clarify what Enoch was saying, without interfering at all with the text that was being shared.



In addition to the pictures, and graphics, the course also provided several power point presentations, which utilized primarily graphics, with only a few words. Overall, I was very impressed with how well it implemented the concepts.

In regards to a structural framework, I was a little thrown off. The ideas made sense, but I wasn’t sure on one thing. Does the framework have to stay the same from lesson to lesson, or is a structural framework more for an individual lesson, or principle being taught? The lessons being taught used a framework most of the time, but it was usually not consistant with the previous lessons framework. The most common method used is probably Metaphor and analogy. For instance, in speaking of being born again, it suggested relating the process to moving to a new city, and to discuss the pro’s and cons of the situation. Students would likely mention having to make new friends, and leave behind old friends, and memories etc. all of which could be both good and difficult, it then recommends reading the verses that discuss the process of being born again through baptism, and how it can be the same type of process.

Your course is really a very large set of mini courses. Each principle (or problem) represents a different lesson. However, your curriculum uses a chronology (book by book) approach to teaching the gospel rather than a principle approach. If I was teaching this material I would teach by principle. In other words I would make a given principle (the application of which is a problem) as the focus of a lesson or module. I would then use a wide number of scriptural citations from all of the standard works and the conference talks to both present the information about the principle and to provide portrayals of the principle. You might want to think about this approach even though it would probably not be approved by your supervisor, but perhaps you could design such a lesson for this class :-) dm

The graphic I listed above might also be an example of a checklist summary frame, since it lays out what the pattern is going to be for the city of Enoch to be translated. I was most surprised to see the way that the curriculum used peer-interaction. It was there, but it was mostly ineffective, and didn’t really line up with what they are trying to teach us to do as teachers. Most of the interaction was peer telling, for instance, one section recommended that “Students read Moses 6:59 and identify what the Lord told us we must do to receive his greatest blessings.” There are a few that reach the peer- sharing, and peer-discussion points, but very few that reached the-peer collaboration, and none that I could find that reached the peer-critique level.

One thing that I have been trying to implement into my classes that I think might help with this is a the useage of short case studies. The students get a real life problem, and are required in groups to come up with not only a solution, but a scripture mastery verse that goes along with it. While this still probably doesn’t get to a peer-critique level, it probably at least moves into the peer -collaboration and peer-discussion level.

Good use of peer collaboration. It would not be hard to add peer critique by having another student comment on the conclusions of a given group. dm

I’m really not entirely sure how to bring up the peer critique in a seminary setting effectively, particularly since students would be critiquing each others religious views. I’m sure it can be done, and it could be highly effective when students began to help each other solve their own views, but when you are critiquing someone elses solution to a moral problem, there is a little more potential to be offended than when you are critiquing someone’s opinion on what a business should do for their new marketing plan. Any suggestions on how to do it effectively?

We redefine the meaning of the word //critique//. Rather than being critical we express an alternative point of view, a suggestion to think about another scriptural citation that may cast a little different viewpoint on the principle under discussion, a personal experience that shows a somewhat different approach. Critique does not need to mean evaluate but rather to provide positive suggestions to simulate thinking and consideration. dm

Preface: I'm a little chagrined that I mentioned in class that I teach Gospel Doctrine, but I can understand this site and the problems involved. I didn't want to draw attention to myself, but I've been keen on seeing how I could make my lessons better by using the things that I'm learning in this class as a side-perk. I know that TELL, SHOW, ASK and DO are simple, but it really works. I'm going to be really interested in how this lesson turns out. Please note that I'm still in the class even though I'm behind a little. I'm sure that no one is interested in excuses, but I've been buried. I'm current with the reading and I've come up with an idea. I feel that this instruction, Brandon, needs to be outlined similar to some others that I've seen where the information is written in power point screens. This makes it difficult for me to see the progression of the instruction. I can't tally and score the points according to demonstration and application. But maybe that is for Module 5 and not now in Module 4. I want you to know that it is difficult for me to wrap my head around this new method and how I can use it in with students in Functional Skills, but I developed a problem-centered instruction and an information-about lesson that I think can work esp. for my high-functioning autistic students. LH

Lesson: How to Identify an Insect Intro

Ammon went to visit his cousin Addi at her new house. When he got there he saw that she had a new little bunny rabbit. Portrayal of Addison and Oreo, her black and white rabbit. "I want a pet," Ammon said to his mother. " I'm sorry, " his mother told him. "We live in an apartment and no pets are allowed." portrayal sign -No Pets Allowed or Ammon pouting with his lower lip stuck out. "But, maybe you could make a Pet Zoo if you promised to keep the insects in their jars. But you will have to learn what an insect is and how to identify one." " Okay," said Ammon Portrayal of Ammon on the lawn with a sheet and a mini shovel and some jars etc. like he is going to try and catch some insects. These above 3 screens present the problem that the learner viewing can relate to

Lesson Starts What is an insect? text As you walk across a field, through the woods or even in your own yard, your are surrounded by thousands of tiny creatures. For an animal to be called an insect, it must have # special things; 1st special thing six legs. number 6 as a portrayal and the insect showing six legs Next screen portrayal of three animals one a fish, one a mammal with 4 legs and one insect. Can you click on the animal with 6 legs?.audio Good job. You found the insect! audio How about finding another one? portrayal of three more animals maybe a frog, snake and an insect You did it again audio How many legs does an insect have? Pause Student clicks on the number 6. Now here are some pictures of some other animals. Find the insect. Show similar insects mixed with a spider, some other creepy thing, and an insect. Remember look for the six legs.

2nd special thing about an insect. Insects have three body parts. Show picture of an ant diagram portrayal Arrow pointing to the head and blinking. This is the head. Next Can you find the head? Students clicks on the head. Wow! Next This is the abdomen Arrow is pointing and flashing on the abdomen. Can you find the abdomen? Great! Next this is the hardest to remember. This is the thorax. Arrow is flashing on the thorax Next Can you find the thorax? Next how many body parts does an insect have? Count to three. The screen counts to three 1,2,3

3rd special thing about an insect An insect has an exoskeleton. His skeleton is on the outside of its body and not on the inside. This makes the insect hard. Have you ever stepped on a bug? It crunches Portrayal of crunching bug? maybe Show a picture of a snake, an elephant and an insect. Which one would crunch if you stepped on it? Student clicks on the insect. Great job! To continue click on the green arrow.

Lesson 2 would continue on the same learning scale with the development of learning more about insects. Learning to identify a True Bug with 2 sets of wings, a beetle with a line down its back also additional body parts such as compound eyes, antennae etc/ Vocabulary such as camouflage, mimicry, life cycles, etc. to further develop the learning with additional lessons.

What do you think?