THE PEDAGOGICAL CYCLE
In your pedagogical cycle you specify the instructional strategies that you
will implement as a part of your lesson plan. Each informational “chunk”
needs a separate pedagogical cycle so that students are not overwhelmed
with too much information.
How to Use the Planner: You should complete this pedagogical cycle for an
approved instructional objective from your lesson plan (See your instructor for
approval). For each of the steps below, click into the shaded box under each
step to enter the specifics of your pedagogical cycle. The box will expand to
accommodate your entry. Save and print the completed pedagogical cycle when
you are done.
STEP 1- Provide a Preorganizer
Describe how you will organize the information for students to easily understand. Answer these
questions:
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Are there any visual aids that you will use to help students organize the information?
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Are there any scaffolds that you might use with students?
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How will you use the materials you’ve described here?
The tool I will use for the preorganizer is a whiteboard on which I will draw a pros and
cons chart to write the students opinions. By writing on the board, it will reiterate the
students opinions and curb any repititions. I will ask students the share ideas of the
effects the computer has had on American society. I will then ask if an invention like the
computer swould be beneficial to a third world country like Haiti. By starting with
something they are familiar with, students can easily decide benefits and drawbacks to
the computer. Having them considers the pros and cons of the computer will help them
compare it to a third world nation since the benefits and drawbacks are likely to be
different. Having built this foundation, students will learn how to take the role of another
person when confronting an issue, which will prepare them for the lesson.
STEP 2 – Use Motivators
Describe how you will motivate students during your lesson. Remember, motivation must occur
before attention can be applied. Answer these questions:
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How will you focus the student’s attention?
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How will you ensure that students are engaged while they are learning?
To focus the student's attention, I will relate the lesson topic to the students' lives so that
they can easily relate. Furthermore, I will present the Smalltown problem as a mystery
and that they have the power to decide the fate of the town. By giving students specific
roles to play, which will be opposed to other roles, students will be motivated to "win"
and have their idea voted on. This sort of competition between the groups will serve to
keep them motivated and engaged while they are learning.
STEP 3 – Build Bridges to Prior Knowledge
Describe how you will scaffold or connect the information you are teaching in this lesson with
knowledge that the students may have already learned or already know. Answer these
questions:
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How does what the students will learn in this lesson connect with information they might
already know?
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What common gaps might you have to correct in order for students to understand the
information in this lesson?
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What materials will you need in order to connect the old information to the new information?
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How will you use these materials to connect the two types of information?
Students already have the knowledge that certain products have different benefits and
drawbacks that depends on the actor involved. A common gap that I may have to correct
is that students may feel that all inventions and tools are good and make them aware that
sometimes adhering to tradition is better for society as a whole. Most students seem to
have the opinion that all technologies will produce change for the betterment of society.
In order to connect the old information with the new information, I will draw on the
whiteboard a continuum line with change for the better on one end and tradition for the
better on the other end. Students will place examples that I give them where they feel
they should belong on the continuum line. By drawing the continuum line on the board
for all to see and using examples of items the students are familiar with, they will be able
to make the connection between the old knowledge and apply it to the new information.
STEP 4 – Share Objectives
How will you relate the instructional objectives to the students? Answer these questions:
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What is the instructional objective you have for your students?
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What terms will you use that they will understand?
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How will you explain this objective to the students?
I will inform students that the lesson for today is to focus on the historical case of
Smalltown and that each student will have a particular role when addressing the issue. I
will give them the background behind the story, tell them that the objective is for them to
decide what their character would vote in regards to the railroad, and then divide them
into groups. To help them understand, I will draw on the whiteboard a continuum line
and explain to them that they will be placing their answers on the continuum with no
railroad and for railroad on the ends. I will also inform them that they should be able to
make arguments for adhering to tradition and arguments in favor of change.
STEP 5 – Introduce New Knowledge
Describe how you will teach the lesson. Answer these questions:
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What media will you use to present the new content?
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What methods will you use to present the new content?
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How will you use the media within your methods?
The media I will use is the whiteboard on which I will write student's ideas. I will also
use a worksheet that explains the Smalltown story for students to refer to. The students
will also be given role card describing what the character they are to play. I will use the
whiteboard because it is easy to record the students answers and have it displayed for the
entire class to see. Furthermore, by handing out the worksheet and role cards, students
can always refer back to the information if needs be.
STEP 6 – Reinforce Knowledge
Describe how you will ensure that the content is being encoded in the students’ minds? Answer
these questions:
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What demonstrations or models will you use to reinforce the new content for students?
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What types of formative feedback will students receive in order to reinforce their knowledge?
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What kinds of examples will you present to students in order to reinforce their knowledge?
To help reinforce the knowledge students recently learned, I will present them with a
futuristic example so that they can apply the knowledge they have acquired to a new
situation. The formative feedback I will use with students is to look at each idea that a
student offers. We will then decide as a class if and why this idea is valid. For example, if
a students says that the nutritional pill will put many farmers out of business, then we will
look at this issue and why it has those effects. Then at the end, we will decide as a class
what the best decision would be in regards to this pill. By analyzing each answer given
by a students, they will be able to see if they are on the right track or any place they went
astray. Also, by looking at the answer as a class, the students will learn the correct answer
and way to approach a problem.
STEP 7 – Provide Practice Experiences
Describe ways that students will have to practice the new content they’ve learned in your lesson.
Answer these questions:
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What kinds of learning strategies will you use to give students practice with the content?
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What procedures or steps will students need to follow in order to practice with the new
content?
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How will you know if students have begun to master (acquire) the new content?
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What criteria will you use to determine the mastery level of students?
After presenting students with the futuristic example, they will be required to create their
own item or use a current one to show the benefits and drawbacks of progress. Not only
will students have to think of an item to use, but they will have to consider individually
the results of implementing this item. After students decide on a particular item, they
should make a chart weighing at least 3 benefits and 3 drawback of this item. While they
are working on this assignment, I will walk around the classroom and to make sure
students are on the right track and pose questions to get them to think in different
directions. I will know if students have begun to master the new content based on the
arguments they make in regards to the item they chose. To determine the mastery level of
students, their arguments for and against the progressive item should be at least 95%
accurate. If they need help or are getting on the wrong track, I will help show them the
correct way.
STEP 8 – Culminating Review
Describe how you will review the content the students have learned so that they are prepared to
progress on to the next lesson. Answer these questions:
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What verbal methods will you use to review the new content?
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What visual methods will you use to review the new content?
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What auditory methods will you use to review the new content?
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How will you know that students are ready to move on to the next lesson?
To review the content, we will look at a few of the students arguments for the item they
came up with for the assignment. The verbal method I will use to review this content is
discussion from the student and class in regards to the example we are looking at. The
student will be able to explain their item and offer their arguments for both sides. Then
we will look at it as a class and see if we can offer any more ideas. The visual method I
will use is an overhead projector to display the student's work that we are analyzing. I
will know if students are able to move on to the next lesson if they are able to look at the
multiple actors affected by an item. Also, they will be ready to move on if they are
capable of making reasonable arguments for the opposing sides.