Running Head: EDUCATIONAL THEORIES AS LESSON PLANS
Educational Theories as Lesson Plans
Pamela Daniels
Towson University
December 11, 2013
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Running Head: EDUCATIONAL THEORIES AS LESSON PLANS
Introduction
I am not a teacher; however, I recently became a Blackboard Learn instructor and support
person. Therefore, the development of lesson plans was very challenging because I have never
had to do it before. It was an extra challenge to relate a lesson to learned theories from ISTC663
– Applied Psychology of Learning. One thing I learned from taking the course is that there are
several different learning theories that can apply to any subject matter, and a variety of applied
theories can make instructions interesting and meaningful. The lessons described throughout this
project cover topics from Persuasive Writing to Computer Repair and include age groups from
3rd and 4th graders to adult learners. The lessons are combined with various learning theories to
demonstrate how an instructor can design education in a variety of subjects and for any learning
audience.
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EDUCATIONAL THEORIES AS LESSON PLANS
Lesson One
Gagne’s Nine Events of Learning
Persuasive Writing – How to persuade
Overview
Learning to write persuasively helps students develop an understanding for how their writing
may influence or change someone’s thoughts or beliefs. It also allows children to formulate
reasons for their opinions and provides an opportunity to research facts related to their opinions.
Purpose
This lesson pertains to Gagne’s Theory, because each step in the lesson pertains to Gagne’s
steps. Gagne’s Theory (Driscoll, 2005) is a framework for designing instruction; therefore,
basing each step of the lesson relates to creating an effective lesson plan. Additionally, it pertains
to Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory (Driscoll, 2005) because students work together in groups to
develop a deeper meaning of what persuasion is and take on the role of teachers to learn from
one another about persuasive writing.
Objective
Students will:
 Define the purpose of persuasive writing
 Use persuasion to achieve a desired outcome
 Distinguish vocabulary words useful in persuasive writing
 Perform steps of a writing process
Materials and Resources



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
Dear Mrs. LaRue: Letters from Obedience School by Mark Teague (Selected letter from
book)
Chart paper or colorful strips of paper
Colored Markers
Powerful Words and Persuasive Words and Phrases Printables
Newspapers, magazines, and other printed media
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EDUCATIONAL THEORIES AS LESSON PLANS
Audience
The course is designed for students in fourth grade and from various economic backgrounds.
Instruction and Procedures
1. Gain Attention: Students are asked their opinion of which is better, cats or dogs. They will
convince someone who thinks differently to side with what they believe is true. Students are
given 5 minutes each.
2. Inform the Learner of the Objective: Students are asked if they know what the word
persuade means; they are asked if they have ever persuaded their parents to do something
they normally wouldn’t allow them to do, such as eat dessert before dinner or stay up past
bedtime. The word and the definition of persuade are written on colored strips of paper.
Students also words they think define persuasion and ask why they think the words are
persuasive or not. The instructor indicates that students will write a persuasive letter and use
vocabulary words.
3. Recall prior knowledge: Students sit in groups of two or four and ask questions such as:
 Have you ever asked someone to do something when you knew or thought they would
say no or not agree with you?
 How did you ask?
 Were you successful in getting what you wanted?
Students write the answers from their group members. Afterwards, they share the stories with the
class. A class discussion from the answers also aids in preparation for the upcoming lesson task
of writing a persuasive letter. Subsequently, students use chart paper to write down persuasive
words from the shared stories to discover common words which define persuasion.
This strategy falls under the category of recalling prior knowledge because students:


Ask for information
Listen to information presented to them
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EDUCATIONAL THEORIES AS LESSON PLANS


Report and share information with others through writing
Use persuasion and not realize what it is
4. Present the Stimulus: Instructor reads to students from the book: Dear Mrs. LaRue: Letters
from Obedience School (2002). During the reading, students are asked:




Why do you think Ike wants to leave the Canine Academy?
How does he try to convince Mrs. LaRue to let him come home?
Do you think Ike’s methods of persuasion work?
Why or why not? (Roudez, 2013)
Following the reading, students will analyze various persuasive writings in the media (e.g.,
newspapers, magazines, and the Internet) to look for words and phrases that are designed to
persuade.
5. Provide Learner Guidance: After the reading and research, the instructor hands out
Powerful Words and Persuasive Words and Phrases printables (Appendix A). Students will
also use words from research, chart paper, and word strips to write words they believe are
influential to write a persuasive letter. Teacher will also use a letter from the book (Appendix
B) as an example for students to follow.
6. Elicit Performance: Students are provided with three choices for drafting a persuasive
letter:
a. Write the principal of the school to ask for longer lunch breaks.
b. Write parents and tell them why you should get paid for doing chores around the
house.
c. Encourage school administrators to implement an anti-bullying program.
Students are encouraged to use words from instructional materials. First, they will participate
in groups (with different members than first group) and brainstorm how they will write the
letter. They will highlight specific words and/or phrases from the materials to define what
persuasion is. They will write the letter from the topic they choose, and provide facts or
examples that support their positions.
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EDUCATIONAL THEORIES AS LESSON PLANS
7. Provide Feedback/Assessment: The teacher will evaluate each group’s writing style. She
will compare techniques of writing a persuasive letter with what is reviewed in class. This is
also a phase that allows the instructor to assess performance to find if the lesson objective
was successful. This will also allow the instructor to decide if the lesson needs revising.
8. Enhance and Retain Knowledge Transfer: Students will read the letters to the class.
Classmates will serve as peer reviewers to analyze and offer suggestions to improve each
other’s persuasive writings. Finally, they will reflect on the first group’s stories of
persuasion. They will “revise” the story to follow what they learned in class. They will be
able to use handouts and other tools to help them. Students will regroup and tell revised
stories to the rest of the class and comment on how the change may have received a better
response from the person they tried to persuade.
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EDUCATIONAL THEORIES AS LESSON PLANS
Lesson Two
Adult Learning Theory
Blackboard Learn (LMS) training
Overview
Blackboard Learn (Blackboard) is the Learning Management System (LMS) used by many
educational institutions. At the University of Maryland, Baltimore, each semester, law school
support staff is encouraged to take a face-to-face refresher class to enhance Blackboard skills.
Purpose
This lesson is based on the Adult Learning Theory also known as Malcolm Knowles (1984)
model of Andragogy. Knowles states that adults possess certain characteristics in terms of
learning.

They are motivated and self-directed – They are motivated because they are able to
connect what they learn to use Blackboard as support for faculty in the goal to educate
students. Self-direction is emphasized when learners use what they learn to build on
further knowledge gain.

They are experienced – The target learners for this course are administrative support
staff that use Blackboard to assist faculty with course management. They have experience
in various modules of the system such as creating announcements and uploading course
materials.

They are goal-oriented – Learners recognize how the course will allow them to become
self-sufficient in their use of Blackboard.

They desire relevance –Learners are surveyed and asked what they know and what they
want to know. Instruction is built on responses obtained from the survey. What they will
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EDUCATIONAL THEORIES AS LESSON PLANS
learn or review can also provide them with useful tools to be better serve faculty. They
may also educate faculty in what they learn in Blackboard training.

They are practical – The course is built to provide hands-on participation in various
course modules from building assignments to creating discussion boards and wikis. This
knowledge will enable students to use awareness in their work environment to
successfully support faculty course objectives.

They want equality – The instructor listens attentively to all learners in the course and all
questions are handled promptly. Encouragement of ideas and feedback throughout the
course is accepted.
Objective
Students will:
 Identify major Blackboard user interface components.
 Use Blackboard tools to perform various course management activities, such as posting
announcements and assignments.
 Display self-sufficiency in Blackboard task completion.
Materials and Resources
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

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Classroom computers equipped with Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, and Mozilla
Firefox to use to connect to the Blackboard portal.
KWL Chart (Appendix C)
Faux faculty emails
Blackboard User’s Manual
Learner Assessment Survey created with Survey Monkey:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/M282YFN
Training Evaluation Survey created with Survey Monkey:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/HLXPSGZ
Audience
Various age groups and experienced learners who serve as support staff for law school faculty.
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EDUCATIONAL THEORIES AS LESSON PLANS
Activities and Procedures
1. Gain Attention: An email is sent out to learners with a Learner Assessment Survey. The
survey provides questions to evaluate existing Blackboard knowledge and experience.
The survey also serves as a guide for course development and course activity planning.
Once the course is assembled and learners are in class, they watch a short PowerPoint
presentation which is also an agenda for the day’s lesson and course activities.
2. Inform the Learner of the Objective: A slide in the presentation will inform learners of
the objective for refresher training attendance. The objectives include:


Produce self-sufficiency to learners in using Blackboard
Relate learning to assistants daily workflow in support of Blackboard and:
o Complex or rare requests
o New task demands
o Helpful training and assistance
3. Recall prior knowledge: Assistants use prior knowledge to complete a Know-WantLearn (K-W-L) chart (Appendix C) at the beginning of the course to discover what is
known about Blackboard. Additionally, students fill out the chart so the instructor can
relate training to knowledge. Finally, a review of mentioned concepts from the KWL is
used to scaffold understanding.
4. Present the stimulus: Assistants are presented with instructions for how to complete
corresponding tasks in Blackboard. The tasks are also outlined in the presentation as fake
faculty emails. The emails are written as requests for performing various tasks ranging
from easy to complex.

Email #1 - students create an announcement in a Blackboard course. Second,
learners generate a course link in the announcement. Students provide dates to (a)
send announcement now or (b) send announcement at a later date. Students email
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EDUCATIONAL THEORIES AS LESSON PLANS
a receipt of the correspondence to course enrollees. Students are guided through
each step of the learning process.

Email #2 - students copy course materials from one course to another using the
document, “Creating Courses by Copying Existing Courses” as a guide.
Instructor provides assistance as needed.

Email #3 - students create a new folder and attach a URL which opens in a new
window. Students will also upload a document to the folder. Students perform
task without instructor assistance.
5. Provide Learner Guidance: The instructor provides learner guidance in the first two
steps of instructional tasks (see above). This ensures the learner gained knowledge to
complete complex tasks without instructor direction.
6. Elicit performance: The assistants will complete two tasks without instructor help.


Create an assignment. In this task students will identify the course tool associated
with completing the task:
o Click on the Content Area >> Create Assessment >> Name
Assignment, etc.
Create a menu item. In this task, students will build on previous knowledge by
making a course link in the Course Module area of Blackboard:
o Click Plus icon in course menu area >> Choose Content Area >>
Name the new content item
7. Provide feedback: At the completion of the training, the instructor asks if there are any
questions or comments about what they have learned. They are asked if they need help in
any area of instruction.
8. Assess Performance: No tests since this is a training session and not a class.
9. Enhance Retention and Transfer: Students retain the user’s guide as reference for any
future requests received from faculty. Additionally, learners are encouraged to
experiment with other Blackboard tasks as shown in the guide to utilize other complex
responsibilities. They may use a sandbox environment for this exercise.
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EDUCATIONAL THEORIES AS LESSON PLANS
Lesson Three
Constructivist Theory
Microsoft Word – How to create a resume
Overview
Microsoft Word is a word processing application of the Microsoft Office suite. It is used to
create and edit various types of documents including letters, resumes, and essays; in addition,
users create these documents using a myriad of fonts, charts, and images.
Purpose
Jerome Bruner’s (Driscoll, 2005) theory on constructivism is based on the idea of learning as an
active process. This lesson is constructed on the premises that learners are active in the process
of gaining knowledge. Learners in this activity possess prerequisite knowledge and experience;
therefore, learning is based on active learning rather than passive receiving. It is designed to
provide learners the opportunity to work in a hands-on environment to scaffold knowledge such
as typing on a keyboard, moving a mouse, and surfing the Internet.
Objective
Students will:
 Create a basic document using Microsoft Word 2010
 Edit the document with text
 Control page setup and appearance
 Utilize Word’s document tools
 Share, save, and print documents
Materials and Resources
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


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Classroom computers equipped with Microsoft Office 2010 and Internet browsers
A LaserJet Printer
A flash drive to store resume
Microsoft Word 2010
Pre-assessment
Formative and summative assessments
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EDUCATIONAL THEORIES AS LESSON PLANS
Audience
Young adults (early to mid-twenties) with basic computer skills such as: keyboarding, typing,
and surfing social media sites. Students are unemployed and do not possess a resume.
Activities and Procedures
1. Gain Attention: Students complete a pre-assessment as valuation of previous skill sets as
they pertain to Microsoft Word (MS Word). The assessment consists of 10 multiple choice
questions (GCFLearnFree, 2013) to test basic knowledge of using the MS Word application
(Appendix D). Students also participate in a personal interview which examines how often, if
at any time, they have used MS Word for personal purposes.
2. Inform the Learner of the Objective: Students review a resume created in MS Word. They
are told that the goal of the course is to gain the skills and knowledge to create a resume they
can use for personal business such as finding a job.
3. Recall prior knowledge: Students use prior knowledge for using a computer to type. Typing
skills range hunting and pecking (typing with index fingers) to advanced keyboarding skills.
Students also use prior computer knowledge to identify icons on a computer screen. This
knowledge stems from using an Internet browser icon to open a screen to surf the Internet.
They build on this knowledge to discover and identify the MS Word icon that opens an
application to type and create a new document or revise an existing one.
4. Present the stimulus: Students are presented with various tasks and instructions ranging
from how to identify the MS Word icon to printing a final document. For students to be
successful, they will work throughout the process of needing assistance to individually
completing tasks in succession.
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EDUCATIONAL THEORIES AS LESSON PLANS

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Utilize the New Document icon (blank sheet of paper) to create a document.
Employ the Save As button (disk icon) to create a name for the new document.
Navigate to the name of a newly created document with the “Recent” option in
MS Word’s Backstage view.
Open a new document to add and edit text.
Utilize the format text options to bold name, address, phone number, and email
address at the top of a document and left justify paragraphs.
Produce 1” margins on each side of the document using the Page Layout tab.
Create a bullet list.
Manipulate the “Review” tab of MS Word to navigate to the “Spelling &
Grammar” menu to check document for grammatical and spelling errors.
Successfully print 5 copies of a finished document.
7. Provide learner guidance/Elicit performance: The instructor provides learner guidance in
the steps outlined above. Afterwards, students perform each step to create a resume. The final
product should produce five copies of a well formatted resume.
8. Provide feedback/Assess Performance: There are no tests because this is a training session
and not a class; however, students should be able to explain the importance of using
Microsoft Word. Can it be used for anything else on a daily basis? How can it be used?
9. Enhance Retention and Transfer: Students are provided with instructional materials to
produce a Microsoft Word document. Additionally, students are encouraged to practice
documentation creation for other projects.
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EDUCATIONAL THEORIES AS LESSON PLANS
Lesson Four
Situated Cognition
Repairing Computers – Virtual Reality
Overview
In today’s digital society, it is extremely valuable to be fluent with technology. Every grade from
pre-k to college uses computer technology. Computers are also used in the business world and in
homes. Because of this, the demand for support, troubleshooting and maintenance of computers
is in high demand.
Purpose
Situated Cognition is based on the theory of Lave & Wenger. They believe that learning is
gained through increasing participation in communities of practice (Driscoll, 2005). Many
employers require experienced technicians to repair laptops, desktop computers, and other office
machine technologies. This lesson provides students with the skills they need in a real-world
atmosphere.
Objective
Students will:
 Troubleshoot and replace computer hardware
 Install computer operating system (Windows 7)
 Describe the CompTIA A+ certification
 Compose a journal (Links to task of using helpdesk software)
Materials and Resources


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
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Computers equipped with keyboard and mouse
LabSim computer repair simulation software
ComptiaA+ practice exams
Prezi
Blogger
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EDUCATIONAL THEORIES AS LESSON PLANS
Audience
This course is designed for young adults (late teens to early twenties) who desire to be computer
technicians; however, they have little to no knowledge about computer terminology or repair.
Activities and Procedures
Scenario
The class will meet 2.5 hours a day for a school semester of nine months. The course will serve
as an elective for students who desire to learn about computers from a technical standpoint.
Students will acquire a background for the A+ certification (CompTIA, Inc., 2012) and use the
knowledge to take the A+ certification exam. This is an entry-level certification for computer
technicians. It is used to measure skill as a technician and understanding of computer hardware,
software, installation, and troubleshooting (CompTIA, Inc., 2012).
A Constructivist classroom environment is used because students use simulation labs for active
involvement with a computer and a “real world” environment feel. This allows students to learn
a variety of computer related tasks without working on a real computer.
Technology Incorporated
For the course, a lecture along with LabSims will be used. LabSim is simulation software
produced by TestOut (TestOut Corporation, 2013). The simulation software enhances lessons by
allowing students to interact with a virtual computer using gestures to perform real world tasks
such as replacing a hard drive, upgrading memory, and attaching cables. Prezi is used as
presentation software to enhance the delivery of lectures for the course (Prezi, 2013). Both
lecture and presentation are given daily before lab sessions, and students use simulation software
to enhance the learning. Lecture time will be thirty minutes followed by an hour and thirty
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EDUCATIONAL THEORIES AS LESSON PLANS
minute lab using LabSim to obtain hands-on experience. After each lab, students create an entry
into Blogger (Google, 2013) as a journal to detail what they learned; notate problems they had
and problem resolutions. Class discussions take place at the end of each class for students to
share experiences with other classmates and the teacher.
Objective
By the end of the nine month unit, students will be able to install, build, upgrade, repair,
configure, troubleshoot, and diagnose problems with computer hardware and the Windows
Operating System. Students will have an opportunity to take two practice certification exams.
The exams assess student knowledge from the course and provide an assessment of various
technical strengths and weaknesses. This course is designed help students build troubleshooting
skills and techniques; it also strengthens their understanding of how computers work and how
each component of the computer performs together as a unit.
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EDUCATIONAL THEORIES AS LESSON PLANS
Appendix A
Persuasive Words and Phrases Examples

I am writing to

I have heard a rumor that

We can do without this

How unfair!

Now

Obviously

We can solve this by

I believe that

This will cause

If these plans go ahead

Is it really worth

I am speaking to you today because

This needs to be dealt with

It will ruin our quality of life

No one would believe that

Surely

Of course

This will mean that

Another thing

Just think about

How could you (we) possibly
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EDUCATIONAL THEORIES AS LESSON PLANS
18
Appendix B
Letter from book: Dear Mrs. LaRue: Letters from Obedience School
October 6
Dear Mrs. LaRue,
Were the neighbors really complaining about my howling? It is hard to imagine. First, I
didn’t howl that much. You were away those nights, so you wouldn’t know, but trust me, it
was quite moderate. Second, let’s recall that these are the same neighbors who are constantly
waking ME up in the middle of the afternoon with their loud vacuuming. I say we all have to
learn to get along.
My life here continues to be a nightmare. You wouldn’t believe what goes on in the cafeteria.
Sincerely,
Ike
P.S. I don’t want to alarm you, but the thought of escape has crossed my mind!!
Teague (2002, p. 10)
EDUCATIONAL THEORIES AS LESSON PLANS
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Appendix C
Name_____________________________________________ Date____________________
KWL Chart
Before you begin your research, list details in the first two columns. Please fill in the last column
after completing your research.
Topic ____________________________________________________
What I Know
What I Want to Know
What I Learned
EDUCATIONAL THEORIES AS LESSON PLANS
Appendix D
Assessment Example
1. The tasks for Save, Open and Print are found in ___________.
A. Live Preview
B. Backstage view
C. Global view
D. Task Manager
2. You can change the font size with the ___________.
A. Font Size box
B. Grow Font command
C. Shrink Font command
D. All of the above
3. To save a document for the first time as an original version, you use the __________ option.
A. Save
B. Save As
C. Open
D. Close
4. To save an edited document while keeping the original version, use ___________.
A. Save
B. Save As
C. Open
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EDUCATIONAL THEORIES AS LESSON PLANS
D. Close
4. To change page margins, you'll need to go to the ___________ tab.
A. Home
B. Insert
C. Page Layout
D. Review
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EDUCATIONAL THEORIES AS LESSON PLANS
References
Blackboard Learn. (2013). Create Course by Copying Existing Courses. Retrieved from
https://help.blackboard.com/enus/Learn/9.1_SP_10_and_SP_11/Administrator/140_Course_Management/Creating_Cou
rses_by_Copying_Existing_Courses
CompTIA, Inc. (2012). CompTIA A+. Retrieved from
http://certification.comptia.org/getCertified/certifications/a.aspx
Driscoll, M. P. (2005). Psychology of learning for instruction (3rd Ed.). Boston: Allyn and
Bacon.
GCFLearnFree (2013). Word 2010 Quiz. Retrieved from
http://ttdmoodle.amsamoa.edu/GCFLearnFree/content/topic/174/quiz.html
Reading Rockets. (2013). Persuasive Words. Retrieved from
http://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/persuasive_writing/
Roudez, T. (2013). The Art of Persuasion. Scholastic. Retrieved from
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/art-persuasion
Scholastic. (2013). KWL Chart. Retrieved from http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lessonplan/kwl-chart
Teague, M. (2002). Dear Mrs. LaRue: Letters from Obedience School. New York, NY:
Scholastic Press.
TestOut Corporation. (2012). LabSim A+, Online IT Certification and Certification Training.
Retrieved from http://www.testout.com/home/it-certification-training/labsimcertification-training/pc-pro
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