standard1

=Standard1=

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**Standard 1** ** Teachers know the subjects they are teaching. **  The teacher understands the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of the disciplines she or he teaches and can create learning experiences that make these aspects of subject matter meaningful for pupils

Evidence1: Computer Parts Lesson Plan

Rationale 1: This lesson plan was developed for a 7th grade computer literacy class. Throughout the course, students learn to use several programs, websites, and resources on the computer, but it is also essential for them to understand how the machine, the computer, they are using works. Although it is somewhat complex and this lesson just touches on the basics, by gaining an understanding of how the computer works, students are more confident in their skills and use of the computer, as well as their troubleshooting abilities.

This lesson forced me to become more knowledgeable about computers and the area I teach. I use computers every day and feel comfortable in my ability to use them in various facets, but I didn’t have the best of knowledge of how computers actually worked. After preparing for this lesson, I gained a much better and deeper understanding, thus enabling me to better teach students about the topic.

KSD:


 * K.2: The teacher understands how students' conceptual frameworks for an area of knowledge, conceptions, and misconceptions can influence their lear **** ning. **

This wasn’t the easiest lesson for me to prepare because computers are so complex. First, I really didn’t know a lot about computers myself, especially about the insides and how everything worked together. Things can get pretty in-depth, so I needed to determine what the key concepts and main ideas that I wanted students to learn and take away from the lesson were. These concepts and ideas needed to be presented in ways that students could understand, since I knew that if we went into too much detail or got into the really confusing content, students would become confused, lost, and frustrated and would learn very little about the topic. I needed to structure the lesson to be engaging and somewhat hands-on because, again, I felt the content could be somewhat abstract.


 * S.1: The teacher effectively uses multiple representations and explanations of disciplinary concepts that capture key ideas and link them to students' prior understandings. **

Students use a computer every day in class, so by opening and taking apart a computer, students were really able to get an idea of what they tool they use looks like on the inside and make a connection to prior knowledge. We examined the different parts and I provided an explanation of what that part did and why it was important. Some of these parts students knew about, some they had only heard about, and some were completely new. We watched a short video that, although dated, provided simple and understandable explanations for the main parts of a computer (most of which we talked about when taking the computer apart). Students then worked in groups to complete a web quest. This provided students an opportunity to make connections to what they learned so far, to learn a little more about their assigned area, and then to really become the “teachers” of the area by creating a glog or prezi to present to the rest of the class about the parts.


 * D.3: The teacher has enthusiasm for the discipline(s) she teaches and sees connections to everyday life. **

Perhaps it is because we use computers every day in the class I teach and the class is centered on computers or maybe it’s because computers have always been kind of a mystery to me, but I thought this lesson and the key concepts would be valuable for students to know. However, even more important is the fact that computers aren’t going away any time soon and because students do use them so much it is helpful for them to have a general understanding of how they work in case they need to troubleshoot. Students could definitely make connections to computers and how they work because they are using them every day in class and probably other areas, as well.

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