Lesson Reflection

Coming up with a lesson effectively using technology for language arts can be difficult to do without sacrificing important elements. It seemed we simply used technology because it was there and because we had to rather than used it to assist us in the lesson delivery. All in all, I think we touched on some important aspects of characterization but did not do as much as we could have to assist students in learning the knowledge we had intended to teach.

5. Application of Content: This aspect of our lesson could have used some work. We wrote the lesson plan to model how to develop a two dimensional character in writing and then had them create a character for performing. While some of the qualities are the same, we should have focused more on elements that would be apparent in action rather than wasting time discussing aspects of the written character, such as thought. We also should have used technology to capture students' attention with visuals. Showing a picture or video clip of bold, memorable characters would have benefited the students' thinking and understanding of character. By pointing out specific characteristics of a character they see in front of them, they would have been able to relate previous knowledge with their newfound creativity to depict a bold character of their own. They definitely succeeded in collaborative problem solving by working with a partner to find out more about a foreign culture and new ideas about character to create something concrete.

8. Instructional Strategies: A big mistake I think we made in our lesson plan is time management. The students spent more time researching a religion, when they should have been focusing on what we were supposed to be teaching them about—characterization. I think we scratched the surface of characterization and students definitely got a grasp of the important elements that go into creating a character, but we could have done a lot more with character development had we allowed students to create more in-depth characters and focused on what they already knew. It would have been more beneficial to have visuals for the students and allowed them to ask/answer questions using technology.

6. Assessment: The students working together to create different aspects of character was a great way to measure they're understanding of character. We gave them a character and they developed it. We were able to monitor they're creation of the character by being there as they worked together to answer any questions and make sure they were headed in the right direction. It was interesting to see how each student envisioned a character just based on the name and how he/she guided that character into a live production. It would have been better to let the students act out and direct each other in the production of the final character. In a way, they would have been able to assess themselves and each other, while we assessed their understanding of character.