Big Idea: Since access is a new focus in my inquiry, I decide to analyze one of my lesson plans on resource access to discover the connections between access and intellectual autonomy. I draw on the literature to determine specific relationships between the two concepts.
Roadmap:
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Background
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Data Analysis
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Connection to Literature
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Reflection and Next Steps
References: Betts (2004), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2021), McCombs (2010)
Background
Key Idea: Since the concept of access is a new one in my inquiry research, I decided to analyze a lesson plan I created that is intended to increase my students' access to learning resources with the goal of fostering intellectual autonomy.
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After my collection and analysis of Artifact 5, I decided to shift Phase 3 of my inquiry research from individual-level differentiation to providing my students with the appropriate access to the resources and materials they require if they are to learn, apply, and create knowledge autonomously.
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Because this is a relatively new area for me to think about, I wanted to collect an artifact near the beginning of this phase. More specifically, I wanted to see if I could design an appropriate lesson for my students that helped them to gain the access they need. So, I decided to make one of my lesson plans an artifact for analysis. This particular lesson is focused entirely on providing access. Although future lessons will instead incorporate differentiated access, this lesson serves as a jumping board to start my students off on their pathway to access and its resulting autonomy support.
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During my analysis on Artifact 5, I found that my students specifically had trouble navigating the internet to locate information that could help them along in their autonomous learning. They weren’t familiar with how to leverage Google’s search engine to give them results that were relevant and at the appropriate depth. After searching, they weren’t sure how exactly to navigate all the information that they were presented with. So, for this artifact, I will be analyzing a lesson plan that specifically addresses those points. In essence, how can the Google search engine be leveraged to discover information effectively and efficiently? Since the internet is such an important and abundant resource for autonomous learning, it seemed important to devote a lesson to utilizing it properly.
Data Analysis
Key Idea: Upon analysis of my lesson plan, I find that it incorporates many points of access for my students that can lead to increased intellectual autonomy, which bodes well for future connections between the two concepts.
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Upon reflection, I believe the lesson plan flows well. Every section relates to and draws upon the previous section, and the entire lesson is cohesive in terms of its focus on providing students with access to autonomous online learning. The expectations of the students seem reasonable to me, as do the timings for each section of the lesson. Since my students are familiar with the math framework (opening routine, formative task, guided instruction, inclusive student activity, reflective closure), splitting up the lesson into those components will likely make it easier for them to follow along.
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In addition to providing access, I believe the lesson also promotes student autonomy. In both the opening routine and formative task, my students must draw on their own experiences and knowledge with limited formal guidance (autonomous learning). In the inclusive student activity, my students get to actually practice the skills they learn from the lesson on their own (autonomous application). Finally, in the reflective closure and homework, my students need to come up with new ways of thinking about navigating the internet and disperse it to their classmates and a family member (autonomous creation). This is very interesting to see, and it bodes well for how seamlessly access and autonomy seem to be related.
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Thinking about the process involved in creating this lesson plan, it was actually relatively easy because I simply drew on all my observations of my students from Artifact 5. In the guided instruction, for instance, I address the topics that I found most lacking from my experience working with my students in the previous class. This artifact shows me that teaching and learning is truly an iterative and social process. Not only do I need to continue paying attention to my students’ strengths and needs, but I also need to continually incorporate appropriate supports into my future lessons based on those needs. Unfortunately, analyzing this particular artifact is unable to show me the actual effect that the lesson has on my students; that will have to be something I leave for future artifacts to discover.
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Connection to Literature
Key Idea: Drawing on Betts (2004), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2021), and McCombs (2010), my lesson plan seems effective because it provides specific access supports that give my students the tools and motivation they need to be intellectually autonomous.
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What I can do now is view the lesson plan through the various frameworks recommended by the academic research I have accumulated. The Betts (2004) paper shows that autonomy is developed when students are given the capability to explore and investigate information on their own. By providing my students with the knowhow to do that through the internet, I can effectively give them the tools they need to pursue their intellectual autonomy.
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2021) recommends that students be provided meaningful choices if they are to become independent in their learning. Looking at my lesson plan, I can see evidence of that; in the guided instruction, I show students multiple ways they can leverage the many features of Google search. So, when they have an actual topic of their own that they want to research, they can do so in whichever way seems most comfortable and appropriate to them, increasing their motivation to discover information that satisfies their curiosity.
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Another aspect of increasing autonomy, as explained by McCombs (2010), is making sure that students have consistent feedback. Students need to know if they are on the right track, or if there is anything they need to improve, so that they can continue to be successful in their autonomous education. In my lesson plan, I break my inclusive student activity into three separate modules. After students work on each one, there is a discussion phase where we go over their findings and help each other become better at discovering information. Finally, in the reflective closure, the students think about the process of discovering information and offer key takeaways to their peers. These forms of constant feedback will encourage my students to ask similar questions as they pursue autonomous learning in the future, whether that be through the internet or other resources.
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Reflection and Next Steps
Key Idea: This artifact has given me deeper insights into the connection between access and intellectual autonomy, and I now feel ready to provide my students with comprehensive differentiation and access supports that will hopefully transition them fully to intellectual autonomy.
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This artifact showed me more clearly the relationship between access and autonomy. The process of analyzing and writing about it helped me to draw connections from my past noticings of my students and my academic research to future ways I could help them to gain further access to knowledge and resources that will spur on their intellectual autonomy. It’s actually quite interesting – I’m the one that produced this artifact, and yet my deep analysis of my own work has still proven to be extraordinarily valuable. This is something I will have to remember for the future; not only can I analyze student data and products, but I can also analyze my own. In this fashion, I can continue to grow as a teacher as I identify the improvements I can still make to my practice.
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Having analyzed my lesson plan, I believe it is ready to go, and I am prepared to enact it for my students. Doing this intermediate step was a good way to make sure that I was putting forth a lesson that would be appropriate, engaging, and worthwhile to my students, before actually taking up class time. The next obvious step is seeing how the lesson actually pans out.
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Once I incorporate access as a consideration into my future lesson plans, I will want to see how that actually impacts my students’ intellectual autonomy. I will have to find a suitable way to observe that effect. Preferably, it’s something that lets me examine all three aspects of intellectual autonomy: the learning, application, and creation components. I will have to continue thinking about that as I move through Phase 3 of my research focused on access.