Michael Wigglesworth
National University
Abstract
The following paper discusses the artifacts submitted for Domain E for my Professional
cooperative learning activity, unit project for my 12th grade AP Government and Politics
classroom, and a lesson plan designed to give the students a clear understanding of the Japanese
Creating and Maintaining Effective Environments for Student Learning. The first artifact that I’ve
create environments for student learning that move beyond the traditional isolated, independent
learning of the 20th century classroom. The photograph was taken during activity in which
students were tasked with rotating through stations evaluating each of the eight features of the
effective way to provoke deeper analysis and teach collaborative problem solving skills.
Ultimately, this gives students the feeling that they are part of a learning community and it gives
the teacher the ability to circulate around the classroom and engage students one-on-one. By
using a variety of grouping patterns in the classroom the teacher is more likely to have
opportunities for differentiating instruction and addressing the divers needs of a diverse student
population. By using this strategy in the classroom the teacher gains more flexibility and is better
equipped to target the needs of students and to individualize instruction (Ventriglia, 2009).
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Domain E Review
My Second artifact is a a unit project for my 12th grade AP Government and Politics
classroom. The project is designed to incorporate various learning modalities and to encourage
high levels of student engagement. The project is closely aligned with the Bloom Taxonomy
learning objectives. The unit plan also demonstrates how I organize instructional time in the
classroom to move students from basic fact recall to higher order thinking via discovery learning
and critical analysis. Linda Ventriglia points out the importance of creating an “authentic
environment” in the classroom “where students gain the confidence and experience-based skills
to find their own solutions to problems” (Ventriglia, 2009). The project will be focused on the
topic of the executive bureaucracy and the roll of policy networks or “iron triangles”
in American democracy. The project starts with direct instruction and student research on the
topic of the executive bureaucracy. Next students evaluate the topic of iron triangles and answer
the essential question, “who is really calling the shots in the policy making process?” After that,
students choose an area of policy and construct their own iron triangle and present it to the class.
The unit culminates with a “Situation Room” reenactment where students respond to a policy
crisis and draft policy recommendations for the President. This type of open-ended
exploration teaches students to step out of the traditional linear thinking of the 20th century
Information Age and begin to construct modes for creative, integrative thinking (Ventriglia,
2009).
My third artifact is a lesson plan designed to give the students a clear understanding of
why and how the Japanese American internment during WWII took place. The lesson
also encourages students to evaluate the subject matter in terms of their own personal values and
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Domain E Review
ideas about democracy and civil rights. The lesson plan incorporates a PowerPoint presentation
by the teacher, cooperative group activities, and independent learning activities. This assignment
requires that students go beyond simple definitions or descriptions of events. Students are
required to discuss the constitutional implications of the Japanese internment, including how it
potentially impacts their own civil liberties. The project culminates with students comparing the
Japanese internment to how Arab Americans were treated in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist
attacks. This lesson demonstrates how I construct interactive environments for learning and use
References
Slavin, R. E. (2006). Educational Psychology: Theory and Practice. (8th Ed). New York, New
York: Pearson.
Ventriglia, L. D., (2009). Best Practices: Differentiated Instruction– The Rule of Foot. Mexico