Week 6 – Final Project
Brain-Based Instructional Plan
In this final project, you will apply specific brain research-based strategies to a content- and age/grade-specific instructional plan of your own design. You will then reflect on how the selected strategies support learner engagement, motivation, and success.
Instructions
This Final Project synthesizes learning into an original, brain research-based instructional plan. There are two parts to this assignment: Part One: Instructional Plan and Part Two: Reflection.
Jensen purports that “brain-based lesson planning does not follow a template—mainly because the basic premise of brain-based learning is that every brain is unique, so a one-size-fits-all approach does not work” (2014, p.214). However, your learning is still developing and for the purpose of this Final Project, an instructional plan template utilizing the seven stages of brain-based planning derived from Jensen’s work will be utilized to construct your plan. Keep in mind this is a SINGLE lesson, not an entire unit of instruction.
Prepare
Content Instructions
Part I: Instructional Plan (The provided template must be used).
- Template: Plan must be structured using the provided easy-to-read template. Plan should not be in essay format.
- Lesson Overview: Include the subject, age/grade level (e.g., P-12, post-secondary, adults, etc.) and duration of lesson. Lesson should be between 30 and no more than 90 minutes in length.
- Standard(s): For P-12th grades, include the content specific standard from your state or the Common Core. For adult learners, include organizational or professional standards or program-specific standards.
- Objective(s): Include no more than two specific, measurable, student-centered objectives that align with your standard(s).
- Learning Stages: Label each of the seven stages of brain-based planning. Include the equivalent stages of Gradual Release of Responsibility (GRR) as a cross-reference (i.e., Stage 2: Preparation /Anticipatory Set). All stages of GRR should be represented within the seven brain-based stages.
- Lesson Examples/Illustrations: Describe specific instruction, modeling, learner activities, and assessments that correspond with each learning stage.
Part II: Reflection (Added to the bottom of the template following Part 1).
- Share what critical questions you asked yourself as you planned learning with the brain in mind.
- Describe how brain research-based strategies support teaching, learning, and quality curriculum and instructional design.
- Discuss what elements of your instructional plan serve as a means of motivation for learners.
- Discuss ways are learners engaged in their learning as opposed to passively participating.
- Describe how the learning environment supports brain research-based learning that is non-threatening, structured, but respectful of each learner’s unique nature, needs, and experiences.
Written Communication Instructions
- Length Requirement: Three to four pages not including the title and references pages.
- Syntax and Mechanics: Display meticulous comprehension and organization of syntax and mechanics, such as spelling and grammar.
- Source Requirement: Utilize at least two scholarly resources and the Jensen (2008) textbook. All sources on the references page need to be used and cited correctly within the body of the assignment.
- APA Formatting: Use APA formatting consistently throughout the assignment. Refer to the Ashford Writing Center (Links to an external site.) for assistance with APA style and formatting.
Submitting Your Assignment
- Submit your assignment for evaluation. Include the link to your ePortfolio in the comments box when uploading.
- Archive your assignment in your ePortfolio by uploading to your Portfolium account. Once assignments are uploaded to your ePortfolio, they are considered artifacts and will be referenced as such.
- Once logged in to your Portfolium account, select “Add Work”. Follow the step-by-step instructions.
- Once uploaded, add a title (eg: Brain-based Instructional Plan) and 1-2 sentence description.
- Select “Education” as the cateogry and give it the same title as the previous step.
Your artifact should now be viewable in your ePortfolio.
Carefully review the Grading Rubric (Links to an external site.) for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.