7. • Tasks
• Roles
• Milestones
• Timelines
• Due Dates
• Cushions, and Slack
Planning the Project
8. Group Planning Steps
1. Research theories related to the application of Cognitive Apprenticeship, within
scholarly journals
2. Perform in-depth literature reviews, and evaluate application of relevant source
material
3. Locate relevant case studies on which to pattern the program design, and mold to suit
the topic
4. Design the program, using best practices, case studies, and so forth
5. Submit program design for evaluation, analyze feedback, and make necessary changes
11. Research Summary
2) Case Studies
• Well suited for adult vocational and life skills
training
• Applicable for special needs and/or setting
wherein learners have challenges
• Digital platforms greatly enhanced with the
Cognitive Apprenticeship model
1) Literature Review
• Specific learning environments are necessary to
support the model; without such the model is
not considered fully vested
• Traditional apprenticeship should not be
confused with the model; Cognitive
Apprenticeship has considerably more depth and
a wider reach
12.
13. Designing with Integration
1) Learning Model
2) Literature Review
3) Case Studies
4) Learner’s Qualities
5) Merging Content
14. Designing the Program, and
Merging the Content and the Model
Scenario Description: Community leaders of a residential body want to teach residents about waste
management and the advantages to having a recycling program, and/or food sharing program.
Participant’s in Scenario: Community residents, who would be the participants are all older adults,
primarily ages 55 to 80 years of age, with various learning challenges related to aging.
Content Specifics: Waste management as a subject relates to environmental sustainability. Recycling,
composting, gardening, and food sharing are sub-topics of Waste Management.
Program Goals: The program’s purpose is to establish a community waste management program that
encompasses recycling, composting, food production, and food sharing programs.
15.
16. Improving with Evaluations
• At least two professionals,
with one back up if possible
• Disparate fields of expertise,
when appropriate
• Customized questionnaire,
be prepared to ad lib as needed
• Offer different communication
modes to suit the evaluator
• Assess comments, incorporate
as you see fit
• Don’t take comments personally,
maintain sense of humor
17. Critique Summary
• Good use of how-to videos and video field trips in
relation to the model
• Good learning objectives, lots of detail
• Favorable use of imaginary scenario, and/or
participants
• Excellent design for teaching the leaders the model
so that they can repeat the trainings for the
residents
• Lacking in specific case studies to support model in
use
• Too many learning objectives
• Actual program design is confusing, seems to be
three distinct programs merged into one
• Too much focus on environment topic, distracts
from the learning model
• Missing a schedule or time length for program
components
Strength Weakness
18.
19. Reflecting and Learning
• Project Benchmarks
• Key Highlights
• Process Notes
• Lessons Learned
• Advice for Others
20. Key Highlights
• Creation of an imaginary scenario with related fictitious participants is thought to be critical for
making the design process feel more concrete and detailed.
• Being flexible enough to change focus with respect to learning model, preferred content, or participant
details is key to having a more productive use of time.
• Working alone may seem like a good solution to a challenging personal schedule, but in the end the
amount of time required to complete the tasks, and the lack of input from others discounts any
benefits drawn from a more customized schedule.
• Gained additional knowledge of how to construct a demonstration that is thorough yet with a more
condensed presentation.
21. Process Notes
• Time management was very challenging considering the volume of tasks to be completed in a solo team
situation. I wouldn’t recommend doing such a project alone for future student educators.
• Choosing a specific scenario first, and then selecting an appropriate learning model had worked well for
a previous project, but then to my surprise this protocol did not work as well for this project.
• Learning to be shared:
• The Cognitive Apprenticeship model would function quite well for a wide range of learning
situations and/or learning needs.
• The model is far more complex than the standard concepts of Traditional Apprenticeship, and
should not be considered solely for simple tasks or skills learning; to the contrary it is an ideal
model for fairly complicated content.
The Cognitive Apprenticeship model is introduced with respect to program design intended for community based learning. A community of apartment dwellers is the focus of a program to teach the community’s leaders how to instruct their residents about the practices associated with environmentally friendly waste management. The model is chosen as a potential “best fit” for the situation at hand.
Section I. Initiating: Idea development, education concepts and learning theories, and team formation.
There may be times when it is difficult to decide which learning model or concept to choose from. In some cases, you may want to focus on what type of content and what type of learners you will be working with first. Then afterwards you may find that a one or more models is better suited to meet the content and/or participant(s) better than another.
The Cognitive Apprenticeship Model was chosen for this particular program design. The model was chosen based somewhat on the characteristics of the learners, which were imagined as being of mixed age older adults, with various degrees of learning challenges related to aging. As well, the subject matter of waste management and recycling, naturally leaned towards the strengths that this particular model has to offer.
Section II. Planning: team charters, project planning strategy, tasks, roles, timelines and due dates, blog set up for project documentation.
Decide on a target. Set goals. Create task list. Assign roles. Develop a timeline with milestones, and/or due dates. Formulate a working, flexible project planning document. In this particular case, a solo project was to be embarked upon. This decision would later prove to be rather challenging for a variety of reasons.
The Planning phase should initiate with a Group Plan or Team Charter. Such a document offers the team a cohesive blueprint for how the project will unfold. Each phase of the project, including the given deliverables should be enumerated along with corresponding due dates, and designated responsible person(s) for completing the tasks. Even a solo team should have a planning document in place.
Section III. Researching: data collection, scholarly resources, literature reviews, and research analysis.
Ideas are not enough to support an academically solid program design, it is imperative to connect personal theories or ideas for appropriateness through the use of scholarly research materials.
Completing a full research analysis provided validation that the model chosen was a good fit for the scenario. Although all facets of the proscribed learning environment would be difficult to simulate; many work-around options were available to create similar frameworks. Traditional Apprenticeship model was initially considered as the best fit; the Cognitive Apprenticeship model was several shades better than this original concept. Many of the learners focused upon were “adult” learners with little exposure to the content; as well many were thought to have learning challenges, both physical and mental. The use of digital media, in the form of video, chat rooms, and such were supported by the model as being highly appropriate for integration with the content.
Section IV. Designing: literature review summary, case studies, rationale, “program design” or overview as it would appear to prospective students, and merging of concepts.
The ultimate program design integrated factors found with respect to the literature review, the case studies, the learner’s qualities, and the content. The content was easily adapted to fit within the framework of the model, as the model was chosen after the imaginary scenario was created. That being said, it was discovered that the model was highly adaptable to a wide range of situations.
Creating an imaginary scenario was critical to having a real-world solidity with respect to designing a plausible program. Without a detailed scenario the application of the model would have been lacking in depth and practicality. The content would not necessarily been as well supported by other learning models.
Section V. Evaluating: sharing with appropriate professionals, evaluating feedback, incorporating suggestions for continuous improvement.
The employment of professional evaluation of one’s work is critical at any stage in one’s career. Two professional educators were chosen for the evaluation phase; both with distinctly different backgrounds. As this program, was somewhat uniquely community based, the use of two different perspectives proved to be very interesting and valuable. Each evaluator came forth with very distinct, yet complimentary feedback. Much of the feedback was concurrent with the program author’s own viewpoints.
The two main points which stood out from the evaluation process were the need to shorten the overall program design. To either shorten or divide the program design into sub-programs was thought to be a good improvement. Additionally, the need to delete and categorize the learning objectives was another suggestion considered appropriate. Lastly, the need to add a schedule and/or time factor(s) for the program components was thought to be valid for improvement opportunity for the program design.
Section VII. Reflecting: project benchmarks, key highlights, and process notes.
Complete the project with time to reflect. Document some of the project highlights. As well, make notes regarding process, lessons learned, etc. for both yourself and other educators to benefit from the experience. Don’t forget to appreciate and enjoy the completion of a job well done!
See above for detail…
See above for detail…
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