Literature Review

Domain D Planning Instruction and Designing Learning Experiences for Students

Damon Garner
National University

In partial fulfillment of the requirements for

TED 690 Capstone Course
Dr. Pengilly

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Literature Review

Abstract

In this literature review I will be examining Mary Alice Gunter, Thomas H. Estes and Jan

Schwabs Instruction a Models Approach. Specifically I will be looking at chapter 3 that

covers the topic of organizing content through course, unit and lesson design. Gunter et all

discuss the different ways to plan for instruction and organize content into meaningful and

purposeful order.

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Literature Review

Getting ready for the school year can be quite challenging. When you have to plan

for two or more classes with 182 days-worth of lessons can be extremely daunting. In this

particular literature piece Mary Alice Gunter, Thomas H. Estes and Jan Schwab examine the

different ways to organize content through course, unit and lesson design. Gunter et al states,

(2003) In a well-structured course design, the learner will be able to recognize the order behind

the plan, to determine how the parts fit into the whole, and to see how each part is related to

other parts. (p. 39) Every year I go back to the drawing board with my pacing guide to

determine what specific lessons or projects were successful for my students. You look at what

assignments not only engaged the students but what lessons enabled the students to make

connections to the next lesson or unit.

When designing a unit you must be able to look at the scope of a particular subject and

determine what to focus on. It is neigh impossible to fit everything in a particular field of study

into a particular school year, especially with all of the school wide and state-wide testing in

California. Gunter et al point out that, (2003) there are three essential aspects to unit design.

Scope defines the breadth and range of content to be covered, focus determines what will be

emphasized in the content, and sequence specifies the order in which the content will be

arranged. (p. 42) As professional teachers each year we meet as content teams and discuss all

three areas of unit design as it pertains to new standards or skill based instruction. One of our

new focusses is meeting the Common Core standards for writing. This has had the effect of

many meetings and focus groups on modifying and adapting our curriculum to include much

more writing in the social sciences.

Determining which areas of your content to cut out and in what order you are going to

proceed is definitely an art form. You must figure out what standards are weighed most heavily

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Literature Review

in your particular content area and then you can begin to plan for units, lessons and activities.

Gunter et al state, (2003) Similar to the design of a building or an automobile, the design for

instruction determines the quality of the finished product. (p. 52)

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Literature Review

References:

Gunter, Mary Alice, Estes Thomas H. & Schwab Jan. Instruction A Models Approach. Pearson

Education. 2003.