EDCI 335 Blog

Amira, thank you for sharing your post about experiential learning. You did a great job exploring multiple sources to further solidify your argument. Utilizing experiential learning would be quite beneficial for our assignment as you already explained. As you explained, aspects of this educational approach such as hands-on learning and reflection are extremely important in the learning environment.

Blog Post #2

Sophia, I quite enjoyed reading what you had to say about cooperative learning and the benefits of incorporating this instructional approach to our interactive learning design assignment. I appreciate the section at the end of your blog outlining possible disadvantages to this educational approach as well, very insightful.

EDCI 335 – Post 2

Taiya, than you for taking the time to explore the concept of open pedagogy. I appreciate the way you organized your post. I especially like the way you linked your post to our project. In specific, I enjoyed the emphasis you placed on public engagement and its ability to provide students with additional resources for their learning and emotional support.

Post 2

During the first lesson planned for my groups Interactive Learning Design assignment, our students will be asked to watch the YouTube video, Fight Flight Freeze – Anxiety Explained For Teens (2019). This video explains the basic concept of anxiety, why we experience it, and how it effects the body. After watching this video, it would be beneficial for the students to complete an activity to ensure their understanding and encourage further exploration of the subject.  

One activity students could participate in after watching the assigned video is a think-pair-share activity. Students would create small groups of 4-6 members and discuss the video. In this discussion, students would be encouraged to discuss the following questions:

1. How has anxiety manifested in your life? Try to think of both positive and negative examples of anxiety within your own life and experiences.
2. What physical symptoms do you experience when you are feeling anxious?
3. What are some strategies you use to deal with your own anxiety and anxiety-related symptoms?

After completing the small group discussions, the class would discuss common themes seen within their groups.

Participating in this activity requires students to engage with the material in multiple forms. First, students must engage in individual thought about the video and their own answers to the provided questions. Then students must participate in small group discussions about their answers to the questions. At this time, students may begin to see a theme and feel more understood by their peers. Finally, students would share the common themes they found with the class. In this class discussion, the students would see the normality in anxiety and how everyone experiences differently.

While this activity would be best in an in-person classroom environment, it is also possible for it to take place online in an asynchronous format. This would require students to form groups with their peers in an online discussion forum. Students would be given an amount of time to complete their small group discussions before one student shares their common themes in a discussion forum containing all class members.

Feedback for the online version of this activity would include comments from the instructor on both the small group and class discussion forums. The instructor would create a list of the most common themes found in the class and post this on the discussion forum for students to see.

While this activity does not require a large amount of work from the students, it is beneficial for them to participate in group discussions as it allows them to build rapport with their peers and find commonalities amongst themselves. Despite being a low-effort activity, students would leave feeling better understood and more at ease within the class.

References

Anxiety Canada. (2019). Fight Flight Freeze – Anxiety Explained For Teens [Video]. YouTube.

Thank you for explaining the concept of universal design! I like how you explained the concept in multiple different contexts (architecture, seating, and due dates). You did a wonderful job building off of and expanding on course material from this week.

Blog Post 3

Accessibility is an integral part of education. Without having accessibility requirements met, many students struggle to achieve their academic goals. While it can be difficult to foresee all accessibility needs and academic supports students may require, it is important to be prepared and open minded. Our instructors are committed to acknowledging and breaking down any barriers that may block students’ abilities to participate and succeed in the learning environment. This include but is not limited to any physical or mental disabilities that hinder the learner’s ability to participate fully and equally in the classroom environment.  

Instructors for this course will be readily available and eager to aid students and supporting their education. Instructors will be accessible via email, Microsoft Teams direct messages, and Microsoft Teams video calls. Students who require extra support are encouraged to make contact with their instructor regarding their accessibility needs. The instructor will accommodate any valid requests from students. In the case that a student is requesting an accommodation that is not possible, instructors will work with the student to compromise and find a way to incorporate a similar accommodation to meet the student’s needs. While it is encouraged that students contact the instructor prior to beginning the course, instructors will be available to meet and discuss student needs throughout the course. Although it is impossible to format the course differently for every student, our instructors aim to create a welcoming, enjoyable, and accessible learning environment.

Having multiple learning opportunities allows students to engage in different learning formats, which caters to multiple different learning styles. Students taking our class will have access to multiple different learning sources such as YouTube videos, textbook readings, gray literature, and Quizlet quizzes. All videos provided by the instructor will have an option for closed captions should the students require them. Support for technological difficulties will be available through the instructor should the students be experiencing any difficulties.

Accessibility is of the utmost importance when it comes to fostering an equal learning environment and we are committed to building an accessible, welcoming classroom environment.

EDCI 355- Learning Design Blueprint

Group 1 Members:

 Amira Davey, Riley Brooks, Danae Bennett, Sophie Murphy, Taiya Scorey

Topic:

Understanding Anxiety in Teens: Evaluating Key Factors Increasing Anxiety in Today’s Youth

Part One: Introduction

Description: 

Adolescence is a critical life stage during which individuals experience significant psychological, emotional, and social changes. This period is characterized by identity formation, increased independence, and heightened emotional sensitivity (Van Der Graaff et al., 2014). From a psychological perspective, understanding the cognitive and emotional processes that transpire during adolescence is crucial for promoting positive mental health outcomes. Academic research emphasizes the importance of supportive environments and effective coping strategies in enhancing adolescent well-being (Keijsers & Poulin, 2013)

Misconceptions:

There are many common misconceptions regarding adolescent development. For example, adolescents are often viewed as inherently rebellious and problematic. This overlooks the fact that adolescence involves natural developmental struggles and that most adolescents navigate these challenges successfully with appropriate support (Keijsers & Poulin, 2013). Additionally, there is a common misbelief that mental health issues in adolescence are merely a phase and will resolve on their own. In reality, early intervention and support are crucial for managing mental health concerns effectively (Simmons et al., 2023). By focusing on psychological perspectives, this learning resource aims to provide valuable insights and practical strategies for supporting adolescent development and mental health.

Rationale 

This course will effectively teach learners about various factors contributing to anxiety and mental health challenges in today’s youth.  This course will also implement the principles of cognitivism as the main learning design.  

References:

Keijsers, L., & Poulin, F. (2013). Developmental changes in parent-child communication throughout adolescence. Developmental Psychology, 49(12), 2301–2308. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0032217

Simmons, M. B., Cartner, S., MacDonald, R., Whitson, S., Bailey, A., & Brown, E. (2023). The effectiveness of peer support from a person with lived experience of mental health challenges for young people with anxiety and depression: a systematic review. BMC Psychiatry, 23(1), 194–20. https://doi.org/10.1186s12888-023-04578-2

Van der Graaff, J., Branje, S., De Wied, M., Hawk, S., Van Lier, P., & Meeus, W. (2014). Perspective taking and empathic concern in adolescence: Gender differences in developmental changes. Developmental Psychology, 50(3), 881–888. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0034325

Part Two: Learning Design Plan

Audience:

The targeted audience for this course is 15 to 18-year-old secondary students. The purpose of this is that the content directly impacts this age range. Our goal is to help prepare these adolescents for post-secondary and everyday stress by teaching them to understand their mental health.

Big Ideas: 

1. Understanding the psychological processes and challenges of adolescence is crucial for fostering healthy development and mental well-being.
2. Effective support and intervention strategies can significantly improve adolescent mental health outcomes

Learning Outcomes:

1. Learners will be able to explain the key psychological processes that influence adolescent anxiety.
2. Learners will be able to  identify common contributors to anxiety in adolescents
3. Learners will be able discuss effective intervention strategies.

Learning Activities:

1. Interactive Lecture: Presentation on adolescent psychological development and mental health challenges, supplemented by discussions and Q&A sessions.
2. Group Discussions: Small group discussions on misconceptions and real-life applications of intervention strategies.

Assessments:

1. Quizzes: Learners will take a short quiz to test their understanding of psychological processes and common challenges in adolescence.
2. Critical Thinking Topic: Students will choose an article that summarizes the course content. Afterwards, students will choose to agree or disagree with this topic
3. Tests: Following the quizzes, learners will take a test to demonstrate their understanding of the course.

Evaluating Learner’s Comprehension: 

Individuals’ learning outcomes will be evaluated by their ability to accurately describe psychological processes and challenges that may contribute to adolescent anxiety. Individuals will also be evaluated by their ability to apply appropriate intervention strategies to hypothetical scenarios. 

Part Three: Resources

1. Textbooks:
   • Steinberg, L. D., & Lerner, R. M. (2009). Handbook of adolescent psychology. John Wiley & Sons.
   • Cummings, J. A. and Sanders, L. (2019). Introduction to Psychology.Saskatoon, SK: University of Saskatchewan Open Press. https://openpress.usask.ca/introductiontopsychology/
2. Scholarly Articles:
   • Blöte, A. W., Miers, A. C., & Westenberg, P. M. (2022). Concurrent and prospective associations between social anxiety and responses to stress in adolescence. Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology, 50(5), 659–668. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-021-00880-3
   • Connor-Smith, J. K., Compas, B. E., Wadsworth, M. E., Harding Thomsen, A., & Saltzman, H. (2000). Responses to stress in adolescence: Measurement of coping and involuntary stress responses. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 68(6), 976–992. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006X.68.6.97
   • Mancini, G. F., Meijer, O. C., & Campolongo, P. (2023). Stress in adolescence as a first hit in stress-related disease development: Timing and context are crucial. Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology, 69, 101065–101065. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yfrne.2023.101065
   • Henker, B., Whalen, C. K., Jamner, L. D., & Delfino, R. J. (2002). Anxiety, Affect, and Activity in Teenagers: Monitoring Daily Life With Electronic Diaries. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 41(6), 660–670. https://doi.org/10.1097/00004583-200206000-00005
3. Grey Literature

• National Institute of Mental Health. (2021). Mental Health Minute: Stress and Anxiety in Adolescents [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wr4N-SdekqY
• Anxiety Canada. (2019). Fight Flight Freeze – Anxiety Explained For Teens [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpolpKTWrp4
• Child Mind Institute. (2022). How Anxiety Affects Teenagers | Child Mind Institute [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnAKKuwHelM
• International OCD Foundation. (2018). Impact of Anxiety on School Performance [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrLcFttcReE

4. Technology Tools:
   • Microsoft 365
     1. Teams Chat 
     2. Outlook 
     3. Word
     4. PowerPoint
   • Quizlet 
   • Google Forms

Part Four: Project Plan Proposal

1. Topic Research and Content Development: Riley (compete by Oct 13)
   • Sources (text, academic literature)
   • Divide info into modules
   • Learning objectives
   • Finding videos/grey literature 
   • Intro/overview, chapter 1, chapter 2
2. Designing Learning Activities, Assessments, and Interactive Materials: Sophie and Taiya (complete by Oct 27) 
   • Sophie
     1. Critical Thinking Topic 
     2. Quizzes and tests (1 quiz per chapter and then 1 test)  
   • Taiya
     1. Group Discussions 
     2. Interactive lectures 
3. Developing Technology Tools and Platforms: Amira (complete by Nov 10)
   • Use current Microsoft Teams Group for the module
     1. People in Teams can be the 5 group members and the professor
     2. A link/ code to the Teams Group will be included in the assignment document
   • Introduction to the technology that will be used in the class
     1. Overview of what technology will be used and how to access it 
   • Create a channel for each chapter and input all learning resources (made by other team members)
4. Compiling the Final Project: Danae (complete by Nov 24 → hand in)
   • Edit all sections throughout (and help with research/any questions throughout project)
   • Create final doc (compiling all parts into one)
     1. Make lesson plans 
     2. Create syllabus 
   • Submit blueprint on WordPress and Brightspace

Proposed meeting days:

• Thursday October 10th, 2:30pm (discuss Riley’s part/progress) 
• Saturday October 19, 2:00pm (discuss Sophie and Taiya’s part/progress)
• Tuesday October 29, 6:45pm (discuss Amira’s part/progress)
• Thursday November 7, 6:45pm (discuss Danae’s part/progress) (Sophie and Taiya may not make it)
• Saturday November 23, 2:00pm (final touches)

Inquiry-based learning is a teaching strategy in which both the student’s active participation and responsibility for their learning are emphasized (Pedaste et al, 2015). This means that students utilize methods such as creating and testing hypotheses, experiments, and their own curiosity to engage in self-directed learning (Pedaste et al, 2015). Inquiry-based learning focuses on two main aspects; deep engagement in material, and opportunities to collaborate (Ernst et al., 2017). The goal of this educational strategy is for students to engage in scientific discovery. This is achieved through an inquiry cycle, which includes five inquiry phases: question, predict, experiment, model, and apply (Pedaste et al, 2015). Each of these phases aims to encourage students to continue their learning process and engage in the material at a deeper level. While these phases are generally followed in a sequential order, there are many connections between phases, which may result in the students returning to one or more of the phases throughout their learning process (Pedaste et al, 2017).

Inquiry-based learning allows students to explore their own curiosities and participate in self-directed learning, which fosters a more engaging learning environment. Due to these aspects of this educational style, it has been proven that the inquiry-based learning style results in higher learning outcome in the sciences (Pedaste et al, 2017). While studies suggest that inquiry-based learning is effective within the sciences, I believe this evidence could relay back to the social sciences, specifically for the topic of understanding anxiety in teens. Anxiety is something that everyone experiences in their lives, which makes it an easy to research topic for students. Following the steps of an inquiry cycle would be a beneficial way for students to deepen their understanding of anxiety in teens. This educational style would also allow students to focus on their specific interests in the area of study (for example, social anxiety, test anxiety, generalized anxiety, etc). It also encourages each student to get involved and collaborate with their peers to formulate a deeper understanding of course materials. One way students could utilize inquiry-based learning to better understand anxiety in teens would be creating a hypothesis and following the steps of an inquiry cycle to examine their hypothesis in an engaging, self-directed manner. Students could fabricate a survey for their peers, examine peer-reviewed journal articles, or explore grey literature within their experimentation phase. Using the educational strategy, inquiry-based learning, would be effective in deepening one’s understanding of anxiety in teens.

References:

Ernst, D. C., Hodge, A., & Yoshinobu, S. (2017). What is inquiry-based learning. Notices of the AMS, 64(6), 570-574.

Pedaste, M., Mäeots, M., Siiman, L. A., De Jong, T., Van Riesen, S. A., Kamp, E. T., … & Tsourlidaki, E. (2015). Phases of inquiry-based learning: Definitions and the inquiry cycle. Educational research review, 14, 47-61.

EDCI 335 – POST 1

Thanks for sharing! This is a great connection to the course content!

Have you ever faced a problem that seemed larger than you could handle?

When I first moved out, I lived in the dorms of my university. While many people love living on campus, I found it unbearable. Between the shared bathrooms, inedible food, and lack of home-school balance, I felt an overwhelming amount of homesickness and frustration.   For this reason, I decided to enter the renting market in December of my first year of university. When I made this decision, I had no clue the learning experiences I would have and the difficulties I would face. Although this is not a formal learning experience, I believe this was the most prominent and influential lesson I have ever had.

The initial consequences of the renting market hit me like a truck. Between the costs of damage and pet deposits, food, utilities, car insurance, gas, vet bills, and dog food, I quickly realized I was in over my head. Even working five shifts a week at a minimum wage job would not cover these expenses. Coming to understand the dire financial situation I was in lead me to begin budgeting, meal planning, and cutting costs whenever possible. This was not exactly the way I grew up or a concept I was familiar with, which presented its own challenges. Learning to budget my expenses was a tedious process. Since I was working retail and had differing hours each week, my paycheques were everchanging.

This learning process most closely related to that outlined in constructivism (Ertmer & Newby, 2018). Although I was physically on my own, I knew my parents were there to support me and help me through any problems I faced. My parents acted as my teachers as they helped me understand and implement the required tools such as budgeting and meal planning. In this way, my experience felt similar to an apprenticeship, which is one of the main strategies used by constructivist teachers (Ertmer & Newby, 2018). While the act of learning felt quite constructivist, I also feel that it was necessary to change my behaviours and routines, which relates to the behaviourist theory of learning (Ertmer & Newby, 2018). Through learning to meal plan and budget, it was required for me to stop eating out, begin buying more whole foods, and track every penny that entered and exited my bank account. These were difficult behaviours to change, however seeing the effects of these changes acted as a reinforcer and pushed me to continue working towards financial stability (Ertmer & Newby, 2018).

Learning to live on my own in a new town as a first-year university student as one of the most difficult tasks I have ever faced, but through trial and error, meal planning, and budgeting (and a better job), I was able to find a comfortable balance between work, school, and financial stability.

References

Ertmer, P. A., & Newby, T. (2018). Behaviorism, Cognitivism, Constructivism: Comparing Critical Features From an Instructional Design Perspective. Foundations of Learning and Instructional Design Technology: Historical Roots and Current Trends. https://edtechbooks.org/lidtfoundations/behaviorism_cognitivism_constructivism