Reflection on my GAME plan

Developing, updating and evaluating my GAME plan have increased my awareness of the need to incorporate real-world issues and relevant statistics into my math and science lessons. Additionally, I need to make a shift in the way that the students acquire knowledge and facts, increasing the students' involvement while limiting my dispensing of information. Cennamo (2009) suggests that the computer should be used as a " support for conversation." Choosing, or letting students choose, a story, topic or set of facts to anchor a lesson engages the students and provides a reason to learn the course content.
In my physics class, the concepts of physics are explored through a modeling method of instruction. I received training and have access to support materials through the Modeling Instruction Program out of Arizona State University. My GAME plan goals align nicely with the tenets of this program in which students design and interpret lab investigations which model authentic applications of physics in the real world. The idea is that students learn best by asking questions, finding solutions and not just recalling memorized facts (Cennamo, 2009).
My GAME plan also involved improving my use of technology to communicate more efficiently with students and parents. Although I do not think I will be able to get this going this school year, I definitely plan to use blogs and wikis in my classes next fall to record assignments and notes, display student work and monitor student discussions and collaborations.
The immediate impact on my instruction is that I will now consider a wider range of tools when planning my lessons rather than relying on only the traditional ones. Cathy Petty

References

Arizona State University, Modeling Instruction Program (http://modeling.asu.edu/)

Cennamo, K., Ross, J. & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach (Laureate Education custom edition). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, Pp. 254,265.