Rethinking Lessons Through Research

Whenever I’m planning a lesson, I go back and reread my plans, continue to talk though my ideas even after I originally brainstormed them, and often make many changes. It’s part of designing lessons as best as one can. Knowing what changes to make can be difficult. One way teachers can be more confident in their adjustments is to conduct research. This is what I have done recently for a lesson I am currently designing on the Five Themes of Geography for my 6th graders. As I was going through my feedback, I started to wonder what else I should be doing to help make my lesson more accessible to my students, so that is what I focused on first. In one journal, it focused on assistive technology and the design of the lesson. It was found that students benefit the most from having assistive technology be installed on their own devices and that designs such as transcripts, screen readers/auditory options, and easy to see color schemes are also helpful (She & Martin, 2022). With this, I made sure that my font and assignment designs are easy to read and reassured myself that I will have assistive technology on all of my students’ Chromebooks.

Photo of Student by Compare Fibre on Unsplash

Another part of my lesson I was questioning was the group work aspect. Sometimes students dislike working in groups because they are afraid of other students bringing down their grade. However, after researching and finding that “all students, regardless of disability status, benefited from [cooperative learning] experiences,” I am confident in including group work in the lesson I’m planning (Van Ryzin et al., 2024). By using research to guide my lesson planning decisions, I am more likely to create strong and beneficial lessons for all of my students.

Compare Fibre. (2021). Photo of Student. [Photograph]. Unsplash. https://unsplash.com/photos/woman-in-red-and-white-hoodie-wearing-black-headphones-e5sTz361Jzg?utm_content=creditShareLink&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=unsplash

She, L., & Martin, F. (2022). Systematic Review (2000 to 2021) of Online Accessibility Research in Higher Education. American Journal of Distance Education, 36(4), 327–346. https://doi-org.proxy1.cl.msu.edu/10.1080/08923647.2022.2081438

Van Ryzin, M. J., Murray, C., & Roseth, C. J. (2024). The effects of cooperative learning on self-reported peer relations, peer support, and classroom engagement among students with disabilities. Journal of Educational Research, 117(6), 355–364. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220671.2024.2410494