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Part 1- Topic

1a- Learning GoalLearners will demonstrate their ability to identify parts of the microscope and their functions, as

well as, set up, use, and clean up a microscope safely and correctly.

1b- AudienceThe audience for this ID project includes students ages 15 to 17 within a biology course at analternative school, and home, for children in Laramie, Wyoming.

1c- RationaleThe topic for this lesson was chosen based upon a need request from the biology teacher at thealternative school in Laramie, Wyoming. The teacher and I discussed various needs and atimeline that would fit within this project. The topic of microscopes became the best option asstudents would be introduced to them within this semester of school, allowing me to assess their

knowledge and incorporate their understanding. The teacher requested new ideas to incorporateinto her unit on the microscope. After investigating learner knowledge, learning gaps wereidentified as a need that must be addressed. Many misconceptions were identified amonglearners, calling for changes to be made to current instruction. This need falls under thediscrepancy model within Smith & Ragans (2005) text Instructional Design 3 rd edition.The overall strategy for this project will be mostly supplantive. Microscopes are very delicate,expensive tools that need to be handled carefully to avoid dangers. Students must get directinstruction on various parts, how to use them, and basic care techniques, before they can work with the microscopes alone. Once students receive proper training and practice, they will beallowed to use the microscopes individually to investigate slides of their choice; this will be thegenerative portion of instruction. The learning tasks will be simple and well defined. Overall,

the strategy will be 90% supplantive and 10% generative.The learning outcomes for this lesson will be both procedural and declarative. Instruction willinclude pairing of items. For example, microscope parts will be paired with their function. Themajor instructional strategy will be used for simple procedures, rather than declarativeknowledge, because students must be able to apply their knowledge (Smith & Ragan, 2005).Simple procedures are learned through step by step demonstration and instruction. Onceinstruction is complete, learners must apply their knowledge through practice and receivefeedback. Procedural knowledge is gained through straightforward instruction and littlediscovery learning. This fits well with a supplantive approach. One of the most important stepsfor this procedural lesson is checking the appropriateness of a completed procedure (Smith &Ragan, 2005). Learners must decide when it is appropriate to use medium and high power

objectives, based on the previous results.

Part 2- Analysis Report

2a: Needs Assessment SurveyLearners were assessed by both a content assessment (Appendix A) and through an individualinterview (Appendix B). The assessments were given to sixteen students within the high school

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Student Confidence Levels N u m

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Fig. 3 Student confidence levelswith using microscopes

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Results of MicroscopeQuiz

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Fig. 1 Students who missed partquestions on microscope quiz

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Fig. 2 Students who missed functionquestions on microscope quiz

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biology course. The content assessment was given through a paper and pencil format. Itcontained seven short answer, three true/false, and thirteen matching questions, all pertaining tothe microscope. The interviews were performed one-on-one and were utilized to gaininformation about students prior knowledge, educational history, learning styles, and demographics. Microscope functions were also assessed during the interview using the

microscope image from the quiz. Students were asked the function for each of the fourteen partsand their results were recorded on their quiz.

2a: Needs Assessment Data ReportThrough the needs assessment, a number of learninggaps were identified. There were four main areas thatstudents struggled or had misconceptions aboutregarding microscopes. The first gap identified is amisunderstanding about total magnification. Totalmagnification is the total amount that a microscope willmagnify the slide it is focused on. To find total

magnification students multiply the power of theeyepiece by the power of the objective in use. If giventhe numbers to multiply, most students were capable of determining the final number for total magnification.However, students were unable to tell me what thedefinition of total magnification is and what it meanswhen working with microscopes. This is a need thatmust be addressed. The second misconceptionstudents have is when to use the fine adjustment knob.Most believe the fine adjustment knob should only beused on high power, rather than on all three powers. Incontrast, most students understood that the coarseadjustment knob should only be used on low power.As shown in figure 1, five of the sixteen studentsmissed two or more parts of the microscope while twostudents missed only one part. Others (9 of 16) wereable to identify all fourteen parts by the correct name,or an acceptable alternative. All students weresuccessful identifying the functions of the following

parts: arm, base, objectives, stage, light, and eyepiece.The functions of five microscope parts were missed bymultiple students. Figure 2 shows how many studentsmissed the function for the five specific microscope

parts. During instruction there needs to be moreemphasis placed on the parts and functions that arecommonly missed by students. Students were notassessed on their actual ability to use a microscope,however, they were asked about their confidence level

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Fig. 5 Student's Previous MicroscopeUse

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Student Ethnicity

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Fig. 4 Student EthnicityNativeAmderican

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when using microscopes. Figure 3 shows that two of the sixteen students do not feel confidentusing microscopes, four students are somewhat confident, and ten students feel confident enoughto use microscopes on their own.

2b: Learning Context Description

The learners will stay within the biology classroom and will be taught traditionally, in a face-to-face environment. This rooms seats 7 students comfortably with desk space and an additionalstudent with only a chair. The lab equipment available includes 3 microscopes, various blank slides, and 53 sample slides ranging from human cross sections to plant and animal parts.Thirteen laptops are available for student use with checkout from the library. The teacher hastwo available laptops for showing various media options. Class sizes range from 3 to 6 students

per class. Existing curriculum is very flexible. The teacher does not incorporate a lot of media atthis time, but is very open to bringing in new forms of media. Students are often removed fromclass for counseling and medical purposes, resulting in a slower pace, considerable make upwork, and review.

2b: Transfer Context DescriptionThe knowledge gained from this course will meet Wyoming Science Standard: Science asInquiry. Specifically, benchmark five which states, Students will use appropriate scientific and safety equipment, recognize hazards and safety symbols, and observe standard safety

procedures (Wyoming State Board of Education, 2003). Students may use this information infuture science classes in both high school and college. They may also use this knowledge infuture careers. For example, one student stated she had hoped to become an endocrinologist this lesson will help lay a foundation for a future in that career. The content will be transferrableto either of these situations, school or future careers, in that very little changes with steps tousing a microscope. Future knowledge will build off the basics learned within this lesson.Extensions can be used to introduce students to different types of microscopes and which career fields they may use them in.

2c: Description of LearnersLearners are of both male and femalegenders with 56% of students being maleand 44% being female. Students vary in ageas well. Three of the students are fifteenyears of age, nine students are sixteen yearsof age, and 4 students are seventeen years of age. Figure 4 shows the different ethnicitiesamong students within the biology classes.There are four ethnicities among learnerswithin this setting including Caucasian,

Native American, African American, and Hispanic. Students are sent to this schoolfrom either Wyoming or California. Asshown in figure 5, four students have never

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Personal belief in future microscopeuse

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Fig. 6 Students who think they willuse microscopes in the future

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used microscopes previously to this course.Eight students have used microscopes onetime in their life, either in school, at home,or with their parents. Four students have had multiple uses (two or more) with

microscopes. All students currently live oncampus and have very structured schedules.Students are pulled from class frequently for various counseling sessions and appointments. Many of these students haveexpressed interest in science, but lack motivation in school. Twelve of the sixteen students have expressed the belief that they will notuse microscopes in the future, while four students believe they will (Figure 6). A large portionof these students have expressed they do not work well from textbooks, but rather from hands onactivities and visuals. A large portion of these students have been identified to have below gradelevel reading performance, resulting in very little learning from individual work and reading

assignments. Many of these students lack confidence in school and are placed within this schoolfor disciplinary or safety purposes. Therefore, due to other necessary treatment and healthsurveys, the importance of education is not stressed within this situation.