Running head: COMPREHENSIVE INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN PLAN

Comprehensive Instructional Design Plan

Jonathan Lillie
University of West Georgia
MEDT 7490
July 22, 2016

Running head: COMPREHENSIVE INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN PLAN

Client Information
Mrs. Rebecca Dean is a high school mathematics teacher at Forsyth Central High School
in Cumming, Georgia. Her email address is BDean@forsyth.k12.ga.us. She has been teaching
high school mathematics for many years and is taking on the position of math department head
this year. Mrs. Dean can disseminate the artifacts created through this project to the entire math
department.
Instructional Problem
Completing the Square has been a tough topic in mathematics for as long as I have been a
teacher. Discussions about where students could perform better very often include this topic.
Individual and county assessments have shown that this topic is one of the more difficult to
grasp. This topic requires the use of many algebraic steps to obtain a correct. It is a topic that is
rarely taught visually. When teachers fail to offer a visual representation to aid comprehension,
the students find themselves having to memorize a process without understanding how to think
about it mathematically. In addition, this topic use to be an Algebra 2 topic tackled by 11th grade
high school students. The changes in the math curriculum over that last five years have pushed it
down to 9th grade students in the Algebra 1 course offered by the state. This may heighten
challenges in acquisition.
Redesigned Lesson Description
Two artifacts have been created to enhance knowledge acquisition of Completing the
Square. The first artifact is an instructional video which includes one example completed
algebraically and visually using area models. That example is reinforced by two other examples
that include solving an equation after completing the square. The final slide in the video offers a
step-by-step process to reinforce the idea. The second artifact created is an individual project that

Running head: COMPREHENSIVE INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN PLAN

requires the students to teach a Completing the Square example algebraically and visually using
area models. Students may use several forms of media to present the information. Those options
include creating their own instructional video and embed it into a website, creating a poster and
presenting it to the class in person, creating an infographic and embedding it into a website,
creating a powerpoint presentation and presenting it to the class or creating a cartoon and
embedding it into a website. The artifacts will be included as appendices to this paper.
Methods of Evaluation
A rubric has been created to emphasize the important aspects of the project. This is how
the students will be evaluated. To evaluate the success of the artifacts the same assessment on
this topic that was used the prior year could be used. Comparing the last years results and this
years results could provide some insight into the success of the elements. A better way to
evaluate the artifacts effectiveness might be having a single teacher use the artifacts in one class
they teach multiples of. This would eliminate a number of variables (i.e. different teaching styles
from different teachers) and give any positive evidence more validity.
Why These Artifacts
The video is efficient in the math classroom because it offers students the ability to
rewind and rewatch the teachers instruction. Additionally, it is an excellent artifact to use in
reviewing before a quiz or test. The elements of the video offer a visual geometric representation
of an algebraic process. This helps the students understand why the algebraic process work
mathematically. Visual representations of real-world objects like squares help students hook their
knowledge to something they have already studied or experienced and understand. Without a
visual representation, they are forced to memorize a process and may forget sooner without
understanding why the knowledge is important. The project emphasizes teaching the idea

Running head: COMPREHENSIVE INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN PLAN

algebraically and visually to others. It requires the students to process the information at a high
level, high enough to teach another person.
ACRL Visual and Literacy Competency Standards
These artifacts focusing on a couple Visual and Literacy Competency Standards, the 3rd
and the 5th. Standard Three addresses the idea that visually literate students identify information
relevant to the images meaning. The artifact that fits under this description is the instructional
video I created to teach the topic. The video includes the use of images alongside an algebraic
process. Juxtaposing the two formats increases understanding and retention allowing the students
to make geometric connections to the algebraic steps. Geometry is often used to hook abstract
algebraic concepts to real-world applications. Standard Five summarized means students
understand how to use images effectively for certain purposes, in this case teaching the topic.
The artifact that fits under this description is the individual project that students create. This
artifact is designed to assess their understanding of the topic by asking them to teach the topic
using an example they create. As they teach they must take their example and explain their steps
through the use of images and algebraic manipulation.
Reflection
This assignment was challenging in a couple ways. It forced me to connect with someone
that might have different challenges than I experienced in my own teaching. The topic that
surfaced, Completing the Square, was something that we both felt needed assistance in most
classrooms. As department head, Mrs. Dean was interested in helping a crowd, especially the
new teachers. The question then was, what kind of activities best meet the needs and fit the
culture of our school. Flipping the classroom is gaining momentum so, we decided to create an
instructional video. After deciding on an instructional video, the challenge was how to

Running head: COMPREHENSIVE INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN PLAN

incorporate images in the explanation. Adding the images meant adding some explanation into
the video which made me feel like that would make the video a little longer than I wanted it to
be. Things worked out in the end and I was able to keep the time under 15 minutes. I try and
keep the video as close to 10 minutes because studies have shown that length seems to be a sweet
spot for high school freshmen. As the student progresses through high school the desired video
length approaches 15 minutes. The reason we chose a student project dealt with giving the
students something forced the students to reach for a very high level of comprehension. To us,
that meant giving them something that requires the students to teach the topic to others. It was a
very good project to end the course with.

Running head: COMPREHENSIVE INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN PLAN

Appendix A - The Annotated Slides of the Instructional Video

Running head: COMPREHENSIVE INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN PLAN

Running head: COMPREHENSIVE INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN PLAN

Appendix B - Individual Student Project

Project - Completing the Square

Instructions
This project is designed for an individual student. Students must create a quadratic expression
and demonstrate how to algebraically and graphically complete the square. Students may not
choose from the examples given in class content. They must create their own example.
Students may choose how they wish to present their work.
Ideas on how to present your example:
Create a video using any software you wish to include. Upload the video to
YouTube and embed the video into a free website from Weebly.com.
Create a poster. Present the poster to the class.
Create an Infographic using a free online builder. Embed the Infographic into a
free website from Weebly.com.
Create a PowerPoint presentation. Present the PowerPoint to class.
Create a Cartoon using free online builder. Embed the Cartoon into a free website
from Weebly.com.

Running head: COMPREHENSIVE INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN PLAN

Rubric
Beginning
1
Was the example original?
Was the example challenging?
Was the algebraic explanation
correct?
Was the graphical explanation
correct?
Was the presentation laid out
effectively and easy to learn
from?

Developing
2

Proficient
3

Exemplary
4