1. Cathy Manduca and the Mini-lesson Testing Team
What Makes a Good Mini-lesson? Lessons from reviewing, research and experience
Cathy Manduca and the Mini-lesson Testing Team
(Karen, Sue, James, Stacia, Laura, Cindy, Gerry, Glenn, Rosemary, Geoff)

2. What Makes Mini-Lessons Work Really Well?

3. Wisdom from Learning Science (How People Learn, NRC,1999)
Learning is additive, it builds on current understanding
Understanding is actively constructed
Students must refine and connect their knowledge to be able to use it further
Learning to learn (metacognition) is an important aspect of becoming an expert
Cognitive and affective domains are both important in learning (

4. What experiences will they have in this activity?
Principles of Design
1) Students must be engaged to learn
How does the activity engage them?
2) Students must construct new knowledge incrementally as a result of experience.
What experiences will they have in this activity?
3) Students must refine and connect their knowledge to be able to use it further
How will the activity promote reflection on and application of the new knowledge?
Edelson, 2001, Learning for Use
A Framework for the Design of Technology-Supported Inquiry Activities: Journal of Research in Science Teaching, vol 38, no 3, p

5. Does it work? How did you know?

6. Reasons to Assess To understand how to help the students
In real time
For the next class
Before the test
To determine if the lesson worked
To assess if the learning goals were met
To understand what the students have learned
As a basis for evaluation (fairness is a concern here)

7. Assessment and Experimental Design
Alignment
Scale
Data source
Analysis and Interpretation

8. Sharing your Mini-Lesson– Reflections on Activity Sheets
Summary
Goals
Context
Materials
Teaching Tips
Assessment
Resources
2 purposes – get an audience, support use
Audience is faculty

9. Is it Good? Will the activity lead to the desired learning?
Will I be able to tell?
Does the pedagogy promote learning?
Are the materials I provide for students complete and helpful?
Could someone else implement this from the information I provide?

10. Resources Activity Design Resources 32648 Interactive lecture
Investigative cases
Assessment
Metacognition
Affective domain
Activity review