RUNNING HEAD: Final Project -ELA Performance Task WebQuest Training 1

Final Project -ELA Performance Task WebQuest Training

Courtney Smith

EDU 623 Designing Learning Environments

Dr. Steven Moskowitz

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Introduction

21st century learners are coming to school with more needs than students in the past,

which also requires assessments that are designed to go beyond multiple choice and includes

performance tasks that allow students to demonstrate research, writing, and analytical skills

(Smarter Balanced, 2012). Schools and districts are adopting more assessment instruments such

as culminating tasks and online assessments to record student performance, which is a great shift

for some teachers, students, and schools. It will take much more preparation to get students

ready for the higher leveled thinking tasks ahead of them.

One way to do this would be to use English Language Arts (ELA) related WebQuests in

the classroom. This two day grade leveled group training involves teaching K-5 teachers how to

use WebQuests to incorporate inquiry and student-based learning into the classroom, as well as

create an extended literacy activity. This will be done through whole and small group instruction

and computer implementation. The purpose of this training is to increase student participation,

prepare for state assessments, and increase higher leveled thinking.

A well-thought out training includes many elements such as a schedule, objectives and a

structure to make learning more cohesive. The WebQuest ELA training will incorporate hands

on training, concise course outcomes, an explanation of the intended learning theories and its

relation to the curriculum, and the use of assessment. All of these elements are essential to a

successful professional development. Elementary teachers that participate in this course will be

more knowledgeable in WebQuests, inquiry-based learning, and how to create their own

WebQuest with the use of their current curriculum and grade level.

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Needs & Front End Analysis

The state of Connecticut, along with several other states, have begun to use the Common

Core State Standards (CCSS) in their schools to universally align all states to the same academic

expectations. With this implementation, many schools in CT have begun to incorporate CCSS

instruction, but are still transitioning from heavily enforced test taking skills to higher leveled

reasoning. Students will be faced with summative assessments at the end of their ELA units and

online district assessments such as Smarter Balanced to extensively analyze student performance

and student growth. District end of unit assessments and online state assessments require an in

class performance task as well as more contribution of academic skills on the computer.

Currently, teachers do not have any formal technology tools, or was given a very generic training

in altering their instruction to fit the needs of these upcoming assessments.

With assessments and computers becoming more prevalent in the elementary education

setting, students will need to be prepared to analyze text, especially online resources for online

assessments. The Common Core State Standards (2014) states, “. In K–5, the Standards follow

NAEP’s lead in balancing the reading of literature with the reading of informational texts,

including texts in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects” (p. 5). With a 50%-50%

focus on literacy and informational text on 4th grade compared to a 30%-70% focus on literacy

and informational text in 12th grade, students will need to spend more time engaging with various

types of literature to be prepared for higher education (Common Core State Standards, 2014, p.

5). Students will be challenged and asked questions that push them to refer back to what they’ve

read (English Language Arts Standards, 2014). This stresses critical-thinking, problem-solving,

and analytical skills that are required for success in college, career, and life (English Language

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Arts Standards, 2014). WebQuests can be a readily made or customizable tool to fulfill these

needs.

With such a shift in instruction style and student expectations, this training would allow

teachers to integrate new technologies into the curriculum because students must be proficient in

the new literacies of the 21st century technologies in order to become fully literate in today’s

world (Leung & Unal, 2013). Technology is a growing trend in the education field, especially in

an elementary school. It is seen as a format that allows instruction to be explored by enhancing

instructional value for teachers and students. This training would help to close the instructional

gap because WebQuests can be “an important bridge between content literacy and technology

literacy” (Leung & Unal, 2013). Teachers are facing the problem of students with lower

synthesizing skills and academic computer skills which can be detrimental while being assessed

in the near future. An online article entitled “Using WebQuests to Fulfill Common Core

Expectations” supports WebQuest use by saying, “A WebQuest is a relevant tool across the

curriculum, helping teachers in content-driven courses share the responsibility for students’

literacy development. WebQuests work hand in hand with the Common Core to increase

students’ inquiry and critical thinking skills and develop their ability to research and use

evidence” (Julie, 2012). This training will help to abandon test taking skills and reinforce

research skills, social learning, and multidisciplinary content.

Audience & Population Analysis

The audience for this training will include new and experienced K-5 elementary teachers,

support staff (paraprofessionals, ESL & SPED), and specials teachers (art, music, physical

education, and a media specialist). They will come into the training with little to no knowledge

or implementation of what WebQuests are. Their learning and teaching styles will vary,

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especially based on grade level. The need of this training will include knowledge of the current

ELA grade level unit, basic computer contact, internet use, and word processing skills. The

school itself is a lower-income and low Connecticut Mastery Test (CMT) leveled school in an

urban setting that houses more than 500 students with a high ESL and SPED population. With

up to 60% of each classroom with below reading grade level students as well. The training is

needed because it will help to increase comprehension skills, expose lower leveled student to

rich, academic work, and expand their literature experience using technology.

Learning Environment Analysis

The learning environment will be held in the school’s media center that utilizes a Smart

Board, tables, and at least 30 internet capable computers. Training will be held here for the

whole group instruction and part of the small group and computer portion. Learning will also

take place in individual classrooms which also has a Smart Board. Teachers will be expected to

work in groups by sharing ideas, using the current ELA curriculum, and helping reach the

training goal of developing an original WebQuest. Each grade level has a computer cart that

encloses up to 30 laptops that can be used individually by each teacher if needed in the

classroom. Part of the training will allow grade levels to retreat back to their classroom to design

their own ELA related WebQuest. All technology tools should be internet accessible and the

instructor will provide trainees with all given materials and WebQuest links.

Task Analysis & Content Mastery

The skills needed for this training are to define a WebQuest and understand its benefits

for classroom instruction. The training will include a portion of time where teachers will

collaborate as a grade level team to examine already existing WebQuests and the design

elements that they could possibly use for their own. Teachers should be able to pinpoint skills,

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themes, and concepts from a current ELA fictional story to incorporate into the task of their own

WebQuest. They also need to be able to technologically design a WebQuest on the computer

that accommodates all of the WebQuest elements (introduction, task, process, evaluation,

conclusion, credits, and teacher’s page). This will be done by using a Weebly website that will

be instructed on how to sign up and use during the training. Training will also involve teachers

creating their own rubric to evaluate the WebQuest’s project. Teachers will showcase their

understanding of a WebQuest with the completion of their own.

Situational Analysis

The challenges that could arise during the training is time management of the instruction,

examination of WebQuests, and creation of WebQuests. If time and instruction is not managed

properly and effectively, time could be spent on portions of the training that should have been

used for other areas, such as the WebQuest creation phase. Another challenge is ensuring all

technology such as Smart Board and computers are working and useful at the time of the

training. Another possible barrier would be to ensure that teachers are choosing tasks that evoke

inquiry rather than simple comprehension questions. Not keeping track of time, faulty

equipment, and teachers not creating effective tasks can make a training that does not meet the

training’s goals.

Media & Technology Analysis

The media and technology that will be used for this training will be a Smart Board and

individual computers or laptops. The Smart Board will showcase a PowerPoint presentation that

will define and explain the use of a WebQuest in a classroom which will be made by the

instructor. Computers or laptops will be used for teachers to explore WebQuests and allow them

to design and develop their own ELA WebQuest as a grade level team. Teacher will create their

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WebQuest on the Weebly website by creating an account and be instructed on how to setup their

page to resemble the WebQuest format. All technological equipment will be provided by the

school’s classrooms and media center.

Schedule

The following is a two day schedule that will be used to ensure all topics and learning

experienced are implemented.

Day 1

Introduction and explanation of course outcomes & objectives (Course and Day 1)

Determine the learning theory related to a WebQuest and its use in the classroom

Provide and explain the arrangement of learning activities

Determine the use of media to complete the course activities

Determine how the course will be assessed

Trainer will implement course materials, instruction, and activities

Conclude and evaluate course instruction and student learning

Provide agenda for the next day’s course

Day 2

Introduction and explanation of course outcomes & objectives (Course and Day 2)

Review Day 1 topics

Determine the arrangement of the course instruction and divide the group into grade

leveled teams

Trainers will facilitate the WebQuest creation process

Conclusion and showcasing of finished products

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Evaluation of student learning, course content, and trainer delivery

Course Outcomes & Objectives

The following are the course outcomes and course objectives to drive instruction:

Course Outcomes

1. Teachers will increase their knowledge of the use and implementation of an ELA

WebQuest in a classroom setting.

2. Teachers will be able to design and develop an ELA WebQuest using the grade level

ELA curriculum in a grade level group.

Course Objectives

1. Given a Smart Board presentation and handouts, elementary teachers should be able to

define a WebQuest and identify its effect on instruction, student performance, and

assessment through a discussion and presentation. 

2. Given an internet capable computer, grade level elementary teachers should be able to

collectively explore a grade leveled ELA WebQuest by completing a 20 question

WebQuest Effectiveness Survey.

3. Given the course handout, elementary teachers should be able to interpret the collected

survey data as a team and whole class to prepare for WebQuest building.

4.  Given an internet capable computer and a website building site, grade level elementary

teachers should be able to collectively develop an English Language Arts (ELA) related

WebQuest by including all 7 elements of the page.

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Having clear objectives that focus on the learner are important to the design phase of the

ADDIE model because objectives are written at the level of the individual learner because

learners are the reason of the course (Hodell, 2011, p. 58). Objectives also “guarantee that the

designer will evaluate whether course participants have mastered each skill or concept for which

there is instruction” (Hodell, 2011, p. 58). The first three objectives in this training help the

learner develop a higher understanding of a WebQuest’s purpose, explore completed WebQuest

elements, and discuss how they relate to the current change of educational content and

assessment. These are called enabling objectives because they “support terminal objectives”

which are “the final behavioral outcomes of a specific instructional event” (Hodell, 2011, p. 64).

The fourth objective culminates the first three objectives by the teachers using the skills and

knowledge they’ve learned and creating a WebQuest of their own.

Objectives also connect to broader domains of cognitive (knowing or mental skills),

psychomotor (manual or physical skills), or affective (growth in feelings or emotional areas)

(Writing Learning Objectives, n.d.). Hodell (2011) also mentions the interpersonal domain that

relates to “the interaction of two or more individuals” (p. 66). The first and third objectives

relates to the cognitive domain due to its nature in defining a WebQuest and it relation to

education. The second and fourth objective connect to the psychomotor domain because

teachers are physically manipulating a computer to examine and build a WebQuest. The second,

third, and fourth objective can relate to the interpersonal domain because teachers are

academically interacting with each other to discuss, discover, and design a WebQuest.

Learning Theory

The learning theory that the WebQuest training is based on is the inquiry-based learning

theory, also known as the discovery learning theory first made known by Psychologist and

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cognitive learning theorist Jerome Bruner in 1967. His views border the constructivist learning

theory where “learning encourages students to become active participants in the learning process

by exploring concepts and answering questions through experience” (Coffey, 2009). Teachers

will learn to use WebQuests to get students to discover learning in an authentic way that uses

realistic situations and online resources. It enhances problem-solving strategies by using

activities that are hands-on, encourage participation, and emphasize critical thinking rather than

the transfer of knowledge (Coffey, 2009). Before creating a WebQuest, teachers will observe the

features of a WebQuest through discussion and exploration. Inquiry-based learning motivates

the learners to learn independently, while the trainers acts as a facilitator.

Another important aspect of inquiry-based learning is the idea of process vs. product.

WebQuests give learners “the motivation to acquire new knowledge, a perspective for

incorporating new knowledge into their existing knowledge, and an opportunity to apply their

knowledge” (Leung & Unal, 2013, p. 32). Tuan (2011) states that “learners have to activate the

mental processing which results in understanding and the creation of meaning from their own

experiences” (p. 666). Students and trainees can take what they already know and what they’ve

learned to create a new learning experience through their interactions with the online activities.

It is through their experiences to reach the final task that allows them to obtain a deeper

understanding of the content.

Lastly, the inquiry-based learning theory changes the focus from the teacher to the

student. Student-centered instruction promotes Vygotsky’s social learning theory as trainees and

students increase their interpersonal skills as they work in small groups. Project-based learning,

which is a student-centered educational approach created by Kilpatrick in 1918, can be seen in

this training as students “work in teams to explore real-world problems and create presentations

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to share what they’ve learned” (Tuan, 2011, p. 666). Teachers in this training will gain a greater

understanding of the benefits of a WebQuest in their instruction by collaborating with their grade

level partners. Groups will also get an opportunity to explore completed WebQuests to pinpoint

effective design elements. Through discourse and group work, trainees can develop their

learning as a team by moving beyond surface learning, learn beyond short-term memory, and

implant important information rather than just test-taking skills (Tuan, 2011, p. 667). The

incorporation of these theories brings out the true motives of the training by allowing the trainees

to be active learners in order to realize how WebQuests enhances teacher instruction and student

engagement.

Lesson Structure

To begin defining a WebQuest and its use in the classroom, the presentation will be held

in the school’s media center where all of the elementary teachers, support staff, and special

teachers will be instructed by a trainer in front of a Smart Board as a whole group. The trainer

will provide information about a WebQuest’s origin, its relation to the learning theories, and the

7 components its takes to make a WebQuest. During this time, teachers will sit with their grade

level to take notes and ask any concerning questions. This was decided to ensure all teachers

obtain the rationale of the training’s purpose. It also promotes social learning by provoking

discussion and connections to teaching and learning.

Next, teachers will work in their grade leveled groups to actively examine a completed

WebQuest. As teachers analyze a grade appropriate ELA WebQuest, they will complete a 20

question WebQuest Effectiveness survey. The survey will entail questions that will get teachers

thinking about their own WebQuest design. For example, What aspects of the introduction was

inviting, was the procedure page clear and student-friendly, and did the task page include a

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culminating task that is appropriate for your learners? By doing this, teachers can include

features that will entice young learners through visuals, teamwork, and a task that relates to their

skills and lives. Teachers will discuss the results to categorize effective and detrimental

WebQuest design elements to include or avoid for later use. The trainer will then instruct

teachers on how to successfully set up the WebQuest building site by using the Smart Board

while teachers are on individual computers.

Lastly, teachers will use the information gathered from the survey to collaboratively

design a grade leveled ELA WebQuest as a grade leveled team. Teachers will retreat to their

classrooms to develop the WebQuest. Teachers will engage with each other through research,

discussion, and WebQuest building. By being able to build a WebQuest, teachers will

demonstrate the knowledge they’ve acquired in the training. Teachers will come back as a whole

group to present their WebQuests to the trainees, conclude the course, and evaluate the training.

Reviewing as a whole group will give other grades an opportunity to view above and lower grade

leveled WebQuests.

Assessment

This training includes several assessment types to evaluate the level of learning from the

trainees. Trainers will assess understanding through oral discussion and a question and answer

session during the Smart Board presentation. The WebQuest Effectiveness survey will be

discussed as a whole group while the trainer writes down good and bad points on poster paper.

Trainees will get to hear the perspective from various grade levels that may help with the design

for their diverse learners. The making of the WebQuest demonstrates how performance tasks

“support designing instruction and assessments that integrate multiple standards so that tasks do

not become overly limited and decontextualized” (Lanning, 2013, p. 91). When teachers

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physically participate by building a WebQuest, they can include various subject areas and

Common Core standards.

Media Specifications

This training involves the use of a visual presentation that includes a Smart Board. The

slideshow will be used on Power Point using visuals and text to explain WebQuests. Computers

and/or laptops will be used to view and construct WebQuests using a WebQuest building site

such as Weebly. Leung & Unal (2013) reports that “webquests scaffold students’ experiences

negotiating various websites as they develop a problem-solving mindset to Internet research” (p.

32). By using the computer to develop a WebQuest, teachers can prepare their students to the

new demands of the ELA curriculum which includes online research, performance tasks, and

scaffolded learning.

Implementation

The two-day WebQuest Training will be administered in the middle of the first marking

period of the school year to allow Kindergarten- 5th grade teachers time to become acquainted

with the ELA curriculum beforehand. The training will take place in the school’s media center.

The person delivering the training would be a teacher that has experience using and building

WebQuests. Another teacher should be trained to have another experienced person on site in the

building for help and questions. The experienced teacher will train the second teacher at least

two weeks before the WebQuest training takes pace. This training will be done in a classroom

setting with the appropriate technology tools. It will be done through discussion of its

importance, modeling and collaborating to create a webquest using the same WebQuest building

site. The additional trainer should be able to create a WebQuest independently and readily

discuss its elements before actual live training begins. The learners’ environment should be

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inviting to new learners with folders with reading materials, pencils, and notepads. Teachers will

sit with their grade level partners at round tables to keep conversations going. The media center

will include individual internet capable computers for teachers to use as well as an internet

capable smart board for the Power Point presentation. A chart paper called the “parking lot” will

be posted for additional questions that can be answered at a later time. The environment will be

friendly, yet structured, and collaborative to ensure all learners feel comfortable with the material

and its implementation.

Evaluation

The first two levels of Kirkpatrick’s level of evaluation allow the instructor to get an

initial sense of the students’ experience of the WebQuest training. The first level focuses on the

training as a whole experience by understanding the students’ reaction. According to Hodell

(2011), “the aim of each of these level one evaluations is to discover learners’ reactions to the

process. More than anything, level one evaluations provide instant quality control data” (p. 104).

The level one evaluation I will use is a written feedback survey given immediately after the

training that will include specific questions pertaining to the students’ feelings about the quality

of the training. Questions will include:

What did you like best about the training?

What could have been improved?

Would you recommend this training to another educator? Why or why not?

This would give me direct information based on the structure of the training which can be easily

rearranged to have a higher satisfaction rate and possibly more engagement.

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Kirkpatrick’s second level of evaluation assesses the students’ initial level of learning.

This level focuses on how well the student was able to absorb information from the training. For

instructional designers, evaluations at the learning level are tied directly to objectives (Hodell,

2011, p. 105). This training will include level 2 evaluation by asking additional open ended

questions on the feedback survey that provide this type of information. Questions will include:

Why/How would you use a WebQuest in your classroom?

How does it help a student with new assessments and curriculum changes?

How is creating a WebQuest beneficial for instruction?

Certain questions will include a scale to answer.

How prepared are you to build your own WebQuest? (1-not prepared to 5-very prepared)

How prepared are you to utilize WebQuests in your classroom? (1-not prepared to 5-very

prepared)

How likely are you to use WebQuests in your instruction? (1-not likely to 5-very likely).

Do you need additional training for WebQuest instructional use? (1-strongly disagree to

5-strongly agree).

These questions differ from the level one questions because this allows the student to reflect on

the main purposes (objectives) of the training which is to heighten instructional methods to

prepare for the higher demands of the upcoming assessments and curriculum and collaboratively

create a grade leveled WebQuest. The scaled questions give the instructor an idea of their

learning experiences and their future use of the skills they’ve learned from the training.

After the training is complete and Level one and two evaluations have been recorded and

analyzed, the instructor will follow up after about a month with a teacher self-assessment. This

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self-assessment can be considered level three of Kirkpatrick’s evaluation system. It will provide

teachers an outlet of their current use of WebQuests and their impact on their teaching and

student learning. Teachers will answer an online survey with scaled and open ended questions to

provide the instructor with information, such as:

How often do you use WebQuests? How many times have you used a WebQuest since the training? How many WebQuests have you built since the training? How many WebQuests have you used from online since the training? Has your instruction changed since the WebQuest training? How? What additional retraining do you need to improve your usage of WebQuests?

The instructor can then gather information on how well the training impacted teaching and

learning. Retraining information can be compiled (more technology/website training, ELA

incorporation needed, differentiation, etc.) in order to get more teachers using WebQuests

effectively. The second trained teacher can act as a facilitator to handle simple instructional

questions/situations or provide additional retraining to specific teachers with specific problems.

Once the school has reached a certain satisfaction and usage percentage that could be calculated

by surveys and additional training over time, the instructor can encourage and promote

WebQuest use by creating a school WebQuest collection site for all teachers to use teacher

created WebQuests.

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References

Coffey, H. (2009). Discovery learning. Retrieved from: http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/5352

Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science and Technical Subjects. (2014). Retrieved from: http://www.corestandards.org/wp-content/uploads/ELA_Standards.pdf

English Language Arts Standards. (2014). Retrieved from: http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/

Hodell, C. (2011). Isd from the ground up:  A no-nonsense approach to instructional design (3rd ed.). United States of America: American Society for Training & Development.

Julie. Using webQuests to fulfill common core expectations. (2012). Critical Thinking Works. Retrieved from: http://criticalthinkingworks.com/?p=266

Lanning, L. (2013) Designing a concept-based curriculum for English language arts. Sage Publications.

Leung, C., & Unal, Z. (2013). Advantages and disadvantages of classroom instruction with webquests: connecting literacy and technology. Journal of Reading Education, 38(2), 31-38.

Smarter balanced assessment consortium. (2012). Retrieved from: http://www.smarterbalanced.org/k-12-education/teachers/

Tuan, L. (2011). Teaching reading through webquests. Journal of Language Teaching & Research, 2(3), 664-673. doi:10.4304/jltr.2.3.664-673

Writing learning objectives: beginning with the end in mind. (n.d.) Retrieved from: http://www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/Writing%20Learning%20Objectives.pdf