Teacher Guidelines
Audience
This module is designed for web development students with little or no prior knowledge of Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Students are required to have knowledge of the programming languages HTML and CSS as well as basic website design and development experience.
Environment
The course is designed to be delivered in a blended learning environment. Group discussions and dialogue should take place in the classroom with teacher presence while other activities take place online in the form of discussions, reflection, content creation and content manipulation.
Module objectives and design
This learning module was designed with the Constructivist Instructional Model (CIM), specifically the Driver-Oldham Model (Driver & Oldham, 1986), the Predict-Observe-Explain (POE) model (White & Gunstone, 1982) and the Conceptual Change Model (CCM) (Posner et al., 1982) in mind as well as general constructivist learning principle such as collaboration, active learning, authentic activities, importance of motivation and learning as a social activity.
The module applies the Driver-Oldham Model concepts of orientation, elicitation, restructuring, application and review in the following ways:
- Orientation – activity 1 is designed to motivate students towards the topic. To make sure they realize why it’s necessary to apply SEO concepts and principle to be a successful web developer.
- Elicitation – activity 2 is designed to access the student’s prior knowledge and concepts of SEO.
- Restructuring – in activity 3 students have the opportunity to clarify and exchange their ideas and concepts with peers and teachers, construct new ideas as they complete the wiki and evaluate new ideas as they review each other’s wiki pages.
- Application – during activity 4 students have the opportunity to test what they have learnt in activity 3. They are asked to evaluate a number of website according to SEO metrics and concepts. Additionally the assignment that is to be completed after this module gives students the opportunity to further apply the new ideas and concepts introduced in this module (* see note below about this assignment).
- Review – activity 5 provides students time to reflect on what they have learnt during this module.
In relation to POE activity 4 is designed to let the students first review a website and predict what they think its metric would be for a given SEO index. They are then required to apply a tool and observe whether this prediction was correct or not. Following this, students are required to reflect and write about their observations to share with the class.
While there is no explicit activity addressing CCM in this module, during the activities of prior knowledge gathering through to the wiki creation and SEO tools activities it is envisaged that the students will have the opportunity to: confront their existing beliefs and accommodate or assimilate new ideas and concepts accordingly as well as extend their beliefs in these areas.
* This learning module was created to be part of a bigger workshop on SEO. The learning activities in this module are to be followed by a student group assignment where students take an existing website and analyze it in terms of SEO. They are then required to create a report with recommendations on how the website could improve its SEO strategy and presence on the web. This assignment is designed to be an authentic activity that provides students an opportunity to really apply what they have learnt in this module. They are required to use the wiki created in this module as the starting point of their resources for this report.
Required Materials
For this module you will need to have a wikispace created and hosted for the students that you need to link to the appropriate page here.
Duration
This module was developed to be delivered during a 4 hour workshop, depending on the level of the students this might need to be extended to a full day.
Role of the Teacher
It is envisaged that the teacher will initially act as a facilitator during the first activity providing scaffolding where necessary and motivating the students towards the topic and learning module. During the remaining activities the teacher should act as a “guide on the side”. Ideally they will moderate the online postings/discussions and provide advice and scaffolding for the students as they complete the module’s learning activities.
Module Evaluation Rubric
How well does this module embody constructivist principles?
References
Driver, R., and Oldham, V. (1986). A constructivist approach to curriculum development. Studies in Science Education, 13, 105-122.
Joyce, C. (2006), Predict, Observe, Explain (POE). Assessment Resource Bank. http://arb.nzcer.org.nz/strategies/poe.php
Matthews, M. R. (1994). Science Teaching. New York: Routledge, chapter 7.
Özdemir, G. & Clark, D. B. (2007). An overview of conceptual change theories. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science & Technology Education, 3(4), 351-361. www.ejmste.com/v3n4/EJMSTE_v3n4_Ozdemir_Clark.pdf
Posner, G. J., Strike, K. A., Hewson, P. W., & Gertzog, W. A. (1982). Accommodation of a scientific conception: Toward a theory of conceptual change. Science Education,66, 211-227.
Sunal, D. W (n.d.) The learning cycle: A comparison of models of strategies for conceptual reconstruction: A review of the literature. http://astlc.ua.edu/ScienceInElem&MiddleSchool/565LearningCycle-ComparingModels.htm
White, R. T., & Gunstone, R. F. (1992). Probing Understanding. Great Britain: Falmer Press