I'm excited to add a lesson on complementary and alternative veterinary medicine (CAVM) to my course next spring semester (Complementary and Alternative Medicine in VM160 lesson plan). With a growth in popularity, it's important that my students are introduced to this type of medicine. I'm taking a 21st Century learning approach to this lesson plan, incorporating important skills such as creativity, collaboration, and peer feedback.
Students will independently research a treatment common in CAVM (acupuncture, manual therapy, grain-free diets, CBD products, and laser therapy). Using digital tools such as Adobe Spark, DesignCap, and Smore, students will create an online educational aid like a flyer or poster to provide clients additional information on their specific treatment. As stated by Pakizer (2016), "creativity is trying new approaches to get things done, innovation, and invention. The 21st Century is a fun time to be creative thanks to technology."
After completing their educational aid, students share their knowledge with others. Students will be divided into groups, with each group containing one student whose expertise is in one of the five treatments. Each student will teach their knowledge to the rest of the group by reading their final project aloud. Those not teaching will listen, learn, and also provide constructive feedback for potential revisions to the project before final submission. Sharing knowledge in a small group will help to improve students' confidence, communication, and teaching skills.
This lesson plan came together quickly. My only concern is time. There's never enough time in the semester to cover all the material! I'm looking forward to implementing this lesson plan and seeing what creations my students come up with!
References:
Pakizer, T. (2016, April 13). The 4Cs of 21st Century Skills [Web blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.simplek12.com/learning-theories-strategies/4cs-21st-century-skills/ .
"Universal Design For Learning" by Giulia Forsythe is licensed under CC0 1.0