Understanding by Design

1. Understanding by Design Welcome!

2. Agenda 8:00 Understanding by Design Big Picture Understanding by Design Overview 9:00 UbD by Content Area 9:45 Transition 10:00 Content Area PLCs

3. Why are we doing this?

4. But, why can’t we continue the way we’ve always done it? You didn’t really tell me why…

5. Give me the talking points!

6. What are we going to do?

7. Major K12 CCS Initiatives

8. Major K12 Initiatives

9. Our Enduring Understandings • Learning principles guide decisions made during unit design processes. • Understanding by Design provides a framework for identifying the core ideas and questions that form the work of the content and disciplines we teach. • By beginning with the end in mind, we are able to determine what students should know, be able to do, and understand in order to support them as they master content and reach performance standards. • The integration of assessment and instruction leads to genuine differentiation that supports the unique strengths and needs of individual students.

10. Our Essential Questions • What does a viable, guaranteed, and coherent curriculum mean for Cabarrus County Schools? • Why Understanding by Design? • How does Understanding by Design align with the other current initiatives (PLC, Workshop, SBIGR, etc.) that we are embarking upon in Cabarrus County? • How can we use Understanding by Design to create meaningful learning opportunities for students that align with the Common Core State Standards? • How can we acquire and ensure the long-term availability of resources required to sustain successful UbD implementation? • How can we ensure that UbD is a clear and natural part of instruction and learning for all students, including those in primary grades, those enrolled in special education, language learners, and those who are socioeconomically disadvantaged?

11. Learning Principles Mission of Cabarrus County Schools: We will value, teach and empower each student in a culture of educational excellence. Learning Principles: • Provide an accessible, conceptual foundation of how people learn • Guide how we are going to achieve our mission and program goals • curriculum design, assessment procedures, instructional practices/resources, professional development, school structures

12. Learning Principles Effective Learning Principles… • Reflect research on learning from multiple sources • Resonate with our personal and professional experience in learning and teaching

13. Learning Principles Think back to your many prior experiences with well-designed learning, both in and out of school. What was the most well-designed learning experience you have ever encountered as a learner? What features of the design – not the teacher’s style or your interests – made the learning so engaging and effective? • Design elements include: challenges posed, sequence of activities, resources provided, assignments, assessments, groupings, teacher’s role, etc. Describe the design.

14. Why UbD?Rationale • Rationale #1: A frequent absence of Understanding • Rationale #2: TWIN SINS of planning – “Aimless Activity” and “Superficial Coverage” • Rationale #3: Many instructional design do not align goals and assessments. • Rationale #4: Few educators understand the Standards

15. Why UbD?Traditional vs. Standards-based Instruction

16. Why UbD?The 3 Stages of Design 1. Identify desired results 2. Determine acceptable evidence • 3. Plan Learning Experiences

17. Why UbD?The 3 Stages of Design 1. Identify desired results “When teachers take the time to analyze each standard and identify its essential concepts and skills, the result is more effective instructional planning, assessment, and student learning.” Larry Ainsworth, “Unwrapping” the Standards: A Simple Process to Make Standards Manageable “In order for the learning intention to be shared effectively, it needs to be clear and unambiguous, so that the teacher can explain it in a way that makes sense to her children.” Shirley Clarke, Unlocking Formative Assessment

18. Why UbD?The 3 Stages of Design 2. Determine acceptable evidence “The single most common barrier to sound classroom assessment is the teachers’ lack of vision of appropriate achievement targets within the subjects they are supposed to teach.” Stiggins “Formative assessment works not because there is research evidence to support it. Instead, there is research evidence to support formative assessment because formative assessment works!” W. James Popham When the cook tastes the soup, that’s formative; when the guests taste the soup, that’s summative. Stake, R. cited in Earl, L. 2004. Assessment As Learning: Using classroom achievement to Maximize Student Learning.

19. Why UbD?The 3 Stages of Design • 3. Plan Learning Experiences “…effective educators demonstrate high expectations for students and select strategies to propel the students' learning. Beyond planning and preparation of materials, effective organizing for instruction also involves the development of a conscious orientation toward teaching and learning as the central focus of classroom activity.” James H. Stronge, Qualities of Effective Teachers, 2ed.

20. What is UbD?Deconstructing a Model • Review Sample Science UbDUnit • What do you notice about the structure? • How do the Standards compare to the Understandings and the Essential Questions? • How does what the students “will know” and “be able to do” add depth to understanding the Desired Results? • In what ways does the Learning Plan scaffold student understanding?

21. UbD in a Nutshell • A way of thinking purposefully about curricular planning and school reform. • A means of integrating curriculum, instruction, and assessment within a unit of study in any discipline • A unit design template for beginning with the end in mind • A way to enhance meaningful understanding and transfer of learning • Ubd “unpacks” and transforms Content Standards into relevant desired results, authentic assessments and appropriate learning plans

22. UbD is NOT… • …a rigid program or prescriptive recipe • Rather, UbD offers helpful design tools and design standards. It • does not tell us how to teach or which activities to use. • …a philosophy of education • UbD does not require a belief in any single pedagogical approach. • …incompatible with established content standards or state • testing • In fact, the focus on understanding and transfer of knowledge, not recall of • facts and procedures, highly correlates with Common Core Content • Standards and the Standards for Mathematical Practice.

23. The 3 Stages of Design

24. Closure and Reflection Questions??? Aha’s!!!