Understanding by Design ( UbD )

1. Understanding by Design (UbD) The “backward design” model

2. Understanding by Design—3 stages

3. Stage 1: Identify desired results • What is worthy and requiring of understanding?

4. “Uncovering” versus “Covering” • We “cover” assorted facts. • We “uncover” big ideas by posing essential questions. Example: • Organisms adapt to their environments in order to survive. (Big idea) • How might a blank adapt to the conditions of blank environment? (Essential question)

5. Your turn • What are some BIG IDEAS and ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS in your discipline? • Does your text focus on big ideas and pose essential questions?

6. Stage 2:Determine acceptable evidence Traditional quizzes and tests -selected response -constructed response Performance tasks and projects -open-ended -complex -authentic

7. Assessment: A working definition • An ongoing,cyclical process of gathering, analyzing, and interpreting evidence ofandfor student learning (adapted from http://www.ccsuvt.org/curriculum-instruction-and-assessment/assessment/)

8. 2 Types of Assessment • Formative • Summative

9. Types of formative assessment Ungraded • One minute papers • Exit slips • Concept maps (list of related terms—see how they organize them) • Problem solving observation • Survey students

10. Your turn • How could/did you incorporate formative assessment in your lesson plan? • Generate at least 3 ways.

11. Types of summative assessments • Standardized tests • Chapter tests • Authentic (meaning beyond the classroom) • Portfolio • Reflections • Community-based projects • UbD’s 6 facets of understanding: • explanation, interpretation, application, perspective, empathy, self-knowledge

12. G.R.A.S.P.S. (a design model) • Goal • Role • Audience • Situation • Product or Performance • Standards for success

13. Goal • the goal of the performance task • Example: The goal is to assist potential small businesses in conducting a market analysis.

14. Role • the role of the students as they carry out the performance task • Example: You are a consultant with an economic development corporation that has been formed by a small city in Texas.

15. Audience • the target audience to which the finished product/performance will be presented • Example: The target audience is composed of individuals who are/might be interested in starting a small business in your community.

16. Situation • the context • Example: Your community is not big enough to be attractive to large national business chains or franchises; however, the economic development corporation that employs you believes that small businesses could be successful in your community. The corporation also believes that small business start-ups could be encouraged by assisting prospects in conducting a market analysis in the community.

17. Product or Performance • the result of the performance task or activity • Example: You are responsible for designing, producing, and presenting, in an electronic format, a training session that identifies economic data sources available in the community and demonstrates how to conduct a market analysis of the community.

18. Standards for success • the criteria by which the product/performance will be judged • Example: Your training session must identify all economic data sources that are relevant to the potential business, clearly demonstrate the steps involved in conducting a market analysis for the potential business, use a series of well designed electronic slides, and take no longer than 20 minutes to present to the potential businesses.

19. Your turn • Imagine that your lesson was part of a UbD unit. What might be some authentic summative assessment alternatives?

20. Rubric • Using the six facets of understanding • Rubric example

21. Then, and only then… • Stage 3—Plan learning activities/instruction with your goals and assessment in mind. • Benefits • Avoids fun (but ultimately aimless) activities • Cultivates deep understanding of important ideas • Creates an authentic learning community. • Is this backward?

22. UbD and Differentiated Instruction: A match made in heaven In effective classrooms, teachers attend to 4 elements: • Whom they teach (students) • Where they teach (learning environment) • What they teach (content) • How they teach (instruction)

23. The 2 models are complementary • UbD • Curriculum design model • Focuses on • What • How • Differentiated Instruction • Instructional Design Model • Focuses on • Whom • Where • How

24. UbD & DI are attitudes, not strategies. • 7 Attitudes/skills that typify teachers who want to help all learners.

25. 1. They establish clarity about curricular essentials • Teach what is durable and useful. • When learning outcomes are powerful and belong to everyone, all students see the importance and relevance; all students contribute to a vibrant learning environment. • Curriculum based on enduring understandings has flexible “entry points.” (Kindergarten version and a PhD. version of big ideas. • Avoids differentiation as “less” and “more.”

26. 2. They accept responsibility for learner success • Get to know each student as a means of teaching him or her effectively. • Continually map the progress of students against essential outcomes. • Find alternate ways of teaching and alternate paths to learning to ensure continual growth. • Articulate to students and model for them what quality work looks like and what it takes to attain quality results.

27. 3. They develop communities of respect. • Attend to each student in ways that communicate respect and positive expectation. • Seek out, affirm, and draw on the unique abilities of each learner. • Elicit and value multiple perspectives (personal, language, cultural) on issues, decisions, and ways of accomplishing work in the classroom. • Design tasks that enable each student to make important contributions.

28. 4.Discover what works for each student. • Make opportunities for individual communication. • Garner students’ interests and aspirations. • Understand each students’ academic profile. • Observe students working individually, in small groups, and large groups. • Learn from parents, guardians, coaches, and other community members.

29. 5. They develop classroom management routines that contribute to success. Glasser’s Five Universal Needs • Survival • Belonging • Power • Freedom • Fun

30. 6. Develop flexible classroom teaching routines. • Allow for students’ different paces of learning. • Gather basic and supplementary material of different readability levels and that reflect different cultures, connect with varied interests, and are in different modes. • Experiment with ways to rearrange furniture to allow for whole-class, small-group, and individual learning spaces. • Vary student groupings • Ensure that grades communicate both personal growth and relative standing in regard to specific learning outcomes.