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Learn to design engaging curricula and assessments that promote understanding and prepare students for success in the 21st century. Explore shifts in ELA and Math teaching methodologies and essential question design.
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Understanding by Design A Model for Designing Brain-Friendly Curricula and Assessments that Teach for Understanding and Prepare Students for 21st Century Success Cooperstown CSD January, 2012 Teacher87_99@yahoo.com
ELA/Literacy Shift 1: Balancing Informational and Literary Text
Essential Questions • What is understanding? • How can one design coherent, brain-friendly instruction and assessments that bring life to the Standards and 21st Century Skills? • How can I design essential questions to clearly communicate my expectations to students?
THE BACKWARD DESIGN PROCESS “Teachers are designers. An essential act of our profession is the design of curriculum and learning experiences to meet specified purposes.” • Wiggins & McTighe
Retention and Method of Teaching Planning, Teaching, and Assessing with the Brain in Mind
Apple Vignette Design Weaknesses • No real depth • Hands-on rather than minds-on • No clear priorities • Students’ role is participation w/o having to demonstrate understanding • Not standards-based
Chemistry Vignette Design Weaknesses • Does not prioritize concepts • Does not foster student understanding • Takes the joy out of learning • Evidence that students understand is not present
Designing Assessments Around Targeted Goals and Standards(Stages of Backward Design) • STAGE ONE: Identify Desired Results • STAGE TWO: Determine Acceptable Evidence • STAGE THREE: Plan Learning Experiences and Instruction
STAGE ONE: IDENTIFY DESIRED RESULTS • Considerations: • What are the desired understandings you seek? • What knowledge is worth understanding? • Enduring • At the heart of the discipline (standards/blueprint) • Needing uncoverage • Potentially engaging • Communicate desired results through essential questions
STAGE ONE cont... • Essential Questions--questions that guide our teaching and bring life to the key ideas and/or performance indicators that define our curricula.
Student-friendly language Broad and organizational Reflect conceptual priorities Each is distinct and substantial Are not repetitious Realistic given time allocated Logical sequence Posted in classroom Promote student engagement ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS CRITERIA
Essential Questions continued • Essential questions tell what students should learn from what they are doing. • Essential questions tell why learning activities are important. • Essential questions take thinking to the level of conceptual understanding which helps students build knowledge for transfer of learning. • Essential questions require more thought and content area understanding on the part of a teacher than writing questions directed to specific facts.
STAGE TWO: DETERMINE ACCEPTABLE EVIDENCE • What will we accept as evidence of understanding and competency • Consider the various assessments needed to document that desired learning has occurred • Utilize a wide range of assessments • Include formative and summative types • Traditional assessments imperative • Consider self and peer assessments
EXPLANATION INTERPRETATION APPLICATION PERSPECTIVE EMPATHY SELF-KNOWLEDGE KNOWLEDGE COMPREHENSION APPLICATION ANALYSIS SYNTHESIS EVALUATION SIX FACETS OFUNDERSTANDING BLOOM’S TAXONOMY
FACET ONE: EXPLANATION • Explain, justify, generalize, support, verify, and substantiate • “Show your work” • Ex. Problem-based learning • Ex. Hands-on Science
FACET TWO: INTERPRETATION • “Interpretations, narratives, and translations that provide meaning.” • Recognize an event’s significance • Reveal an idea’s importance • Ex. An 11th grader explains how Gulliver’s Travels is not only a fairy tale, but a satire on British intellectual life • Ex. Constructivism
FACET THREE: APPLICATION • Use knowledge in new situations • Address real life issues • Demonstrate innovation • Ex. A 7th grade math student uses knowledge of statistics to plan out next year’s costs for the school store
FACET FOUR: PERSPECTIVE • Critical, insightful points of view • Recognize that answers to questions reflect points of view • Discipline of asking • Taking and defending a position • Ex. A student explains the arguments for and against the Iraq War
FACET FIVE: EMPATHY • Understand someone else’s feelings and opinions • Walk in something else’s shoes • Use imagination to see/feel as others do • Ex. A student writes a paper on what her day would be like were she a hawk
FACET SIX: SELF-KNOWLEDGE • Metacognition • Wisdom to know one’s ignorance and one’s thoughts and actions • Ex. Self-reflection • Ex. Self-evaluation
Carousel Activity • Consider the facets of understanding and in your group, come up with an example of an assessment that measure understanding at the given facet level.
CONTINUUM OF ASSESSMENTS TOOLS • Informal checks for understanding • Observation/dialogue • Quiz/test • Academic prompt • Performance task/project
Stage three occurs only after the desired results and assessments are identified Questions to consider: What knowledge and skills will be needed for students to do assessments effectively? What activities will give students the knowledge and skills needed? What materials and resources will be utilized? Is the overall design coherent and effective? STAGE THREE: PLAN LEARNING EXPERIENCES AND INSTRUCTION
W--Ask students where is unit going? H--Hook and hold attention E--Equip students, explore issues, experience ideas R--Provide opportunities to rethink and revise E--Students exhibit their understanding and evaluate their work PLANNING INSTRUCTION--”WHERE”
