Colegio Colombo Británico Primary Years Programme Claudia Fayad , PYP Coordinator

1. Colegio Colombo BritánicoPrimary Years ProgrammeClaudia Fayad, PYP Coordinator Understanding by Design

2. An approach to curriculum designed to engage students in inquiry and uncovering ideas

3. What is the enduring idea? What will they remember about the topic in five years?

4. "Understanding by Design" Grant Wiggins & Jay McTighe (1998) Conceptual framework for instructional designers • Backwards Design • The Six Facets of Understanding

5. Backwards Design

6. Backwards Design • Begin with identifying the desired results • Then "work backwards" to develop instruction • Traditional approach: define topics to be covered

7. Stages of Backwards Design 1 2 Identify desired results 3 Determine acceptable evidence Plan learning experiences/instruction

8. Backwards Design: 3 Stages • Identify desired results (3) (learning outcomes) • Determine acceptable evidence (2) (means to assess if learners have learnt) • Plan learning experiences/instruction (1)

9. Identify desired results (learning outcomes) • What should students know, understand, and be able to do? • What is worthy of understanding? • What enduring understandings are desired?

10. K.U.D. P.Y.P. Lines of Inquiry: (Knowledge) Concepts Central Idea Enduring Understandings Transdisciplinary Skills Attitudes • TO KNOW (Know-what, Declarative knowledge, Content) • TO UNDERSTAND • TO DO (Know-how, Procedural knowledge, Skills)

11. KUD PYP Planner Stage 2 StageS 1 & 2 Stage 3 * * “Extended POI” • TO KNOW • TO UNDERSTAND • TO DO

12. Determine Acceptable Evidence (means to assess if learners have learnt) • How will we know if students have achieved the desired results and met the standards? • What will we accept as evidence of student understanding and proficiency?

13. Plan learning experiences and instruction • Definition of knowledge (know-that), skills and procedures (know-how) students ought to master [Stages 1, 2 & 3] • Definition of materials [Stage 5] • Definition of learning /teaching activities (scenarios) [Stage 4]

14. Wiggins and McTighe insist on enduring understandings that go beyond simple facts and skills to include larger concepts, principles or processes

15. Stage 1. Identify Desired Results • Like “defining goals and objectives” • BUT: Consider not only the course goals and objectives, but the learning that should endure over the long term • This is referred to as the Enduring Understanding

16. Establishing Curricular Priorities Worth being familiar with Importanttoknow& do ENDURING UNDERSTANDING

17. The enduring understanding is not just “material worth covering" • It has enduring value beyond the classroom • It is at the heart of the discipline • It requires un-coverage of abstract or often misunderstood ideas • It offers potential for engaging students

18. Questions, questions! • Backwards Design uses a question format rather than measurable objectives • By answering key questions, students deepen their learning about content and experience an enduring understanding • The instructor sets the evidence that will be used to determine that the students have understood the content

19. Where in the PYP planner do we do this? Stage 2: TEACHERS QUESTIONS/PROVOCATIONS

20. Questions focus on: • What questions point toward the big ideas and understandings? • What arguable questions deepen inquiry and discussion? • What questions provide a broader intellectual focus, hence purpose, to the work?

21. Example: • Overall question: "How does an organism's structure enable it to survive in its environment?" • Specific topic question: "How do the structures of amphibians and reptiles support their survival?”

22. Asking inquiry-based questions facilitates the students “ uncovering" the answer

23. Practically speaking, this means turning content standards and outcome statements into question form!

24. Stage 2: Determine what constitutes acceptable evidence of competency in the outcomes and results Define what forms of assessment will demonstrate that the student acquired the knowledge, understanding, and skill to answer the questions

25. Wiggins and McTighe’s types of assessment: • Performance Task • Criterion-referenced Assessment • Unprompted Assessment & Self-Assessment

26. Performance Task • It’s at the heart of the learning • A real-world challenge in the thoughtful and effective use of knowledge and skill • It is an authentic test of understanding, in context • For PYP: Performance assessments Process-focused assessments Open-ended tasks

27. Criterion-referenced Assessment • Quizzes, tests, prompts • These provide instructor and student with feedback on how well the facts and concepts are being understood • For PYP: Selected responses

28. Unprompted Assessment & Self-Assessment • Observations, dialogues, etc.

29. THINKING AS AN ASSESOR THINKING AS AN ACTIVITY DESIGNER What would be interesting and engaging activities on this topic? What resources and materials are available on this topic? What will students be doing in and out of class? What assignments will be given? How will give students a grade (and justify it to their parents)? Will the activities work? Why or why not? • What would be revealing & sufficient evidence of understanding? • What performance tasks must anchor the unit and focus the instructional work? • How will I be able to distinguish between those who really understand and thoise who don’t (but seem to)? • Against what criteria will I distinguish work? • What misunderstandings are likely? How will I check for those?

30. Practically speaking, this means designing assessment (and asignments) that evoke possible answers!

31. Stage 3: Plan Learning Experiences and Instruction Determine what sequence of teaching and learning experiences will equip students to develop and demonstrate the desired understanding

32. Implications for Teaching Acquisition Development Understanding of Knowledge of Skills of Ideas & Values DIDACTIC COACHING, SOCRATIC INSTRUCTION EXERCISES & QUESTIONING SUPERVISED & ACTIVE PRACTICE PARTICIPATION

33. Six Facets of Understanding

34. Six Facets of Understanding apply explain interpret have perspective have self-knowledge empathize

35. Explain • provide thorough and justifiable accounts of phenomena, facts, and data

36. Interpret • tell meaningful stories • offer apt translations • provide a revealing historical or personal dimension to ideas and events • make subjects personal or accessible through images, anecdotes, analogies, and models

37. Apply • use and adapt knowledge in diverse contexts

38. Have perspective • see and hear points of view through critical eyes and ears • see the big picture

39. empathize • find value in what others might find odd, alien, or implausible • perceive sensitively on the basis of prior indirect experience

40. have self-knowledge • perceive the personal style, prejudices, projections, and habits of mind that both shape and impede our own understanding • be are aware of what one does not understand and why understanding is so hard

41. Criteria for the Six Facets of Understanding • Explanation ACCURATE • Interpretation MEANINGFUL • Application EFFECTIVE • Perspective CREDIBLE • Empathy SENSITIVE • Self-knowledge SELF-AWARE

42. The Design Approach The Big Picture

43. S T A G E 1 Design Question Design Consideration Design Criteria Design Accomplishment • What is worthy & requiring of understanding? • National & international standards - Teacher expertise • Enduring ideas – Opportunities for authentic, discipline-based work – Uncoverage – Engaging • Unit framed around enduring understandings and essential questions

44. S T A G E 2 Design Question Design Consideration Design Criteria Design Accomplishment • What is evidence of understanding? • Six facets of understanding – Continuum of assessment types • Valid – Reliable – Sufficient – Authentic work – Feasible – Student-friendly • Unit anchored in credible and educationally vital evidence of the desired understandings

45. S T A G E 3 Design Question Design Consideration Design Criteria Design Accomplishment • What learning experiences and teaching promote understanding, interest and excellence? • Research-based repertoire of learning & teaching strategies – Essential & enabling knowledge & skills • Hook the students – Explore & equip – Rethink & revise – Exhibit & evaluate • Coherent learning experiences & teaching that will evoke & develop desired understandings, promote interest, & make excellent performance more likely

46. Desing helps us to understand: • What is worthy of understanding in a unit • What counts as evidence that students really understand and can use what we are teaching them • What knowledge and skills we must teach to enable them to apply their knowledge in meaningful ways

47. Thank you! 