Understanding by Design Ensuring Learning through Lesson Design

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1 Understanding by Design Ensuring Learning through Lesson Design i.e. Backward Design Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe

2 Big Idea Making Best Practices, Common Practice We teach so that others may understand. Our challenges: Finding time to teach all standards and maintain the rigor (teaching for understanding - not just to cover ) Making lessons meaningful Engaging students in the learning process

3 Old saying. Old saying. If you don t know exactly where you are headed, then any road will get you there.

4 The goal of teaching should be to provide students (you) the ability to effectively use the stuff of the subject, not just learning the stuff

5 Three Stages of UbD Three Stages of UbD Stage 1: Identify the Desired Results Unpack the learning, prioritize learning goals, determine expectations. Clarify Learning Outcomes Stage 2: Determine Acceptable Evidence Stage 3: Plan learning experiences and instruction

6 Let the main ideas which are introduced into a child s education be few and important, and let them be thrown into every combination possible. -Whitehead, 1929

7 90 Average % of Topics with Concepts That were Developed or Only Stated 80 % of topics % of topics stated % of topics developed germany Japan US source: USDEED, TIMMSS Survey 1998

8 Stage 1: Identify the Desired Results Stage 2: Determine Acceptable Evidence What evidence could be used to document and validate the learning that has been achieved Evidence is gathered throughout the learning time - includes formative and not only summative assessments Stage 3: Plan learning experiences and instruction

9 Stage 1: Identify the Desired Results Stage 2: Determine Acceptable Evidence Stage 3: Plan learning experiences and instruction What specific content and skills must be taught to achieve desired results? What is the best way to teach the content and skills? What resources will we need? How much time might be required for learning? "Reduce your plan to writing... The moment you complete this, you will have definitely given concrete form to the intangible desire." - Napoleon Hill

10 Lasting thought. Lasting thought. For any subject taught in primary school, we might ask [is it] worth an adult s knowing, and whether having known it as a child makes a person a better adult. A negative or ambiguous answer means the material is cluttering up the curriculum. Bruner, 1960

11 UbD - Stage 1 UbD - Stage 1 Identify the Desired Results or Understandings

12 If we are designing for Understanding What does Understanding mean? Is there a difference between knowing and understanding? Is there a difference between knowing and being able to do? Is there a difference between being able to do and understanding?

13 Understanding is the result of facts acquiring meaning for the learner. Dewey 1933

14 Understanding is the ability to transfer learning to new, different and unique experiences. Wiggins

15 Challenge: To make understanding (transference) more likely by design rather than by luck **my challenge: to help you learn (understand) lesson planning strategies which will ensure student learning (not make you hope that they learn). That is why I want you to learn!

16 "A goal is not the same as a desire, and this is an important distinction to make. You can have a desire you don't intend to act on. But you can't have a goal you don't intend to act on." - Tom Morris

17 Stage 1 - Planning for The End Stage 1 - Planning for The End During Stage 1 - Design for the End: What is the Big Idea? What is the Essential question based on big idea What are the Desired outcomes/learning goals (unpacked standards)?

18 1st Component: Big Ideas 1st Component: Big Ideas Big ideas provide the basis for transfer (both during and of learning) or relevance for the learner education with inert ideas is not only useless: it is above all things, harmful. Let the main ideas which are introduced be few and important, and let them be thrown into every combination possible. Whitehead 1929

19 Transfer is the basis of all creativity, problem solving and the making of satisfying decisions. -Madeline Hunter Never underestimate the power of transfer. Past learning always influences the acquisition of new learning. -David A. Sousa Thematic units and an integrated curriculum enhance the transfer process. Information is most likely to get stored if it makes sense and has meaning. -David A. Sousa

20 A Big Idea (bottom line) A Big Idea (bottom line) Provides a lens for prioritizing Serves as an organizer for facts, skills and actions focusing on big ideas, helps students see purpose and relevance of pieces Support Transference create coherence Manifest itself in many ways and in many content areas Requires Uncovering - its meaning is abstract, so it must be discovered, constructed or inferred by learners

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22 Our Big Idea Our Big Idea Make Best Practices, Common Practice Or Teach in a way so that others may understand. **Key: focus on learning, not the teaching **key: big ideas are not finished in a lesson they are enduring understandings, connect lessons throughout the year or years of learning

23 2nd Component: Essential Questions To question means to lay open, to place in the open. Only a person who has questions can have real understanding. Gadamer, 1994

24 Essential Questions Essential Questions Key: the goal is to pursue the question, not necessarily answer it Know that the answers students will find should only lead to more questions. That is when learning takes place!

25 An Essential Question is An Essential Question is An open-ended provocative question designed to guide student inquiry and focus instruction for uncovering the important ideas of the content

26 Essential Questions Essential Questions Have no simple right answer; they are meant to be argued and discussed (discovered, uncovered) Designed to provoke and sustain inquiry Often address the foundational or historical issues of a subject Lead to more questions Naturally come back again when learning Encourage ongoing re-thinking of big ideas, assumptions, prior learning (transference ) Could be overarching or topical

27 Our Essential Questions Our Essential Questions What is the best way? Or Can I help everyone Learn? Underlying question to me: How can I make it more likely - by design - that all students/teachers really understand why they are asked to learn?

28 3rd Component - Desired Outcomes Determine the Learning Goal (standard) Clarify specifically what the student will know, understand, and be able to do (unpack the standards)

29 Our Desired Outcomes Our Desired Outcomes Understandings: * There is a sense of urgency to help all students succeed in all content areas *There are research-based, effective strategies which will increase student achievement *Collaboration is a powerful means of moving education forward

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31 Our Desired Outcomes Our Desired Outcomes *Know: *Teachers will be aware of new tools/strategies/resources/ideas they can use to increase effectiveness *Teachers will be identify themselves within the 4 components of the BSSD IM

32 Our Desired Outcomes Our Desired Outcomes Be Able to Do: *Teachers will be able to implement tools/strategies to engage students in meaningful and effective learning

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34 At the end of this workshop, teachers will have tools/experience with research-based, effective lesson planning strategies to enhance student learning KNOW: nouns and adjectives tools to help students learn Research-based strategies Definition for learning Be Able to: (verbs) Use experience with effective lesson planning to enhance student learning Use tools to enhance student learning

35 Stage 1 - summarized Stage 1 - summarized Identify the Desired Results. Begin with the Ending! What big ideas, related to the goal/standard are worthy of understanding How can the learning connect with the student (essential question) What, specifically, will students know, understand and do?? **Remember: these can be developed in any order - it is not a step-by-step process

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