Understanding_by_Design

Understanding by Design : Understanding by Design Understanding the essentials of backward design

When you think of Backward Design, Think of Nesting Dolls : When you think of Backward Design, Think of Nesting Dolls The smallest doll is student outcome The next-smallest one is the activity or lecture that leads to the outcome The middle one represents understandings/questions that lead to the activity The next-largest one represents the standards that lead to the questions The largest doll is the big/core idea that lead to the understandings

Most Importantly : Most Importantly Each element encompasses (but does not entirely cover) the next element which stems from it. In backward design, we start with the standards and the big/core idea and work backward to achieve the student outcome. Wiggins states that this continuity in design leads to the ability to transfer knowledge from one situation to another.

First Step - Standards : First Step - Standards What are the state or local standards that your lesson should cover? This is the first step in the design of your unit. For instance – these standards for 7th Grade English come from the Mississippi Academic Framework. The student will apply knowledge of text features, parts of a book, and text structures to understand, gain information from, interpret, respond to, or analyze text. Recognizes figurative/language/ literary devices (e.g., metaphors, similes, personification, and hyperbole) (RB28) Utilizes visual aids to completely understand the passage (e.g., picture, list, table, chart, graph) (RB15) See previous grades. Identifies essential information in directions (RB35) Explains how organizational aids and/or graphics relate to the content of the text (RB37) Identifies information which provides additional clarity (e.g., bold-faced print, illustrations, italics) (RB41)

Second Step – Unpack the Standards : Second Step – Unpack the Standards We are going to Unpack the Standards – and identify one big/core idea which relates to all of them. Wiggins says this insures transferability and helps students see relevance. Standards: The student will apply knowledge of text features, parts of a book, and text structures to understand, gain information from, interpret, respond to, or analyze text. Recognizes figurative/language/ literary devices (e.g., metaphors, similes, personification, and hyperbole) (RB28) Utilizes visual aids to completely understand the passage (e.g., picture, list, table, chart, graph) (RB15) See previous grades. Explains how organizational aids and/or graphics relate to the content of the text (RB37) Identifies information which provides additional clarity (e.g., bold-faced print, illustrations, italics) (RB41) Big/Core idea – Communication

Essential Questions/Understandings : Essential Questions/Understandings Now we are going to develop our essential questions and unit understandings. What questions can we develop about Communication – as framed by our standards, to help students “uncover” information?

Notice – we aren’t covering (or uncovering) EVERYTHING about communication! : Notice – we aren’t covering (or uncovering) EVERYTHING about communication! Communication is a huge idea – and it encompasses many, many skills and understandings. We aren’t going to try to help students understand everything about communication – but we are going to focus what the students understand using the “lens” of communication.

Creating Understandings : Creating Understandings Ask – what should my students understand about communication as a result of this unit? Essential Understandings (directly related to standards): --Sometimes we have to read “between the lines” to get the full meaning. --In some cases it is more effective to “show” rather than tell what you mean. --Non-verbal cues help us understand what people really mean.

We are one step closer to designing our activities! : We are one step closer to designing our activities! Standards The student will apply knowledge of text features, parts of a book, and text structures to understand, gain information from, interpret, respond to, or analyze text. Recognizes figurative/language/ literary devices (e.g., metaphors, similes, personification, and hyperbole) (RB28) Utilizes visual aids to completely understand the passage (e.g., picture, list, table, chart, graph) (RB15) See previous grades. Explains how organizational aids and/or graphics relate to the content of the text (RB37) Identifies information which provides additional clarity (e.g., bold-faced print, illustrations, italics) (RB41) Big/Core idea – Communication Essential Understandings: --Sometimes we have to read “between the lines” to get the full meaning. --In some cases it is more effective to “show” rather than tell what you mean. --Non-verbal cues can help us understand what people really mean.

Essential Questions : Essential Questions Now that we have our essential understandings, let’s identify our essential questions. Criteria for essential questions: They are broad – and are designed to elicit inquiry rather than “one” correct answer (even if there is one correct answer) They relate to our big idea They are derived from our essential understandings They should be related to the real world and the student’s world They help students look at the big idea from several angles

Questions Derived from Understanding : Questions Derived from Understanding

Now we will identify Topical Questions : Now we will identify Topical Questions Topical Questions derive from our overarching questions. They help us focus more intently on exactly what we need students to know and be able to do in our discipline with our materials as a result of instruction.

Deriving Topical Questions : Deriving Topical Questions

We are one step closer to designing our activities! : We are one step closer to designing our activities! Standards The student will apply knowledge of text features, parts of a book, and text structures to understand, gain information from, interpret, respond to, or analyze text. Recognizes figurative/language/ literary devices (e.g., metaphors, similes, personification, and hyperbole) (RB28) Utilizes visual aids to completely understand the passage (e.g., picture, list, table, chart, graph) (RB15) See previous grades. Explains how organizational aids and/or graphics relate to the content of the text (RB37) Identifies information which provides additional clarity (e.g., bold-faced print, illustrations, italics) (RB41) Big/Core idea – Communication Essential Understandings: --Sometimes we have to read “between the lines” to get the full meaning. --In some cases it is more effective to “show” rather than tell what you mean. --Non-verbal cues can help us understand what people really mean.

Why are we identifying questions and understandings before we create our activities? : Why are we identifying questions and understandings before we create our activities? We want to avoid the twin sins of traditional design: Activities which have no purposeful outcomes that students can identify “Coverage” of material By identifying what we want students to know BEFORE creating activities, we can help students understand and we can understand ourselves why the activities have meaning.

WARNING: Teaching for Understanding is Messy : WARNING: Teaching for Understanding is Messy When we teach with “big ideas” in mind – we are setting students up to disclose what they understand about the world and we must expect misunderstanding – and even celebrate it! Because once we know where these misunderstandings lie – we can correct them and assist the student in truly understanding content!

Example : Example I used to do Phase II technology training for teachers in the state of Mississippi. In this training, teachers were expected to learn to use the WWW and PowerPoint to enhance learning in their class. I started with an introduction, in which I told students how to get on the web, where to go, and how to find it. I gave handouts concerning how to open their Internet Explorer and where they might go for good sites. And then I said – “Okay, let’s get started.” Inevitably – on day one, the first fifteen minutes of the their application time was chaos. Teachers needed assistance turning on computers, opening Internet Explorer, and actually applying the concepts I had told them about (and that they had learned in previous trainings). These fifteen minutes of “uncoverage” really unnerved my partner – but on day two, when we started – everyone could apply the concepts just fine. I knew – even though day one was messy – the teachers’ understanding of how to use this computer on their own depended on that chaos. When they went back to their own classrooms, they understood how to get to the internet because they had asked questions, made mistakes, and uncovered all of those misconceptions they had.

Expect Misunderstandings : Expect Misunderstandings When thinking about how you will assist students in uncovering their knowledge – expect that they will not apply the knowledge correctly. Prepare references to assist them in recall of knowledge you have shared. In addition – expect to re-teach skills individually as students attempt to apply the concepts.

Climbing Bloom’s Ladder : Climbing Bloom’s Ladder Understanding by Design lets us know in no small measure that just because we teach it – that does not mean they learned it. As a matter of fact – Wiggins’ examples share that if we ONLY teach it – it is likely they will not learn it. We have to allow them to experience it. We move from Knowledge to Application – on the Bloom’s Ladder. When we encounter misunderstandings, we should celebrate and use that “teachable moment” to deepen student understanding of the concepts we are teaching.

Understanding by Design : Understanding by Design fin