UbDDI+B1+Chapter+3

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__Alex Slack__
__Abstract-__ This chapter obviously deducted from the title is about what is really important for learning, and that would be the content. The chapter’s first and strongest point that is talked about in this chapter is the idea of planning backward, the reason why this is the most important is because it obviously hit home with everyone in the class. This process works best if you work in steps by first identifying you desired results as the first step, determine acceptable evidence as the second step, and lastly plan the learning experiences and instructions. Stage one involves you looking at the bigger aspects such as the curriculum and the standard you are trying to accomplish in the unit you are teaching. Stage two involves you thinking as the assessor, you need to be able to think what you need to do to meet what you thought of in stage one. Stage three this is where you take the appropriate assessment options that you made in stage two, mixed with the curriculum and standards that are going to be met in stage one, and mix with a effective and engaging activity that fits the structure designed. This process can be broken down in a multitude of ways and templates to make it easier to use and for you to get good at constructing these templates, because let’s face it we are all going to be great teachers. Therefore we need to create work that is going to really knock these kids’ socks off.

__Syntheses-__ We it came to synthesizing the classes’ response to this chapter it became an easy decision to what the class was talking about. That was that the backwards model is the most effective way of setting up a lesson plan and not even that it is the most important but is the most effective and most useful. The backwards model is extremely popular with the class since everyone said positive things about it and many of you even said that it made lesson planning seem plausible and easy. The Backwards Design Model is an effective way to set up lesson plan and also align you with the standards. This model has been proven through your responses to be effective and helpful. Everyone’s positive reaction makes me excited to see what we can do as a unit when it comes to creating lessons because this model has an extremely easy step by step process to follow that many of you commented on as helpful. If I could use a favorite quote from these reflections “Many of my teachers fell behind on their curriculum, due to personal reasons or just slacked, and not only did they pay for it, but the students did as well. ” (Dan Kiley) Dan then goes through as to say that the Backwards Model is straight forward and can help him with the many templates and the ability to align him with the standards. Many of us have seen those horrible teachers and there poor attempts at lesson planning. Therefore lets be that generation of change and make great engaging lessons for our students.

Abby
I have always wondered how teachers meet all of their requirements and cover all the concepts that they need to in such a short amount of time. I have also wondered how they can plan out all those units in advance. I taught a ballet class for two years and it was as much as I could do to plan next week’s lesson. When it came to planning the recitals, things became more complicated because all the lessons needed to ultimately lead up to that, but I was planning the recitals last. I think that the idea of working backward makes a lot of sense. It would have been a lot easier to think about the recital first and then plan my classes in concordance to that. Just working on projects for school, work, and other activities I know that it is very easy to get off track and end up somewhere entirely unplanned if the goals are not kept in mind. This idea of working backward so that the goals are established first and everything else works off that, seems like a realistic and simple way to plan units. I also thought it was interesting that although we talk often about changing and adapting to meet the needs of the students, that we do not change the goals of the class or the criteria based on our students. How we achieve these goals can be differentiated based on our students’ learning styles, but they should not influence the ultimate goals.

Lizz
I really liked how this chapter broke down the stages of a unit and talked about planning backwards. I always wondered how my teachers would pull off teaching us all these different lesson plans and then still have time to make lesson plans in case they became sick for their substitute. I never taught any classes before but when I was coaching, I did try to teach the kids about nutrition and I always forgot important details that I wanted to tell them or I would just forget some weeks because the game schedule got so hectic. I can only imagine trying to teach a class. When it comes to working backwards for me when I’m writing a paper I always start backwards because if I start with the introduction it never turns out the way I want it to but if I start with the body of my paper then add the intro at the end I end up being very satisfied with it. One important thing that I took away from reading this chapter was that teachers need to balance between standardized tests and individual assessments. I had some teachers that were all about standardized tests but I always felt rushed because the teachers had to get through them for us to be ready for the tests. I also had teachers who didn’t really seem to care what learning results we needed to complete and they formed their own way of assessing us. I think to be a good teacher you do have to have a nice balance of both because some students don’t do very well on standardized tests like myself and others rock them and can pass one with their eyes shut.

Chapter three goes over teaching content standards and how to plan a curriculum based on these standards. According to the findings of researchers Robert Marzano and John Kendall, there are 255 different standards and 3,968 benchmarks(between the fifty states) that students are expected to be knowledgeable in various subjects. If each class had thirty minutes of instruction time for each benchmark, it would take about nine more years of school to cover all of the required material. Some of these standards and benchmarks are either too broad or too narrow, making them difficult to effectively teach. Finding a middle ground is key to having standards that accommodate both students and teacher. For example, if a seventh-grade history standard is to be able to, “compare the early civilizations of the Indus River Valley in Pakistan with the Huang-He of China.” That is too specific of a standard. Instead of comparing specific civilizations, compare the geography and the region of two different areas and use the civilizations of that area as evidence of the comparison.

One way to work in compliance with the standards is to use the backwards planning design. It is a three step process that starts with identifying the desired results, determining acceptable evidence, and then planning the curriculum. Basically, a teacher must find a clear goal that he wants to achieve. Next, the teacher must assess the goal and find evidence that the goal has been and can be achieved. Finally, the teacher must plan activities and lessons that coincide with his goal. The book provides a few planning templates to help with this process.

Brittany This chapter explained the different ways in which teachers choose which content to include in the allotted time. The book states that if teachers took the time to teach every benchmark and standard than students would be in school for nine more years. This shocked me because obviously all the information is either necessary or interesting, but how can teachers be expected to cover all of the information in a year. This is why teachers use the three stages in planning backwards, they can identify desired results, determine acceptable evidence and plan learning experiences to make the work and time more meaningful. Rather than just shoveling information at students they can make sure their lessons and units are really making the impact that they desire. Even if students are not exposed to every standard or benchmark, the ones they are exposed to have lasting impacts and can lead to individual exploration into the other information they were not presented with.

The point of chapter three was to discuss the importance of content in the classroom. Often there is quite a struggle because there is so much content, but as a teacher you need to decide what is most important. Sometimes the spectrum of what students are supposed to learn is too broad or too narrow to effectively teach the class. One method the book provided to plan a curriculum successfully is by planning backward. Through this process, you “identify desired results, and determine acceptable evidence.” (28) Acceptable evidence seems quite important to me because it is not the most important thing to have a set curriculum. The important part is how the students are going to learn and be assessed. Sometimes this can be best achieved by having a variety of options to assess students. The option of presenting an essay, a poster, or a skit could give students the opportunity to express themselves and their learning in a way that seems comfortable to them. The problem here could potentially be that teachers make projects too frequent and too unrelated to the subject matter. The class becomes too entertaining and not enough curriculum based. There is a tough balance to make as a teacher. It is vital to meet the needs and provide equal curricular opportunities to each type of learner, but they also need to be learning the same material. Sometimes teachers try to just give less work to students who don’t learn as fast and more work to the students who are bored. This method does not benefit anyone. Teachers need to find the balance and work with students constantly to make sure that their needs are being met.

Ally
I learned a lot from the chapter because I didn’t even know where to begin when making lesson plans that follow the Maine Learning curriculum. I thought there would be too much information that there would be no way for my students to learn in just one year. The chapter helped me organize the material and set goals and guiding questions for me to follow as well as my students. I think this important because I had a teacher cram all the information the last minute and expected us to learn it within a week so we weren’t prepared for testing at all. By knowing your content and knowing the criteria then you can teach effectively. This will help me in the classroom because it allows me to teach what my students need to learn in order to pass the Maine Learning Requirements. Other teachers can tell when the students haven’t learned the proper material from the previous years so instead of learning more they have to back track and learn what they should have learned the previous year in order to continue to the next level. If you don’t follow the criteria you are affecting your students learning. As a teacher this effects me because I need to be able to teach in this fashion so my students can continue their education. If I don’t, I am not only hurting myself but I also deeply affect my students because they will then be behind for the rest of their education. I think teachers should definitely learn these stages because you are not helping students when you aren’t doing your job. I found it interesting that they told you to work on it backwards because it actually makes more sense to work backwards and I understand it more when I work backwards. = =

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Jenn
In this chapter the book really begins to explain the foundations of the two models and how to use them in the classroom. This chapter explained how there are too many standards and too much content in today’s educational system for teachers to cover everything they need to without giving the students the depth they need. Combining the two models in a backward design really helps solve this. I really like how it begins with looking at the standards. That seems to be where a teacher is expected to start, and honestly, it makes more sense to. Working with standards to create big ideas allows you to interpret the information, slightly, to fit your needs and the needs of your classroom. However, the standards need to be covered in full in order to clearly meet the expectations. In the second stage I found it helpful to think of assessment, even though it might be difficult at times. If you know how you’re going to assess the students beforehand, it creates a more specified area of information that you need to cover, and can start to give ideas for what will actually become the unit. The third stage is obviously the more creative part because you are more able to be flexible with its content. This is really where differentiation really comes into play. I personally like how, because of the backward design, you can come up with unique lessons, but are still reaching the necessary standards. It makes it more sensible in planning lessons knowing exactly what you are aiming to teach. I appreciated how the book pointed out that the backward design also prevents teachers from being stuck in their comfort zone because it allows creativity in appropriate areas.

Dan
Teachers have always struggled with the content in a course. When I look back at high school, it makes a lot of sense. Many of my teachers fell behind on their curriculum, due to personal reasons or just slacked, and not only did they pay for it, but the students did as well. I didn’t learn anything in the last half of my history class, because the teacher rushed in order to achieve his desired result, but hindered the class from valuable knowledge. I like the concept of the backwards design. Whenever I embark on any project or document, I always consider the end result and work backwards to achieve it. This method of planning a curriculum seems pretty straight forward. I was concerned about the individual student, as you must be ready to accommodate for their needs, and I was worried on how it would affect the overall structure of the plan. The desired results and goals of the curriculum should not be individualized, but rather how you assess students and the learning plan should, keeping in mind that the criteria must remain the same for all students. When I become a teacher, I must familiarize myself with this strategy of creating curriculum outlines. I’m glad many templates exist, because I will be relying on them in order to succeed in my planning. I also recognize I will have to plan different types of assessments depending on the varying verbs: “knowing” something and “analyzing” something are two totally different concepts, and my assessments must reflect that.

Jake
The idea of planning backward really seems to be a good approach, and although I’m not familiar with any other tracks of thought, this seems to have a solid premise. It seems so important that an educator decides what he wants his students to know before preparing the lesson, I really can't imagine any a other appropriate means of preparation. The lesson itself is simply a means of reaching a desired end, and without having already established that end, how can you prepare a lesson. I also think it's really awesome how they have approached differentiation. Obviously you want all the kids to learn a basic idea by the time everything is said and done, but not all students are able to get there the same way. Differentiation seems to be key as already in this class we have spent a great deal of time discussing how everyone learns in different ways. Though I still see a difficulty in trying to meeting the needs of the collective while focusing on the individual there seems to be a bit more wiggle room than I had originally understood. The assessment piece was also quite interesting. I am personally, after reading the chapter, unsure of how to assess the collective in a way that is fair to each individual while not burning yourself through to the core. I understand that the vast majority of students should be able to write papers and make posters, but it seems that there are more and more english language learners coming every day. I would really like to have a hands-on experience with the execution of some of these ideas so that I could better understand.

Roger
In the third chapter of UbD/DI, the authors discuss the content of curriculum. The frequently discuss the impact of textbooks and standards testing. The authors use the term “6 miles wide, 1 inch deep,” to describe current content they have seen in text. This feeling makes sense, since most curriculum tries to cover vast amounts of material without going into depth. This creates a serious gap in learning, since students know a little about everything, but almost not enough to be useful. This is a very dangerous risk in curriculum, since all this effort to “broaden” curriculum may turn out to be wasted. If the curriculum does not have enough depth to provide any real meaning, it may prove to be a huge waste of effort and money.

The authors make another point about curriculum, saying that it should not be an attempt to blanket all students. Instead, curriculum content should be adapted to suit the needs of those it is being taught to. Instead of trying to get students to learn in ways that are unfamiliar and uncomfortable, it would be a much more effective use of content if it was tailored to each student’s own needs. By both directing and packaging content appropriately, vast improvements may be made in what students learn and retain. Instead of covering several topics in less detail, it would be better to cover one topic with detail, and with the malleability to suit all students.

Katie
Many teachers struggle with the fact that there is too much content for them to have to cover and not enough time in the school year to cover it all. Unfortunately, when planning and teaching, teachers tend to either go for a hands on activity which could potentially lead the class off topic of what is being discussed in the lesson, or they follow the textbook step-by-step and to do exactly what the teacher’s edition tells them to do. Both of these problems are known as “twin sins” which I honestly had no idea even existed. It makes sense that these “twin sins” would be bad in large amounts of class time because if a class focuses primarily on activity based learning, then the students will not be able to use their other eight intelligences. The use of backward design is helpful and yet confusing to me. I understand the steps and what they are about, but how to actually go about doing them is what I think I may have a hard time with.

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Caleb
Throughout the ages of schooling and education classes there was always a large and broad amount of concepts for students to learn. We have had vague obscure standards that force teachers to cover abstract topics. Analyzing how an artist puts meaning into his painting, covering a topic such as that is quite a difficult task at hand. Thus why a new way of breaking down these standards has appeared. It’s called the backwards design. Now, the backwards design is as straightforward as it sounds it takes what standards teaching has taught us, teaching as many concepts as possible in order to cover standards and changes it to focusing on the big ideas on the content on hand then understand the information that goes with it. From there you create a lessons plan explaining those topics and thus you covered the standard. As a teacher I can’t teach a textbook, but I can cover the big ideas behind math. With each lesson I teach I just have to start with the simple idea of what is the big idea here. From there ask myself questions that are important, and follow it up by teaching a unit. If I am able to do this with a concept like math, a subject I that very recently became a subject that could generate big ideas, then I believe that no matter what the students in my group are I can teach them. The aspect of the backwards design that I find cool is that we go through stages of how to differentiate the lesson as well. We start with an idea that is broad enough for the students then we break it down to questions and ideas that might allow some diversity to occur, finally we can teach to the many different students in order to differentiate our style and give them the best learning possible.

Alex
Chapter 3: Content is the most important thing that a teacher needs to be able to understand because let’s face it… we are teaching this information time and time again to kids. Now it is out job to spice it up, put our own spin on it, own it for what it is, and most importantly teach it. To master the context area is easy because all of us have picked our concentration area because it is either are strong point, we enjoy learning about it, or we know it, therefore we need to learn how to teach our passion in a effective way. This chapter explains to us that an appropriate way is teaching backwards we find a goal, and then work our lessons backwards to reach that goal. This is an effective method that I could see myself incorporating into my classroom because it allows me to plan stuff in a creative ways and like a “choose your own adventure” book create multiple path ways to the finish line. Teaching is all about distributing of knowledge to children so they learn it and are capable of gaining a repertoire of information and using this knowledge for careers of their own and future life choices. That beauty of the backwards design is that there is no set step by step function which really fits into my learning style as a beach ball, this allows me the creativity to create multiple ways of interpreting the information I am trying to teach. This model also allows the student to have more options and more fun in learning in my class as well.