UbDDI+B2+Chapter+9

Morgan Ware - Abstract and Synthesis
Chapter 9 of UbD/DI is a basic summary of the main ideas brought about in the book. This chapter focuses on examples on how to incorporate [|UbD]/DI in the classroom. This chapter give us examples on how to take a unit that is not differentiated and change it is some places so that all students can benefit from the unit. Teachers also need to focus on making sure their unit is clear to the students and administrators. Teachers need to know what they are doing and how they are going to use [|Differentiated Instruction] for students will different learning styles and needs. This chapter give a lot of charts and examples on how to use the backwards design model in the classroom. Teachers can use pre-assessment as a way of differentiating the unit as well as graphic organizers. Also the chapter brings up the idea of mini-workshops for students that need one on one help and instruction for an assignment.Teachers also need to use formative assessment through out the unit to see how their students are learning. Another thing teachers can do to better their students' learning is to give feed back to parents on how their child is doing and what they can do to help their child succeed academically. toc

Lauren Breton
This chapter of the texts focused on giving examples of how to incorporate both Understanding by Design and Differentiated Instruction into the classroom. The text gave an example of one teacher’s plan for his entire unit, which was not differentiated, and then revealed how another teacher could take a piece of the unit and tweak it so that her students of varying skill and ability levels would be challenged. This was incredibly helpful for me because it showed me how to take a solid lesson plan that was not differentiated and change it so that all students would be getting the most out of it for their skill level. Another aspect of the chapter that was helpful for me was the list of ways that the teacher was planning to carry out the differentiation throughout the unit. In this section, twenty different ways to ensure differentiation were provided which gave me an idea of how many options I had for differentiating. I hope to incorporate many of the different ways of differentiation into my classroom, especially providing mini-workshops, using rubrics with personalized elements, and allowing students to provide different ways of accomplishing the goals that they are trying to meet. Mini-workshops would ensure that students who needed help were able to receive that personalized instruction, rubrics with personal elements would challenge gifted students and would be appropriate for students who are struggling to show improvement, and allowing students to come up with different ways to accomplish goals gets students more involved in the learning process. All of these methods to incorporate differentiation would create a better learning environment for my students and would address their needs as learners.

Megan Millette
This chapter basically was a summary of the many ideas brought forward about UbD and DI throughout the book. It went into elaborate details of how a teacher should deal with certain scenarios. It was a very valuable chapter for a future educator. Tomlinson and McTighe first discuss how both UbD and DI are complex and need to be used by teachers to address a wide variety of factors for “designing and implementing a valued curriculum and instruction”(Pg. 141). As educators it is important to focus on clarity of curriculum as well as be flexible to different aspects of learning challenges that happen. When an educator uses backward design it is best for them to determine what is important for the students to know and be able to do by the end as well as having evidence that students comprehend and can use information because they have mastered it. It also involves a teacher being clear so a student can focus, achieve, and be guided to their desired outcomes. As an educator a good method I could use to begin my unit would be have a pre-assessment that tests what my students know so I can form desired learning goals for each of them. I found the many examples of differentiated and backward design unit in action to be very effective. It was great to see how this educator had plans to adapt her lessons to meet specific students’ needs while also allowing all students a chance to succeed. This chapter was very helpful in giving real examples of ways to help students in many different areas they struggle in.

Emily McGee
Tomlinson and McTighe reiterate the important themes throughout UbD + DI, the importance of weaving it’s understandings into the fabric of the classroom, and indicators that it has been successfully incorporated into the classroom curriculum and instruction. They elaborate on identifying EEKs, acceptable evidence, and meaningful learning experiences and instructions. The pronounce the importance of accepting and expecting learner variance, then addressing learner’s needs to support learner success; using pre-assessment, then flexible instructional plans; and ongoing formative assessment for adaptations to lessons throughout the unit.

This is important for me as a pre-service teacher because I need to weave the threads of UbD + DI into my own teaching practice. It is not enough to understand the paired theories, one must implement them in the classroom to make use of the. I want to be a master of differentiated instruction in order to give each of my students the best chance at mastering the material of biology. I want them to be engaged in their own learning, my teaching, and motivated to work hard and be the best they can. I want to master pre-assessment and ongoing formative assessment practices and synthesizing information from them into varied learning tasks and flexible instruction and assessment.

Lauren Scheidegger
Chapter nine of __Integrating Differentiated Instruction + Understanding by Design__ by Carol Ann Tomlinson and Jay McTighe is all about putting together the pieces. The chapter starts with a quick review which reminds teachers that they should know what they are doing and how to identify successful differentiated instruction and units utilizing understanding by design. The chapter also provides an easy to follow flow chart of what should be done to integrate the main ideas of Ubd and DI. It begins with pre-assessments and ends with reporting back to students and parents about the process and progress of the students learning as well as their final products. The chart worked as a great overview and can be used as a refresher. The chapter also illustrated a great example of a lesson plan and even included a rubric. This is a great tool for teachers to learn from. Being able to have an example in front of you while you work on a lesson plan of your own can help guild you and give you ideas. The chapter also contains a section on “observable indicators” (162). This makes it very easy to see when the learning environment and the curriculum are looking like they should. I found this last chapter to be a great way to tie things together and give one last review over the major points of the book. It also allowed me to see an image of a classroom successfully integrating DI and UbD. Being able to see it makes it easier for me to envision myself using it in my future classrooms, and I have every intention of doing so.

Alyssa Amari
This chapter was a compilation of everything we have read in the previous chapters but with several real life modifications, ideas, and tips for including UbD and DI together when creating your unit. Reintroducing the idea of the backwards design model with the three stages is the start of the chapter, followed by a health unit that was created through this model. The unit is displayed in a fashion similar to the way we have been creating our units in class; with each stage written out, each lesson/ performance task, and a list of learning activities. Then it discusses how to differentiate the unit to ensure maximum student growth by adjusting performance tasks for different readiness levels. It also discusses the idea of focusing on students in relation to the unit goals, and what tasks can be done throughout the unit to stay on top of reaching the end goal. There are several observable indicators in UbD/DI Classrooms that will show when teachers have integrated the principles and practices of UbD and DI. The first indicators will be observed in the learning environment with how the students feel, act, and are treated in the classroom. Then in the curriculum with obvious connections to UbD and DI with how the unit is created. Then with the teacher, with how they act and respond towards the students and their progress as well as teaching to maximize success. Then finally the learners are the biggest indicators because if your unit is successful they will exhibit this through their understandings and new abilities. This was helpful to me because it was a summarization of what I had read so far in application to actually units. Looking at the units and all of the possible activities and adjustments made me think about adding some to my own stage three. This is important for students because not only is it the process of how we develop our unit, but it is the process in which the students develop their learning. We are the complete guides of this process.

T.J. Hebert
There are nine essential goals of UbD/DI: identify desired learning results for the topic(s), determine evidence of student learning, plan learning experiences and instruction based on the first two goals, instruct in a differentiated way, address learners needs to support success, review and articulate clear learning goals, use pre-assessment and ongoing assessment aligned with the goals, be flexible with instruction and planning, gather evidence of learning in multiple formats. These goals, backward design and differentiated instruction should maximize learning for most if not all students in a classroom.

Any unit that I teach from or develop as a teacher will be based on the above goals and method of backward design using differentiated instruction. After reading a majority of this book and seeing the myriad of examples provided, it seems quite clear that UbD/DI is the proper teaching method and seems foolish to not teach using these principles. I only wish that my teachers in high school would have taught using these principles as it does not seem that they did. Perhaps they were unaware of UbD/DI but I feel that I would have been a much better learner and performed at a higher level in high school then I did. I feel lucky to now be able to teach in a method that I did not have the opportunity to experience.

**Samy Tracy **
This chapter focused primarily on integrating the backward design model and differentiated instruction to create a solid lesson plan for students. The authors begin by going over what had been explained in all the previous chapters that go in to making up a lesson, which is what we are learning about in class. It then gives an example of a unit that one teacher came up with for his health class. This shows how our lesson plans and unit is supposed to be set up and shows how in depth they really go. Next, another teacher edited a particular lesson that this teacher had thought up but differentiated it to meet students’ needs. This was EXTREMELY helpful for me because I had no idea how to approach going about differentiating because it all depends on the students and what learning styles they need met. The pre-assessment is the first step because teachers need to find out what each student knows or does not know and how far along or behind they are. The examples given were also very overwhelming but the book emphasizes on not having to use each one in the lessons but choose which ones would suit you best as an educator. This chapter showed me that it is important to have a plan of what to do each day with your students but to also be flexible when certain needs arise that need new direction or focus. This chapter also made me think that if there are such valuable resources out there like this book, why don’t more teachers use them to their advantage? Mostly none of the lessons I had throughout high school were differentiated and if teachers just took the time to realize how simple it could really be, they could implement it into their units and have more student success.

Rachel Joiner
After reading this chapter, I felt as if I had a much better understanding of how to create a lesson plan. This chapter really pulled all the information together and presented it in a way that I found helpful. I feel as if I could use this book as a resource for my classroom, as I am creating lessons. I really liked how the chapter presented a unit outline that was completed as an example. By seeing the example I felt, as I could fully understand it, it helped to see it all planned out. I thought it was great how they included the internet resource links within their lessons. This is not something that probably would have occurred to me while creating a lesson. I think this could be beneficial to the classroom, because it can be easily recalled if it was needed. This way the teacher can have all the information right there, and ready to access it. Two things that I got out of this chapter that I thought were really important things to do as a teacher were to always give students pre-assessments so the teacher can understand where the students are in terms of the learning goals for that unit. I think this is an important device that should be used in the classroom. I think this allows teachers to get a better understanding of what they need to address, and that way they can focus on the sections that students are weaker in. As a teacher, this is something I would try and always work into my units. Another thing I really thought was an important tool to use in the classroom was providing feedback to parents. I think parents should be involved in their children’s lives, and I feel like they will be more encouraged if the teacher is providing occasional feedback or newsletters. I thought this was a great idea, and would like to use it my classroom.

Kevin Lind
The most important thing in this entire chapter for me is the example of a unit using backward design. I honestly did not fully grasp what the concept of backward design required, but the example makes it much clearer to me how backward design is intended to work. Now that I get it, I can actually see myself using it with my students. Devising units this way makes the possibility of teachers covering all of the material much more likely. It will definitely aid me when I am creating my own units for my students.

This chapter also makes the point of establishing what differentiated instruction entails. This section of the chapter seemed rather unnecessary to me because the rest of the book describes how to effectively use differentiated instruction in the classroom. Differentiated instruction is definitely something I will use and other teachers should use, but there isn’t really any need to continue analyzing the method. It has been established as an effected teaching tool, and should be used by many teachers.

This chapter does also show some of the importance for pre-assessment. As the book points out, pre-assessments can be essential to learning about the interests of students. Also, it can give teachers a starting point for differentiated instruction. Teachers can see how much their students have already learned, and can decide where students should start in their curriculum. As a future educator, I plan on using pre-assessment in my classes for these two reasons. Even though it is important to understand the starting point for my class, I think the understanding of my students’ interests would be more valuable.

Mike Kahler
This chapter really sums up the book and explains how to incorporate differentiation into the classroom while at the same time utilizing the backwards design model. The most effective way to teach is by incorporating backward design and differentiation. Curriculum, assessment, and instruction are more effective when differentiation, and the backward design model are incorporated. The chapter also gives an example of a teacher’s lesson plan that utilizes backward design. It then shows an alternate version of the same plan that utilizes differentiation. This plan caters to the multiple intelligences, and different learning styles. Tiering is also utilized. An example of a lesson being differentiated for individual learners is also given. The lesson needs to be differentiated for the readiness needs of different learners, but it also needs to be differentiated for their interests and learning styles. In my classroom I plan on incorporating all of the methods outlined in this book, and utilizing them all as it is described in this chapter. My classroom will utilize the backward design model. I will plan my units so that they are as effective as possible, and keep essential questions in mind while I plan my assessments and lessons. These lessons will then be tiered and differentiated for all of my individual students so that all of their needs are met, and they stay engaged with the subject matter. The idea of giving students different options seems to be especially effective because it caters to the individual interests of the students.

Matt Roy
This chapter was essentially a “graduation” of sorts from the Understanding by Design and Differentiated Instruction textbook. The past eight chapters have all presented various facets of the two theories and why they work in the classroom. Chapter 9 focused on how to weave both theories effectively into a classroom while providing examples of how this should be done. The authors (Carol Ann Tomlinson and Jay McTighe) presented a unit plan to show us how the effective employment of the theories of Understanding by Design and backwards planning can help us devise a rich and effective curriculum based on understanding and key concepts. The authors then went further and described effective ways to differentiate this curriculum. It is key to note that just because backwards design was employed doesn’t mean that it’s going to be inherently differentiated enough to reach all of your learners. The converse is true because you can have the best differentiation strategies in the world but if your curriculum is not based on backwards design and understanding by design your students won’t gain anything from it.

This chapter was of particular importance because it kind of served as a capstone for the entire Understanding by Design/Differentiated Instruction book as a whole. Oftentimes, like anything in life, we can understand all of these concepts individually but when it comes time to tie them into one collective whole (as was initially intended) we can tend to struggle. This can also serve as a metaphor for our teaching strategies as sometimes our students may understand the little concepts individually we must remain aware that often the most difficult part is unifying it all into one cumulative idea.

Morgan Ware
This chapter is about bringing everything that we have learned about curriculum and UbD and DI together. Both UbD and DI are complex and have a full range of factors a teacher must address in creating curriculum and instruction. Teachers need to identify desired learning results for the content they teach. They need to determine acceptable evidence of a student’s progress and learning. Teachers need to plan learning experiences and instruction based on the previous two sentences. Teachers also need to take in consideration the differences in each learner and use them to their advantage. Teachers need to address students’ needs and support their learning. Teachers should also review the goals frequently with students in order for them to succeed. Teachers need to give frequent pre-assessment and be flexible. Teachers need engaging and interactive learning units. Teachers also need to understand the diversity in each student. I can use this information in my classrooms to ensure that my students have the best learning environment possible.

Simone Thiry
The ninth chapter examined the core of the book: integrating the different concepts of differentiated instruction and understanding by design. The marriage of these two theories is difficult, because they are inherently opposite in structure. The chapter provided detailed examples of how to differentiate instruction while still utilizing a solid UbD plan. What impressed me the most about the example given in the book was the detailed knowledge the teacher had about her students. She knew exactly which students were going to need assistance (e.g. information translated into another language), and she ensured that their needs were met through the material and other classroom resources. I hope to be as astute as this teacher when it comes to observing my students and determining what additional resources I will need to provide. I also found the differentiated versions of a planned activity to be very informative about how to provide equal opportunity to students and pique their interest while maintaining the heart of an assignment. As a result of the examples given in this chapter, I now understand more clearly that the most important aspect of this process is to provide evidence of student learning in a way that allows students to learn more, and demonstrate all of their learning of key outcomes, by utilizing as many tools as possible to help students succeed in an appropriately challenging environment. I hope to effectively use the principles of UbD and DI in my classroom to achieve this core objective for all of my future students.

Patrick Hurley
Teachers work should be guided by certain principles, those are: 1. Identify desired learning results for the subject and topic they teach. 2. Determine acceptable evidence of student learning. 3. Plan learning experiences and instruction based on the first two principles. 4. Regard learner differences as inevitable, important, and valuable in teaching and learning. 5. Address learner’s affective needs as a means of supporting student success. 6. Periodically review and articulate clear learning goals that specify what students should know, understand, and be able to do as a result of each segment of learning. 7. Use systematic pre assessment and assessment 8. Employ flexibility in instructional planning and classroom management. 9. Gather evidence of student learning in a variety of formats. You need to be sure to differentiate instruction so everyone is learning at their highest potential. This chapter was kind of an overview of what we have read so far. I believe you need to be able to be flexible while teaching to take advantage of what the class gives you. You need to assess your students and give constant, speedy feedback. You need to differentiate instruction. If I do all these things my students will get so much more out of class than if I was to just stick to my plan and lecture everyone in the same way.