UbDDI+B1+Chapter+6


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Ally
This chapter is about how to teach with UBD so students actually learn because many teachers teach the basics for a curriculum instead of allowing for meaningful knowledge to be learned. Many teachers teach the basics and then have the students to busy work to practice the skill. This doesn’t make the student learn or engage the student to learn more. The teacher should strive to push their students to learn more instead of practicing the basic skills, this doesn’t help students learn further. The book then explained some core values with teaching many of them being consistent with your students and giving opportunities and balance. The best way to make sure each student is learning is to get feedback in order to make changes that way you are getting suggestions of how to improve. It can be overwhelming to teach all the different types of students so asking how you can improve makes a major difference to the students. I will definitely use these values in my teaching. I think this will effect my teaching because it creates a line in teaching, you have the bar that is teaching and knowing the basics and but I want to be above the bar by engaging my students and encouraging them to learn more. This will effect my classroom because it will allow my student to be interested in the topic that I am teaching and if they aren’t they can then help me to make it so they are interested.

Caleb
Clustered learning or another way to put it having students in the classroom is what we’ve been learning about for quite sometime. The differentiated learning style combined with understanding by design indicates that students have different needs. This fact if stated anymore will become law all across America, but I digress. A good example of what this clustered learning term means and what it looks can be seen in the comic book series known as the X-men. At first glance we would say that this makes little to no sense. How can superheroes that possess mutant powers fighting crimes and living under the same roof deal anything with education. And to answer that question, taking a look at the X-mansion, the teams place of residents, we notice it as a school that invites all mutants into it’s halls. The cool thing about each student is that we seen a physical representation of different learning styles through the variety of powers that each one of the students posses. Professor X has to figure through communication, his power (which is telepathy) and sessions how to best teach his students. Throughout all of the years we see Professor X being able to form specified lessons to each one of his students in the areas not only dealing with the powers but all across the board. Professor X understands that there has to be forethought in his teaching style instead of pure randomness. A teacher has to sacrifice their time to make sure that all of their students are learning and thriving, much like the X-men do. Seeing Professor X work gives me more of a reason to become a teacher that adapts to his students.

Jake
Chapter 6 of UBD and DI discusses incorporating understanding by design with the idea of differentiation into the classroom. The reading directly addresses the issue of having too many students for a differentiated classroom. It explains that a teacher must establish a balance of student owned learning and the amount of guidance that the teacher must provide. The book describes the relationship much like music and harmony. A melody can be expressed in a variety of ways, just like a teacher can meet the curriculum standards. However in order to do so the teacher must have mastery of how learning and understanding works. I think this is an essential piece in teaching; a teacher must be able to adjust and how to find different routes in order to get to the desired end. Much like the author talks in the end of the reading. A teacher needs to be willing to adapt to change, and to substitute different methods into his or her teaching style. Teachers must be focused on the final product and not necessarily the process it takes to get there. There is no one set way to do things, there are a variety of different methods and not only teachers, but people everywhere need to be willing to adjust if they ever want to reach their goals.

I intend to continue pursuing the same sort of philosophy. Not only as a future teacher, but as a learner, I hope that my methods and thinking will be challenged. Though I will never go easily, I believe that a certain level of dissonance is required for proper analysis. However, I am open to change and I very much want my teaching to reflect that.

Jenn
In this chapter, the main ideas are how to incorporate responsive teaching into the backwards design model using instructional tools, clustering, and flexibility.

Most of the things covered in this chapter seemed to be repeated from previous chapters, but there were several specific things mentioned that I found particularly useful. I think that the understanding that a teacher is there to help build the skills needed for a student to be constructive is extremely important.

I also really liked the idea of working with another differentiated teacher. I’ve seen how effective this can be for the students. I also liked how the book pointed out that this can be beneficial to the teachers as well. Although not all people are interpersonal, clearly, the idea of getting another person’s perspective on your students and your curriculum is an excellent one, especially when it comes to responsive teaching.

Furthermore, I like the idea that clustering can help with classroom management while keeping a differentiated classroom. The charts included in this chapter were helpful in giving a variety of ways on how to help students in particular clusters. I really think that having the students help with how the classroom is arranged, organized, transitioned and managed is the best idea. Once students know that part of their responsibility as a student is to understand their learning preferences, they might appreciate the opportunity to express their opinions on what works best, instead of having the teacher guess for them. Also, if the students understand the variety of learning styles there are in their classroom, they are more likely to be respectful of their fellow classmate’s needs.

Abby
This chapter talked about teaching meaningfully and how to flexibaly use the time, space, resources, student groupings, and learning strategies to offer all students an equal opportunity at deep understanding. We need to be teaching meaningful and thought-based instruction that has applications to the real world. Each student has the right to this type of learning but often teachers only teach these meaningful applications to students who have mastered the basics. Some however cannot learn the basics until they understand the real world connections and opportunities. It is not fair that some students would get this in-depth learning where others are left struggling over the basics. Students should also be given the ultimate goals of the lesson. How can a teacher expect students to master the skills and goals of a unit if they are not clearly presented? We should be teaching responsive instruction where we observe classroom patterns and adapt lessons accordingly. As Tomlinson and McTighe point out, by seeking to help one student you may make learning easier for another.

I think that it is important to offer this deep thinking to all students. Just because they have some setbacks or learning disabilities, it does not mean that they cannot comprehend complex applications. For example, just because a student cannot read it does not mean that they cannot understand the finer details of a novel or a math student may not understand the idea of angles until taught how these are used in architecture. I really liked the analogy of a coach teaching sideline drills only to help the players in the game not teaching these drills exclusively to his struggling players and never allowing them to play in the game with the other players. I want to make sure that I never underestimate my students but give them all opportunities to learn as much as possible.

Jasmine
Responsive teaching with UbD in academically diverse classrooms: Some questions that this chapter presented include: How can teachers use classroom elements flexible to support student success? How can teachers make instructional planning more manageable and efficient? And How do teacher organize and manage their classrooms to support responsive instruction? The truth is that virtually all students should consistently experience curricula rooted in the important ideas of a discipline that requires them to make meaning of information and think at high levels. When students are labeled with “low performing” they are still just as likely to grasp the concepts and understand the assignments, but they are less likely to apply themselves to do the work because they have been given no confidence and it is very unfortunate. They would strongly benefit from the possibilities of utilizing UbD in the classroom because it is aimed more at students having an understanding of the material rather than just caring about the grades. Teachers should stop focusing so much on grades because it doesn’t benefit the student. The situation should be, once a teacher understands the needs and variety within the classroom, how can they arrange their time as well as that of the students’ to ensure that everyone has an opportunity of growth. In my classroom, I know that I will not label students or make them feel labeled. It shouldn’t be all about the grade; it should be about understanding especially in math because if students don’t understand a concept, they won’t be able to move on to the next topic. I hope that more teachers come to the realization that it should be about the understanding.

Dan
Many of my questions and concerns were answered in this chapter. One of my biggest concerns was trying to meet all the needs of every individual student that I would be teaching. I worried that I would have to make an educational plan separately for all my students, but clustering them into certain patterns of struggle to attain to them as a whole and exacting the anticipatory planning is a lot less overwhelming. I will enact this principle in my own classroom, so if several kids are struggling in a particular area, I can assist them, and then individualize their problems if needed. I appreciate this chapter in the sense of the multiple analogies and diagrams to thoroughly explain and outline the aspects of being a responsive teacher. It is important for a teacher to be flexible and manage their time effectively in order to gather the best results of their students, but I never thought of any ideas how to do such things, or even thought of some of the concepts like space or student groupings. But outlining all the possibilities to accomplish such fleets are very helpful. Classroom management is also very important to secure a flexible and engaging class environment. Again, this idea never existed within my frame of mind until this chapter. Provided with the number of different concerns when managing a class, I know several strategies to manage a classroom more efficiently, like moving furniture around to utilize classroom space. Things like that were on the back burner of my mind, because I was more focused on just teaching. When I become a teacher, I will experiment with all these different concepts to see what works and what should be used.

Chapter 6 brings up using differentiated instruction and understanding by design in diverse classrooms. Some of the core beliefs in classrooms with diverse student populations are allowing all students the opportunity to make meaningful connects, think at high levels, providing a balance between teacher guidance and student construction of meaning, and giving students the goals and criteria they need to succeed. There is no one way to create a lesson plan that incorporates all of these cores. The book uses a jazz metaphor. In order to create a wonderful piece of music, the teacher has to plan some of the material, but also improvise a little bit, too. As long as the teacher keeps the goals of the unit in mind, the ends justify the means.

Being flexible with classroom elements makes teaching more manageable. These elements - time, space, resources, student groupings, instructional or learning strategies, presentation or teaching strategies, and partnerships – can be applied in many ways. For example, implementing the space element could lead to a “quite zone” where students can work quietly and will not easily be distracted. An example of student groupings would be using pre-assigned groups so that students know exactly where to go. With this technique, less class time is wasted finding partners and moving around. There are also instructional strategies that can be used that support responsive teaching. For example, tiering, word walls, think-alouds, webquests, orbitals, icons, visual organizers, RAFTS, and cubing are just a few tactics that support responsive teaching.

Katie
In chapter 6 of the UbDI book, the idea that is discussed is how curriculum should be taught to students by what is the most important information that they should get out of the unit. When students learn the basics of the unit and know them in great detail, they should be able to apply what they have learned to other things such as the world outside the classroom. It is important that teachers share what students should be able to do after they complete the unit and this information should be shared before the unit begins. This helps the student to know what is expected of them in the months to come in that specific class. Many teachers may have already planned what is going to happen in the unit, but the idea of teaching is to improvise if some of the students do not understand the material that is being covered in a specific area of the unit being taught. Some teachers may have a hard time adjusting to this new idea of differentiated instruction, but as the book puts it, it is like a person changing their eating and exercising habits to become healthier.

I feel that it is important for teachers to only teach the ideas of the unit being taught that they find are the most important for the students to learn because students do not need to be fed information that is unnecessary for them to learn. In order for the students to understand the unit then they should only need to know the basics and use those outside the classroom and build upon them. Students should know what they are being taught and what they are going to do throughout the unit because it is only fair that if the teacher knows than the student should too.

Roger
The sixth chapter in UbD/DI headlined with the subject of dealing with a diverse classroom. The essence of the chapter is one simple virtue: be flexible. This has been the point throughout the entire book. In this chapter, the authors were able to convey almost //exactly// the same message that has been in the past five chapters. Yes, I get the point, //differentiate instruction//. The main idea of varying instruction for different students is something that has played a huge role since SED/EDU 101. It’s a very self-explanatory concept, and it means what it says. Yes, there are many ways to go about varying instruction, but that is up to us, as future teachers. //We// decide how we teach a classroom, and it is infinitely better to have the //tools// to do this instead of being told what to do. GRASPS is an effective tool, it’s a great organizer for how to do things. How to handle ourselves in a diverse classroom is something that will be different for every person, and cannot be taught by a text.

To repeat the main topic of the chapter, differentiate instruction for everyone. Accommodate cultural differences. Embrace the fact that everyone is an individual. These are all things that we learned in //gradeschool//. Life is different for everyone, yes. Everyone has their struggles and their victories. Everyone has lived something different. This is not something that can be gleaned from a book. These are things that need to be lived, things that need to be //seen//. To use a book to deal with something as delicate as these struggles is insulting. Not to me, but to the students to whom this relates. Simply put, a book is a tool to enhance learning. To use a math term, anything times zero equals zero.

Lizz
In chapter 6 it talks about how there are four beliefs that shape the vision of an effective classroom. The four beliefs are that all students should consistently experience curricula rooted in the important ideas of a discipline that requires them to make meaning of information and think at high levels. A study that was done says that students who are labeled “low performing” can increase their grasp of the concepts and understanding. However though those students who are labeled low performing might be able to grasp the concepts but they are less likely to actually apply themselves when it comes to the workload. They can do the work they just need the extra boost to actually get it completed. The next belief is that students need opportunities to learn the basics and opportunities to apply them in a meaningful way. I agree with the book when it says that basics are necessary for academic development but they are not sufficient. Teachers need to help student succeed and the basics will not cut it in the real world. The basics are called the basics for a reason and that is because they serve a high purpose in the world of education. The third belief is that there needs to be a balance between student construction of meaning and teacher guidance. Every student is different and thus will make meaning for themselves and the teacher should not impose their interpretation onto the students. The last belief states that students need to know the learning goals of a unit or lesson and criteria for successfully demonstrating proficiency with the goals. Students should have to wonder what a successful paper, project looks like, or what they should be learning from the lesson.  These four beliefs will help me become a better teacher because it will force me to think more about my students needs instead of what I need to teach them.

Brittany
This chapter explained the combining of UBD and DI in a way that not only engages students but actually encourages and allows them to learn. This is what the book refers to as the shift "from curriculum planning to delivery of the curriculum to the human beings whom we believe will benefit from learning it" (pg 83). The chapter states that in order to help students learn better we as teachers need to make the work relevant to the students life. Students need the balance of being pushed to higher thinking, as well as staying within a level that allows them to learn the information, not just know it. The chapter also goes on to say that it can only help the students to bring them into the loop of the three stages of UBD. By allowing them to see what the standards, desired outcomes, essential questions, etc. students will have a higher chance of showing proficiency. It is important to use the different elements of the classroom in ways that will positively effect your students. Elements such as time, as suggested by the chapter, allow the teacher more flexibility and also allows the students to benefit from the flexibility. For example, the chapter states that allowing for negotiation of due dates on assignments allows students who may work more slowly but show evidence of hard work throughout the process to produce a good product within a comfortable time period. The book states that teachers should use new and effective ways to assist students who need assistance in ways that will not only benefit a struggling student but all students. Overall I think this chapter had some great ideas of effective ways to assist students in succeeding. Whether through classroom flexibility, management of differentiated classroom or simply bringing the subject to a real life context for the students. I think I will be able to use a lot of the ideas presented in this chapter in my future classroom to be able to reach all students and help them to succeed and learn.

Alex Slack
This is chapter is all about reaching the diversity of students learning levels that will be in every single high school classroom at any level. There is going to be a range in learning levels in regular, honors, and even AP classes because everyone retains different information and everyone learns at different levels. Therefore you need to be able to assignment assessments that fit everyone’s learning levels and allows everyone to feel that they can one accomplish the project and two they feel that it is engaging… something they want to learn about, and also something that allows them to learn the desired material. This chapter displays this information in multiple ways with the visual aids in the form of charts being affective for mapping the stages, and the thing that I learned about the most in this chapter is that if you map out the steps in which you teach in the stage method displayed in this chapter and also in the stage method in which we are currently doing in class you will be able to effectively meet everyone’s learning needs in the classroom, and also be able to modify it to fit any specific learning disabilities or struggles that a stressed by your students.