I've had extensive and free training on backward design in Chicago. I absolutely love it. It has helped me to make sure that projects are truly relevant to standards and that what is assessed was actually taught. I know my first year as a teacher, I was really frustrated when after teaching from the basal (as instructed) we got to the unit test, and there were questions that were barely addressed in the unit. So I got smart and started looking at the test ahead of time to ensure that it matched what was being taught, however, as we all know, prescribed curriculum doesn't always lead to authentic learning and deep understanding, hence we created project based and problem based learning activities. Problem was they did not always lead to student achievement or students did not get everything they could out of them because we didn't evaluate which skills they needed to have in order to complete the task successfully. UbD puts allof that together in an instructional practice that I live by today. Ironically, it's the one instructional strategy that hasn't taken off in Chicago. I have had arguments with administrators about the use of essential questioning (they had never heard of it and therefore didn't want me to use it) and problem based learning. They've wanted me to follow skill based drills when I knew that mys tudents were growingin knowledge and thought through student centered discovery and authentic assessments.
Ashli and Paul Andersen <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: I am about to complete my Master's (in Reading) and I took 2 classes used UbD. I hated it the first go around, then in the second it dawned on me that I kinda already do it, I just don't have all the details worked out at the begining of the unit. I was hired by my district, along with about 40 others, to develop research curriculum and align everything to the 6-12 standards of our state. We used the UbD book and, well, it worked. It made sense and I felt like I just gave birth to a research baby by the time the week was over. It was HARD in the beginning, but once we all got the hang of it, it got easier. Next year is a trial period for our district. After that, each subject will be required to use Ubd to create lesson plans. Ashli in Texas On 7/7/07, Caroline Mooney wrote: > > backwards design is so top secret, in that several people are making a > killing off the idea, which isn't really new if you ask me, that you can > hardly find any information on the web about it. > > i've been through the training, and, like you probably all realize, there > are very few original ideas, but the new vehichles keep coming. Man, I want > to design a new vehichle:) > > Seriously, and this makes perfect sense, backwards design turns the > teacher into an artist--design? you think about what you want students to > learn. in our case, this is the standards. then, you think about what they > need to understand in order to learn these standards. and, how will you > assess them. i guess you could say it takes the place of a pre-ordained > curriculum, where teachers start at the beginning and keep on going. > > UbD assumes that teachers are designing units, connecting learning, and > basing assessment on the overarching goals and student understandings of the > unit. it's interesting, and these consultants have made a TON of money, > because you can barely get any information on the process without making a > purchase, but it doesn't seem that revolutionary to me. it makes sense, and > i don't know how someone would teach any other way. > > instead of teaching something and then assessing it, you think about the > assessment and think about the way you would teach it. that's a very watered > down version of what wiggins and someone else (i can't think of his name) > has made a career out of, but that's essentially it. in theory, teachers > work together as a dept. and come up with a unit that everyone > teaches. Again, the work is closely guarded, and schools are paying huge > sums of money for the informaiton. > > caroline > _______________________________________________ > The Literacy Workshop ListServ http://www.literacyworkshop.org > > To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to > http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/lit_literacyworkshop.org. > > Search the LIT archives at http://snipurl.com/LITArchive > _______________________________________________ The Literacy Workshop ListServ http://www.literacyworkshop.org To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/lit_literacyworkshop.org. Search the LIT archives at http://snipurl.com/LITArchive Judith "To gain knowledge, add things every day. To gain wisdom, remove things every day." -- Lao Tzu --------------------------------- Need a vacation? Get great deals to amazing places on Yahoo! Travel. _______________________________________________ The Literacy Workshop ListServ http://www.literacyworkshop.org To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/lit_literacyworkshop.org. Search the LIT archives at http://snipurl.com/LITArchive
