february 13, 2013 btps assessment facilitator meeting
TRANSCRIPT
Digging Deeper into UbD
February 13, 2013BTPS Assessment Facilitator Meeting
Hot Spot Conversation Starter
"Americans hold the notion that good teaching comes through artful and spontaneous interactions with students during lessons… such views minimize the importance of planning increasingly effective lessons and lend credence to the folk belief that good teachers are born, not made .”
Stigler, J. & Herbert J. (1997). “Understanding and Improving Classroom Mathematics Instruction”, p.20.
Big Ideas from January 17, 2013
The Twin Sins
The 3 stages of backwards design Stage one: big ideas & essential
questions Stage two: acceptable evidence Stage three: plan learning and
instruction
Tools and Templates
Feedback from you…
How does the front matter relate to this process?
More time on essential questions and big ideas
Exemplars please!
How does the front matter relate to the UBD process?
Our task: uncover the target purposes and identify the BIG IDEAS intended for our students
Read through the “Front Matter”, identify the BIG IDEAS you think would help teachers create a philosophical and organizational framework for instruction, highlight the key words or phrases that clarify the intention (purpose) for teaching the subject.
At your table group, discuss the key words and phrases that each of you identified to help you to clarify an intention (purpose) for teaching your program. On your piece of chart paper, reach a consensus for a vision/ mission statement that describes the intention of your program (in general, according to the Front Matter, not a specific grade), by using the key words and phrases identified by the group. Write this program intention statement across the top of your chart paper. Underline your key words/ phrases.
Sharing and reflecting….
Did anything surprise you about this activity? (Did you know there were requirements of you to address the ideas and philosophy from the front matter statement of your program?)
Are there similarities? Between grades? Subjects?
Why do you think similarities exist here?
What are the implications for your teaching knowing that all subjects share philosophical underpinnings or BIG IDEAS?
How will you incorporate these common visions into your day-to-day teaching?
How does the front matter relate to the UBD process?
Consider:
Year and Unit Planning in teams so you can…
Scope and sequence across grades and subjects
Create Big Ideas for grades/ subject areas that scaffold your big ideas for units of study
Why big ideas and essential questions are crucial for students?
Marzano – guaranteed and viable curriculum #1 for school improvement and student achievement.
Big ideas and essential questions guide feedback so students can make progress toward a key learning goal.
Big ideas and essential questions allow for focus on content that is relevant and applicable to real life in order to achieve motivation and engagement.
Why big ideas and essential questions are crucial for students?
Not all standards are created equal.
Learning without practical and meaningful application is quickly forgotten.
Understanding occurs when individuals seek answers to important questions and make connections
Why are big ideas and essential questions are crucial for students?
With an elbow partner consider…
If someone asked you, “why does sharing big ideas matter & essential questions matter,” what would you say?
Big Ideas & Essential Questions:
examples and practice Big Ideas
Type Unwrapping standards
Essential Questions
Big ideas are typically revealed through:
Focusing themes On going debates and issues Insightful perspectives Underlying assumptions Paradox/problems/challenges Organizing theory Overarching principle Provocative questions Processes- problem solving, decision
making
examples
From concept to Big IdeaConcept Big Ideanutrition You are what you eat
westward expansion
Hardship forged a nation
persuasive writing
Powerful media can influence beliefs and behaviors
fairness(mathematical)
Statistics can be manipulated to obscure the truth
Big idea check….
Does it have many layers not obvious to the inexperienced learner?
Does one have to dig deep to truly understand its meaning or implications?
Is it prone to disagreement? Might you change your mind about it
over time? Does it reflect the core ideas as judged
by experts?
Strategy #2: Unwrapping standards
Unwrapping the standards as a strategy for identifying big ideas and core tasks.
Looking at key nouns and
verbs helps to identify key learning which can than be taught in the context of big ideas and essential questions.
example
Standard: Comprehend and interpret
information from a variety of graphic displays including diagrams, charts, and graphs.
Big Idea: Graphic displays of information
enhances comprehension and interpretation of information.
example
Standards Relate data and facts from informational
texts to prior information and experience with assistance.
Identify and interpret facts taken from maps, graphs, charts, and other visuals, with assistance.
Big Idea Prior experiences can impact the degree
to which we relate to and interpret visual representations.
You try…
Activity: Unpack this standard with your table partner by:
1. Finding the nouns and verbs 2. Write big ideas
Standard: (Possible examples on next slide)
Students interpret, analyze, and evaluate informational text in order to extend understanding and appreciation . (ELA 11)
Possible examples
Students interpret, analyze, and evaluate informational text in order to extend understanding and appreciation .
Big ideas We interpret information and draw
conclusions both from what we read and life experiences.
Knowing the difference between fact and opinion and inferences can help you become more discerning.
Essential Questions:
A question is essential when it: Causes genuine INQUIRY into the big ideas and core content
ARGUABLE: provokes deep thought, lively discussion, sustained inquiry, and new understanding as well as more questions
Requires students to CONSIDER alternatives, WEIGH evidence, SUPPORT their ideas, and JUSTIFY their answers
Stimulates vital, on-going rethinking of big ideas and assumptions
Sparks meaningful CONNECTIONS with prior learning and personal experiences
“An essential question is – well, essential: important, vital, at the heart of the matter –
the essence of the issue.” - Grant Wiggins
Essential or not?
ESSENTIAL
What traits and characteristics determine a classification?
Where do artists get their ideas?
What determines value?
What distinguishes a fluent foreigner from a native speaker?
How does where we live influence how we live?
NOT ESSENTIAL
How many legs does a spider have?
Did nature influence Monet?
How many dimes in a dollar?
What is the meaning of the Greek term technology from its Greek root “techne”?
Why were settlements developed around lakes and rivers?
Big Ideas
We interpret information and draw conclusions both from what we read and experience in life.
Knowing the difference between fact and opinion and inferences can help you become more discerning.
Essential questions
How do you determine if a main idea is believable?
How can we decide if what we read is true or accurate?
Facts, opinion and inferences, why do they matter?
Revisit unpacking standards to big ideas AND essential questions.
Students interpret, analyze, and evaluate informational text in order to extend understanding and appreciation.
Big Ideas
Graphic displays of information supports comprehension and interpretation of information.
Prior experiences can impact the degree to which we relate to and interpret visual representations.
Essential questions
How can information be represented through visual displays?
How do some types of visuals better represent information than others?
What knowledge do I need to bring to the information in order to make meaning and sense of the concepts?
Revisit unpacking standards to big ideas AND essential questions.
Relate data and facts from informational texts to prior information and experience with assistance.
Essential or not?????
Essential or NOT.doc
Answer key
Essential or NOT answer key
Tools for your use-
www.assessmentcoaches.wikispaces.com
- general resources- templates to consider/ use- reflections/ self-assessment tools
3 Simple Steps to Planning