Derry Township School District

Make TIME for Instructional Planning

Allison Mackley and Penny Arnold2007

“The biggest obstacleto school changeis our memories.”

-- Dr. Allen Glenn

Obstacles

Creating schools for the 21st Century requires less time looking in the rearview mirror and more vision anticipating the road ahead.

Teaching has been an activity undertaken behind closed doors between moderately consenting participants.

Technology enables students, teachers, and administrators to reach out beyond the school building.

Innovative classrooms are not defined by fixed places but by their spirit of curiosity and collaboration among students, teachers, and others in a true learning community.

(Edutopia)

Technology Integration

Providing the Conditions

“We must bethe change

we want to seein the world.”

-- Mahatma Gandhi

Instructional Design

“When thinking about schools for the 21st century, two fundamental characteristics come to mind: that learning is contextual; and that school is a process, not a place.”

--David Thornburg

Project-Based Learning

Keep the end result in mind, and don’t get lost in the details.

Process vs. Product – The learning that happens during the process should aid in the student’s metacognition.

Curriculum fueled and standards based.

Asks a question or poses a problem that ALL students can answer.

Allows students to investigate issues and topics in real-world problems with concrete, hands-on experiences.

Fosters abstract, intellectual tasks to explore complex issues.

Inquiry Learning

Dynamic process that uses questioning to actively involve students in their own learning

Engages students in answering questions, solving real-world problems, confronting issues or exploring personal interests

Facilitate learning by immersing students in investigative processes, such as the Big6 research process.

The Big6: An Information Problem Solving Process

1. Task Definition1.1 Define the information problem. 1.2 Identify information needed in order to complete the task (to solve the information problem).

2. Information Seeking Strategies2.1 Determine the range of possible sources (brainstorm).

2.2 Evaluate the different possible sources to determine priorities (select the best sources).

3. Location and Access3.1 Locate sources (intellectually and physically). 3.2 Find information within sources.

The Big 6: An Information Problem Solving Process

4. Use of Information4.1 Engage (e.g. read, hear, view, touch) the information in a source. 4.2 Extract relevant information from a source.

5. Synthesis5.1 Organize information from multiple sources 5.2 Present the information

6. Evaluation6.1 Judge the product (effectiveness) 6.2 Judge the information problem-solving process (efficiency).

Collaboration Involves

Two or more equal partners who have the following attributes:Complementary skillsCommon purpose and performance goalsMutually accountable

Creating a lesson or unit of study to meet the following:Curricular standards Technology standardsInformation literacy standards

Collaboration

There are benefits to teachers who collaborate.

Apply individual talent and knowledge to reach objectives

Work in a climate of trust

Feel a sense of ownership

Commit to goals you helped establish

Work together to resolve conflict quickly and constructively

Pull from a larger pool of ideas to accomplish more in less time

Collaboration There are benefits to students when teachers collaborate.

Teaching moves from directing to guiding.

The classroom environment becomes less competitive.

Less reliance on rules and more on guidelines

More content application and less lecture

More diversity and flexibility

Increased active learning

Fewer isolated decisions and more involvement of others

Focus on process rather than results

Teaming

FormingTransition from individual to team status

StormingRecognize disunity with increased tension and conflict

NormingShift energy to team’s goals

PerformingCommitment to team’s mission

(Tuckman)

What does it look like?

Video Clip One

Video Clip Two

Video Clip Three

Start With the End in Mind…

Stages in the Backward Design Process

Identify desired results.

Determine acceptable evidence.

Plan learning experiences and instruction.

Predictable Concerns This approach takes too much time. I have too much content to cover.

I am being held accountable for the PSSA, the SAT or AP tests.

I am a “skills” teacher, and students need to master the basics first.

This approach is too demanding. I couldn’t possibly do this for everything I teach.

I already have a textbook that provides structure and assessment.

I don’t think this will work with my content area.

I teach content that only has “right” answers.

I’d like to teach this way, but we don’t have time to ask important questions. We just state the information and move on.

Stage 1: Identify Desired ResultsConsider:

Goals Established content standards Curriculum expectations Potential for student engagement Potential for professional collaboration

What should students know, understand, and be able to do?

Why is it important that I teach this?

How will this move my students forward?

What are the enduring understandings that are essential for students to take away from this experience?

Design Considerations

National Standards

State Standards

District Standards

Opportunities for Authentic, Discipline-based Work

Possibility for Inquiry

Technology Integration

Enduring Understandings

What do we want students to understand and be able to use several years from now, after they have forgotten the details?

Provides a “conceptual lens” for prioritizing content

Serves as an organizer for connecting important facts, skills and actions

Transfers to other contexts

Have lasting value beyond the classroom

Reside at the heart of the discipline and involve “doing” the subject

Require uncoverage of abstract or often misunderstood ideas

Offer potential for engaging students

Structure of Knowledge

Principles and

Generalizations

Transferable Concepts and

Complex Processes

Factual Knowledge and Discrete Skills

Evaluating Enduring Understandings

In an economy, price is a function of supply and demand.

The price of a long-distance phone call has declined during the past decade.

Statistical analysis and data display often reveal patterns that may not be obvious.

Correlation does not ensure causality.

Effective readers use specific strategies to help them better understand the text.

Do not cup your hands when swimming freestyle.

Essential Questions

As guides for the unit, they…

Go to the heart of the discipline

Recur naturally through one’s learning in the history of a field

Provided subject and topic specific doorways to enduring understandings

Have no obvious “right” answer

Are deliberately framed to provoke and sustain student interest

Identifying Essential QuestionsWhat essential questions are raised by the unit idea or topic? What, specifically, about the idea or topic do you want students to come to understand?

Why study __________________? So what?

What makes the study of ______________ universal?

What is the value of studying __________________?

How is ________________ used and applied in the real world?

What is a real world insight about ________?

What couldn’t we do if we didn’t understand __________?

Essential Question(s):

Evaluating Essential Questions

To what extent does diet affect longevity?

Are the Harry Potter novels “great books”?

Who were the “losers” of the Civil War?

What would happen if there wasn’t an accurate way to measure things?

Why is it called the “web of life”?

If axioms are like the rules of the game, when should we change the rules?

Why do animals have adaptations that help them to survive?

Is the relationship between structure and properties important? Why or why not?

Essential Question Stems How does ____ influence _____?

What would happen if we didn’t have ___?

What does ____ data tell you about ___?

What role does judgment play in solving ____?

What might happen to ___ during ___?

How does ___ allow us to reflect upon ___?

What impact does ______ have on _____?

How do I solve ____?

How do effective writers/ readers/ mathematicians/ scientists ______?

How does/did ____ effect ____?

What can we learn from _____?

Accomplishments…at this stage

Unit framed around key concept and essential questions

Identify the key concept.

Create essential question(s) that lead to the “uncovering” of the key concept.

Develop objectives that meet standards.

Let’s Begin

Think BIG!

The Question

is the Answer!

What is the Question?

Stage 2: Determine Acceptable Evidence

Consider:documentation to validate desired learningcollection of evidence over timebalanced use of different assessment types

How will I know if the students have achieved the desired results and met the standards?

What will I accept as evidence of student understanding and proficiency?

Design Considerations

A student who really understands can

Explain with Power and Insight

Interpret

Apply

See in Perspective

Reveals Self-knowledge

What Do Understandings Imply for Assessment?

Stage 1 Stage 2If the desired result is for learners to…

Then, you need evidence of the student’s ability to…

So, the assessments need to include some things that are… and allow for…

Understand that…

(enduring understandings)

Explain…

Interpret…

Apply…

See from the points of view of…

Empathize with…

Overcome the naïve or biased idea that…

Reflect on…

Complex

Open-ended

Authentic

Explanation

Interpretation

Application

Perspective

Empathy

Self Knowledge

And thoughtfully consider the questions…

(essential questions)

Accomplishments…at this stage

Unit anchored in credible assessment tasks that measure the objectives.

Continuum of Assessment Methods

Informal Checks for UnderstandingObservation/DialogueQuiz/TestAcademic promptPerformance Task/Project

Let’s Continue…

How can I show what

I know?

Ongoing…

Show me your

evidence

Stage 3: Plan Learning Experiences and Instruction

Consider: Teaching methods Learning strategies Sequence of lessons Resource materials

What do I need to teach the students in order for them to be successful?

What activities will equip students with the needed knowledge and skills?

What materials and resources are best suited to accomplish the objectives?

Is the overall design coherent and effective?

Design Considerations

Researched-based repertoire of learning and teaching strategies

WHERETO

Where students are going, why and what is required

Hook the students by engaging (inquiry research, problem-solving, experimentation, technology)

Explore and experience big ideas and equip students for required performances

Rethink, rehearse, revise and refine work based on timely feedback

Exhibit and evaluate their work and set future goals

Tailored and flexible to address the interests and learning styles of all students

Organized and sequenced to maximize engagement and effectiveness

One must learn by doing the thing;For though you think you know it,you have no certainty until you try.

(Sophocles)

Paradigm Shift

Accomplishments…at this stage

Coherent learning experiences that will develop the key concepts, promote interest, and make excellent performance more likely

Create lessons that guide purposeful action toward meeting the objectives successfully

Develop guiding questions

Use engaging, Best Practice instructional strategies

Choose appropriate instructional tools

Let’s Wrap Up…

Where to…

Reel them in

Skills and

Strategies

Taking Action

To what extent does the design focus on the enduring understandings (big ideas) of the targeted content?

To what extent does the design frame the big ideas around essential questions?

To what extent do the assessments provide valid, reliable, and sufficient measures of the desired results?

To what extent is the learning plan effective and engaging?

To what extent is the entire unit coherent, with the elements of all three stages aligned?

Someone who understands…

Think about your learning process. When you are trying to learn something new such as playing golf, making a web page, speaking a foreign language, playing chess, instructional planning or losing weight, how you determine when you truly understand?

In regards to instructional planning, what do you need to help you gain a full understanding?

References

Buzzeo, Toni. Collaborating to Meet Standards: Teacher/Librarian Partnerships 7-12. Worthington, OH: Linworth Publishers, 2002.

Dirty Dancing. Dir. Emile Ardolino. Vestron Video, 1987.

Eisenberg, Michael B. and Robert E. Berkowitz. Teaching Information and Technology Skills: The Big 6 in Secondary Schools. Worthington, OH: Linworth Publishing, 2000.

-----. The Big 6: Information Skills for Student Achievement. 10 July 2007. <http://www.big6.com/>.

-----. The Definitive Big 6 Workshop Handbook. Worthington, OH: Linworth Publishing, 2003.

Harada, Violet H. and Joan M. Yoshina. Inquiry Learning through Librarian-Teacher Partnerships. Worthington, OH: Linworth Publishing, 2004.

The George Lucas Educational Foundation <www.edutopia.org>.

Wiggins, Grant and Jay McTighe. Understanding by Design. Alexandria, VA: ASCD, 2005.

-----Understanding by Design Professional Development Workbook. Alexandria, VA: ASCD, 2004.