(Metcalfe, n.d.)
One of the easiest ways to calculate success is to have a goal and see that it's accomplished! This can be done on a personal or a professional level.
In the classroom, success doesn't just happen. Teachers plan, plan, plan to ensure that success occurs throughout each lesson and within every overall unit. An easy way to gauge success is to utilize the Understanding by Design (UbD) structure for planning lessons. It's a framework for success! Let's see why it could be useful in a classroom environment setting, and then take a deeper look at a specific example...
An Overview: UbD History
Wiggins and McTighe (1998) first wrote about the benefits of the UbD approach in their book Understanding by Design which focused on the way in which curriculum development can occur, starting with the required end results and working through the details later. Their book was subsequently rewritten and published again more recently.
The second edition of their book holds an understanding of the ideas surrounding "backward design" and how beneficial it can be to shift our mindset of teaching for the learners in our classrooms (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005). They explain this structure as "results" focused design instead of a "content" focused design so that teachers can focus on WHAT concepts students should learn instead of the details of HOW they should be doing that learning (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005, p. 15). In the end, it's the accomplishment of these planned learning goals and outcomes which will show and prove that students have succeeded!
An Example: UbD Framework
Throughout my recent studies, I've discovered the many benefits of blended learning and how it can positively impact the students within any type of significant learning environment. In fact, my entire Innovation Plan centers itself around this concept. Since this plan's original conception, I have created an outline for an accomplishment timeline as well as completed a literature review discussing and explaining each facet of the plan itself.
Here you'll find a further breakdown and an example of a UbD template, through the perspective of a grade six English Literature unit surrounding the concept of THEME:
You can see how the framework begins with the END in mind, and works out into further lesson details and expanded explanations from there.
Comparison & Final Reflection
When it comes to success, it can be known that having a plan and a well laid out structure can assist anyone with accomplishing goals they've set to reach. The structure of Understanding by Design (UbD0 could also be compared with Fink's idea of a Three-Column Table for planning.
Personally, after now having used both frameworks, I have concluded that the UbD framework makes more sense with how I teach within my classroom and the goals I seek to accomplish with my student learners. Although Fink's Three-Column Table concept is direct and efficient, it also lacks the detail and structure possibly needed to think through each part of WHY these ideas are being taught in the first place. The UbD template accomplishes what the Fink template lacks; therefore, backward design can better and more effectively help me reach my teaching and learning goals successfully.
Works Cited
Metcalfe, Y. L. (n.d.). How Planning Backward Moves Learning Forward. StrongMind.
https://www.strongmind.com/backward-design-whitepaper/
Mctighe, J., & Wiggins, G. P. (1998). Understanding by design handbook. Association For
Supervision And Curriculum Development.
Wiggins, G. P., & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by Design (2nd ed.). Association For
Supervision And Curriculum Development.
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