Wiggins+Chapter+10

Wiggins Chapter 10...

What should we as teachers be doing so our students can achieve true understanding? This is the question chapter 10 attempted to answer, and I felt it gave me a lot of things to consider in my teaching practice. The first thing that stood out to me is from page 228 when the authors say that “teaching, on its own, never causes learning. Only successful attempts by the learner to learn cause learning.” If this is the case, and our teaching is (and according to the authors should be) judged by its results, how do we motive those students who simply don’t want to learn? ** Great question! ** I ask myself that question every day... :-p The authors discussed in great detail the difference between coverage and uncoverage and how by using uncoverage we can naturally interest our students in the subject area, but I have a difficult time seeing how uncoverage alone can do this. **I agree. I think I mentioned this on the Chapter 9 discussion board- sometimes students have a lot of outside factors contributing to their lives. I think we have to be aware of those things, but I'm not sure that it's realistically possible to get all students to want to learn, 100% of the time. Exactly! Yes, but we need to make sure that we give each student a fair chance and the opportunity to learn. I'm sure we do! ** I found the idea of timing mentioned on page 245 as one of the more significant things I need to consider in my teaching. I thought this idea was stated best in the Bob James vignette when it said “what’s the best use of our limited time together?” During my student teaching I got into the habit of reflecting on and re-evaluating my lessons and how I can possibly make them better, but using the appropriate teaching method at the appropriate time is something I need to start taking into account. I also found the charts on pages 248 and 249 helpful in starting to use more checks for understanding in my teaching. (Jen) I agree with you about the charts in pages 248 and 249, I think that there are a good source that can help us to reach our goals (Silvia). (UGOCHI)- Sometimes, the great thing about taking enough time to read over a chapter several times is that you are able to get the main idea/concept that the author is trying to convey. From the first quote in the beginning ("No amount of information, whether of theory or fact, in itself improves insight and judgement...Successful teaching is teaching that brings about effective learning....The ultimate criterion for success in teaching is---results.") I knew that this chapter would be quite intriguing. Chapter 10 was about what effective teaching looks like. The author spoke about not focusing on a specific teaching strategy (whether direct instruction,coaching, constructivist method) as a determinant of effective teaching, but rather looking at the manner in which students/learners are able to convey understanding. As the author mentioned, "To have taught well is not to have used a great set of techniques or given the learner some words to give back, but to have caused understanding through words, activities, tools, guided reflection, the learner's efforts, and feedback."(228) So it isn't a type of teaching that does the work but rather the way that the teacher makes an idea "accessible and real." Figure 10.3 on page 244 showed 2 columns that stated the content of teaching. Column A had things such as :facts, discrete knowledge, definitions, obvious information, rules and recipes, etc). Column B had concepts & principles, connotations, symbolism, abstraction, anomaly, etc. The author suggested that students could easily grasp the items in A when a teacher uses a direct instruction approach; however, studesnts would need guided inquiry and faciliated experience for the items in column B. So, the best design would be to move seamlessly back and forth between part, whole, big picture, etc. It would be utilizing that various teaching strategies as a means to uncover the material and promote learning in the students. Furthermore, the author continued that "A major mistake in teaching for understanding is not the overreliance on a single approach but the failure to ponder the timing in the use of the approach." I could wholeheartedly agree with the author because timing really is everything. When should I be the "sage on the stage" versus the "guide on the side?" When should I answer and when should I question? When should I play devil's advocate (a role that Dr. Ross enjoys) and when should I state my opinion? These were some of the things that the author encourages teachers to ponder. A final thing that I considered a potent idea was the fact that the author spoke about teachers' overreliance on the textbook as a syllabus. I agree that the textbook should be one of many sources/tools that a teacher should use to encourage student learning. We should "use the textbook for what it does well and compensate for what it does poorly.(231)" (UGOCHI) I think that we as teachers should be using different strategies when its possible, in order to master their understanding. There are two things that I really like in this chapter. First, the misconcept alert in page 242 that talks about lecture and direct instruction versus hands on activities. For sure students need to learn through discovery but lecturing is not a bad strategy to use. I agree I love lecture as a teacher and when I was a student! (Karen) ** I think you're right and this is reinforced in the chapter as well. There isn't one "right" way of teaching or one excellent teaching strategy. To have successful learning, we need to create a good balance of a variety of teaching strategies.** We need to have an arsenal of curricula that we can use to help reinforce, make-their-own knowledge and help them think about make use of the topic in their own way. ** I too was happy to see this aknowledgement of direct instruction as well as the nod to some of the skill based teaching or "dittos". I felt like Karen would be smiling as she read this part of the book. THANK YOU! (Karen) :) We can't just "throw out the baby with the bath water." It really is a balance of all these methods both old and new. ** AGREED!!!!!(Julie) I think that the misconception alert was the time when I most connected with this book. It's weird because my personality isn't very laid back, but I try to make my classroom environment structured, with that laid back approach. I don't want my students to feel like I'm throwing a bunch of hodge podge at them... I want them to feel involved and I want them to know that they are learning!! For example: during center time, I let my students choose their center. This independence of picking which to go to first, second, third... eighth gives them independence, but they still end up at the same 8 centers I would've sent them too. It helps their attitudes and makes learning way more fun for them. Isn't it silly that something so small can do so much? I also like to plan as many hands on lessons as possible. Sometimes in 1st grade it's a little impossible, since they do need to learn to write. However, I can still make it silly and fun, so that they are just as involved in the process as if it were hands on. (Ally) When you mentioned "hands on"...I thought "hopefully minds on" as well (UGOCHI) Teachers need to lecture in the classroom for a few minutes and then students need to prove those concepts with their own hands, so they can assimilate what they are learning in a more meaningful way. Second, in page 245 Alfred North Whitehead wrote the following phrase "The secret of success (in teaching) is pace....Get your knowledge quickly and then use it. If you can use it you will retain it." This phrase is related with lecturing and hands on activities.Therefore, students before discovering, they need to listen and understand the theory. So, they will be able to put it in practice. (Silvia)

Our goal for both reading and math is to increase student achievement by 10% on each grade level Ohio Achievement Assessment. We will continuously monitor our progress toward achieving this goal by utilizing AIMSWeb and NWEA assessments. Additionally, using the NWEA assessment, our goal is to increase each student’s achievement by 2 grade levels on each of the standards measured in literacy and math The use of data driven instruction will ensure that we are continuously reviewing student achievement and focusing on remediating student weakness. Because the majority of our students are English Language learners, and must take the test in English, a concomitant goal is to increase the passage rate on the OTELA by 25%. )
 * Chapter 10 does a great job of discussing how we are teaching for understanding. When the idea of using your textbook as a syllabus was first introduced on page 231, I initially laughed. I know that all teachers have lessons that they wish they could change, and I have many myself that in hindsight, I wish I could do-over. I talked to a teacher about the methods she used to teach and she told me that she took the textbook and then looked to see which standards matched it and that is what she taught. I explained to her that her textbook was pretty much her syllabus and that she was using that as a primary source of her teaching, rather than uncovering/unpacking the standards that were important for the grade that she was teaching and then using various textbooks that matched the necessary standards. After explaining this, she realized that the text was her syllabus and not just a tool. She quickly worked to change that. (UGOCHI). Just realizing that you need to change your lesson plans and wanting to is a sign of a good teacher! Some teach for years and never see anything wrong with what they do and have no intentions of changing their ways. (Yikes!) **Good teachers can recognize when it isn't working and revamp!! (ALLY) ** This is just a part of teaching and taking risks. However, looking back on these lessons, I think that there are very few, if any, that I placed the blame on the textbook. I think the reason for this is that I don’t use the textbook series religiously. I'm so glad to hear that I'm not the only one! Most of the teachers in my building rely so much on the textbooks, but there's so much you can without them that makes the material more meaningful for the students. (Jen) Our district uses the Everyday Mathematics series for math through grade 6, and while there are some great lessons in there, I have also disliked many other lessons. I’m very thankful that I’m in a position that I have the flexibility, and the support, to create my own material, and not have to religiously use the textbook. Most textbooks for the grade span you mentioned are like that these days. It's called Customized Publishing and it allows teachers to pick and choose the tools and resouces they want to use specifically for thier students' needs. You should share more about Customized Publishing! We are going through textbook selection at our school right now and have been talking about this exact thing - textbooks can be good for some things but really don't offer good opportunities to apply what the students are learning. I was also interested in the section on questioning material (page 239). I think that sometimes we get so caught up on getting through the material that we don’t take the time to have students uncover their learning. I know I need to create more opportunities for my students to “question” material and delve deeper for better understanding. Without doing this, my students don’t get more than one point of view on topics and are just accepting what I tell them for fact. Inquiry learning is imperative! The last thing I took away from this chapter is to use teaching strategies that equate to learning, not that I’m always comfortable with. I think teaching involves a lot of risk taking, and doing things that we’re not always comfortable with. I think I’ve done a fairly good job accepting the fact that not all of my lessons will be 100% successful, but it’s ok to try new things. I liked the chart on page 241 with teaching strategies, ** I like it too because it gives you different ideas on what to do in the classroom... ** And it also reinforces that there are plenty of options teachers can use to get information out... and also the chart on page 248 for checking for understanding. I think I do a fairly good job of formative assessments, but really like the idea of the question box or board. I want to find a way to incorporate this into my teaching! (Nicole) Me too! I feel like I'm just now getting the hang of formative assessment and love the list of ideas the chapter gives for incorporating it. I use a lot of questioning to assess but sometimes written assessments tell a LOT more than students answering questions does so it's good to try a variety of assessments. **
 * I am glad to hear you are willing to try new things and experiment. I feel like I do that too in my teaching, and sometimes people (others in the building) question my practices. This is a good thing, you are looking at changing the way people think. And most of the time people are going to harp and fight something they don't understand or completely agree about. This is one of the great things about being a teacher. If something doesn't work, then you can move on or try to improve your practice. I think it is mainly because they are jealous and too afraid to step out of the box like you and I. However, I can't tell you how many times after I have started something in my building and it succeeds you see other classrooms doing the same thing. I used to get upset, but now I realize it is the best form of flattery. ** **(True!)** ** I must say that I became a little upset when the book kept kind of bashing teachers by saying that if they were comfortable with one form of teaching like direct instruction for example they would stick with it and over use it. This may be true for some as I mentioned earlier in the wiki and just moments ago, but it is not the case for all. I feel when blanket statements like that are made it makes teachers look really bad. Agreed. So many times teachers are generalized and of course it is always that bad ones that stick out. This is when we have to remember that we teacher for the students and that we are taking the steps to learn more and become better teachers. I really felt empowered when the book discussed the idea of moving from whole to part to whole. I really liked the whole part whole idea, too! (Jen) This made me feel like teaching is a tennis match/ practice between you and the student. The ball/game being the feedback and learning that is taking place going back and forth between you and the student or students. You are not always going to be serving the information or learning. The student has to participate too. I have always believed this line of thinking, and I was very glad to see it here. This also stated the importance of going back and revisiting or practicing skills before putting them back into play in the large picture. I worry of boring my students but I know they need the added reinforcement in certain areas. I agree with my colleagues who said earlier that keeping students motivated all the time is difficult. I think we have echoed this phrase throughout the book. I will admit that I had some problems with the uncoverage part because this is not how I learned growing up. I have mentioned before I didn't feel comfortable questioning things nor did I want to. I really felt like sometimes if I did I confused myself more. Math was a perfect example. The book referred to this often with postulates and other givens in mathematics. I think the question box is great that Nicole wants to incorporate. It makes the environment safe to question. I don't know that I ever really felt that safety until college. However, I will say that I think the book kind of touched on this thought and made it feel ok to not always uncover all information and learning or at least not initially. I do agree that I try to allow my students to discover things and feel comfortable questioning and getting wrong answers. It is all a part of understanding. But it comes back to that balance that the book talks about. My students may not be able to test yet why the world is round, but they can start identifying that things in their environment are shaped like a circle given some examples of what a circle is. Teachers are tight rope walkers balancing on the high wire trying to keep it all together and help our students reach the understandings they need and deserve. Even the most seasoned performers fall sometimes, but they always get back and try again! I really like your analogies, here. I never thought about teaching as a tennis match but it makes sense the way you describe it. **
 * Like some of my classmates, I laughed when I read about teachers blaming the textbook for problems in their classrooms. Sadly, this still does happen. I don't think that effective teaching and understanding cna come soley from a text book. That is why we are teachers. If the book was supposed to do it all then we wouldn't be needed. That section made me think about the school districts that have curriculum guides that teachers are not allowed to deviate from. Is their teacher really getting to the students. It students don't understand something they can't go back and reteach the section or change up what they do. Which leads into being able to evaluate your lesson to see if it was effective. Does any know if schools that have curriculum guides go back and check with teachers to find out what works and what doesn't. I know of a few schools where the teachers got together and did their curriculum map/pacing charts for the year and have not deviated much from it. This sounds bad, but these are actually schools that are thriving; they are rated Effective or Excellent. I think that the problem is less the deviation and more so what learning looks like within those walls. It's not that the work they are doing is outdated, but rather they have purposed that there are important standards that students must learn in order to build on their understanding and they work to ensure that, through various teaching methods, the students are learning. They also use various continuums of assessment to monitor student understanding, so this is a double sided coin. (UGOCHI) **
 * I have heard of some publishing companies that work with schools to conduct efficacy studies to determine whether or not thier curriculum tools are effective on student learning, test scores, alignment to standards, ect... Thankfully I don't have a curriculum guide I'm bound to but I would be interested to see how lessons and teaching are evaluated with schools that do. (Jen) We have curriculum maps and department-chosen summative assessments. The assessments only change if all of the teachers who teach the class/level agree on the changes. Both the curriculum guides and the assessments follow a textbook - it's very restricting. Does it allow for instruction design like UbD? Yes. Does it follow the state standards? Somewhat. Does it allow teachers to assess and re-teach if needed? Yes... you just have to be extra creative when planning lessons so that you can multi-task and you have to push students to contribute more of their personal time in order to keep on track with the others. So, is it the ideal way to teach for understanding? No, lol, especially considering that internal motivation is a critical component to actually learning and understanding. Or do they just continue to do the same thing because they think that is what should be done. The timing is everything section really made me think of my time in the classroom. Even on a day to day basis when I'm subbing. Just about every clas period is different as I evaluate what went well and what went wrong throughout the class. And one of the things I think about is if the students had enough time to think about the answers to the questions I was giving or what other ways can I help them to get the answer, etc. Timing is important, but it is something that is very hard to master. Agreed!AGREE!! (ALLY) **
 * Karen-Chapter 10-teaching for understanding-Throughout this book it has talked a great deal about understanding and that it takes thoughtful, hands-on and meaningful activities that get at the ideas we want the students to know and be able to transfer to all aspects of their learning. Once I again I sound a bit pesimistic, but to me this chapter and 9 seem to me to be learning toward the idea that if UbD design is used correctly, then all students will understarnd and all is wonderful and that it is the teachers ineffective lessons that are the problem. I know this is a course on curriculum design, but it takes more the great design for a student to learn and understand. I get a sense that the teachers are to "blame" for all the ills and we all know that is not the case. This thought was provoked by the sentence on page 228, "I taught it, but they didn't learn it. Well that could well be the case and no fault of the teacher. Anyway...I like the comment a few sentences later that states that, "Only experts (highly gifted thinkers) can hear a teachers word's and do all the constructivist work in their heads, on their own, without experiences, process guidance and tools. This hit home for me because I am an aide in a classroom of 30 1st graders and the teaher does her best to help the students but there are just too many. During centers the students are totally on their own and I know that there is one boy who can not read and he can not do anything on his own and in this current situation, he will not get the guidance. This is not meant to critisize the teacher, it is what it is and how can quality guided activities ever take place with a classroom of 30 students? It is hit or miss and that is what UbD or the politicians do not see and it makes me sad. But I do believe that it does take time, experices and guidance. "No genuine idea can be 'taught' by direct instruction". Does this imply that everything has to be hands-on, maniplated, thought about, etc???????????????? What does direct instruction really mean? Does it just mean lecture and I never see or hear about it again? Nope, not what it means. I am just curious because I learned about American history mostly from direct instuction and that is my strength and passion, help me understand the meaning of direct instruction! The idea that I really liked is that textbooks are just a tool and usually are just a summary of things (I really am not a fan of many social studies and history books). If I were teaching history I would not even use a text book because it is my passion and I have many of my own resources and ideas to really get to the meaning of many concepts. I like to think of all resources as tools and that using a variety of them is what makes learning occurr. Think of "Direct Instruction" as a scaffolding pattern teachers and students can follow. Think of it like this: "I say, you say, I do, we do, you do." We use it in math to go like this: Introduction/Warm up, teach whole group instruction, Guided Practice, Independent Practice, and Independent Problem Solving. **
 * My favorite parts of chapter 10, and have been discussed already and include the ideas of the textbook as a syllabus, using multiple teaching strategies, even lecture, and uncoverage, or diving deeper into the textbook. I think the whole idea of the textbook as a syllabus is right on. I think too many times teachers use the textbook and follow it so closely that they lose out on other great teaching opportunites. I am saying this from a history teachers perspective, so it could be different for other subjects, but I think the textbooks are always just more of an overview. The thing about it is that its not the textbook authors faults, it's just that history is so vast and has so much to it that there is no way a textbook could cover everything. History also has so many bias' that sometimes the textbooks can be written with only one side of the story. This is when textbooks need to be supplemented, and is a great opportunity for teachers to step in. As a student I also thought this is where the fun part started. Textbooks would draw me in, and I would always want to find out more about a certain moment in history. I guess it went along with what the chapter was saying on page 235 about questioning the text. I would always read something and want to find out more, such as the example in the text about the "rules of war." I also think that the text had a great idea about scouring the text for essential questions that can cover so many other topics. So, with all of this being said, I really like textbooks, but I think teachers need to dive a little deeper into them, and use them to ask even more essential questions, especially in history. I also agreed whole heartedly with the ideas about using different strategies. I think it is important for teachers to try and reach all of their students' different learning styles. I also liked when it talked about lecturing being an okay stategy to use at times. I think lecturing gets a bad name now a days because it doesn't always get the students engaged as well, but like Silvia and Karen, I also really enjoyed lectures. I thought being lectured in my history class was my best way of learning. I think teachers need to keep students on top of things by mixing up their strategies, and really finding out which strategies work best for certain classes. Teachers need to be flexible and able to adapt if they want to be successful (Dan). **
 * I found it interesting how the author contrasted //covering// and //uncovering// material. I had not really thought of teaching in this light before. Certainly, I see where the term covering insinuates one is simply trying to get through material and hoping that students more or less pick it up on their own. “When we ‘cover’ material, we end up unwittingly focusing on the surface details, without going into depth on any of them.” (p. 229) I think that this is a problem that many teachers unintentionally do. “To //uncover// something, by contrast, suggests finding something important in what has become hidden-to reveal rather than conceal.” (p. 230) I like this quote because it speaks to how the students need to be involved in the learning process to uncover knowledge about any particular topic. One more quote really caught my attention when reading this chapter. “When choosing instructional approaches, think about what is needed for learning, not just what is comfortable for teaching.” (p. 242) I agree with this statement too, you have to be able to put yourself in your students shoes and figure out what is going to be good for them. Don't take the shortcuts when planning a lesson because you inevitably miss something or someone!Julie This can be summed up by saying that we should be focused on the students and what is best for them, not what is most convenient for us. If we focus on what students need in order to learn, we will be much more likely to help our students succeed. (Chase) **

An understanding sets an end goal (A CHALLENGE); it demands the right to experiences, discussion and reflection. There is no way a student would be able to have dialogue about a topic unless there is some level of understanding. I agree that this does set an end goal for the lesson or topic being discussed. Here is another statement I agreed with, “ //An understanding can never be “covered” if it is to be understood.//” I have known a lot of teachers that say they have covered a topic but then they don’t get why their students can’t get the relationship from the previous lesson to the lesson they were on because they covered it. **Coverage – makes learning harder / Uncoverage – bringing a concept to life through experiences.** The most important ideas and claims must be tested, not just mentioned, if they are to be understood. I wish my government teacher from high school and college could have seen this statement, “Text is a resource, the problem is when the teacher uses the text as a course of study!” I had probably the two worst government teachers possible. They both taught directly from the text and always referred the text. In college I had to drop out of my original government class and switch to a professor who I knew would help me understand and get more out of the class. In high school, we went through that text everyday doing a section a day and then the chapter review in preparation for the test, while our teacher sat at his desk reading a book. THANK YOU Misconception Alert!!!!!!! **That's funny, lol (not really, though) - my students complain about one of their history teachers doing the same thing!! Gah! That's what gives teachers such a bad name!!!! **I absolutely hate it when all I hear in education classes is how lecturing is bad and no one learns. I am in 100% agreement with this! I do think there needs to be some lecturing maybe not every day but there is some key information that needs to come out in that way for the people who do learn better that way. In 90% of my lessons I would lecture for at least 10-15 minutes. There is nothing wrong with it people! (not you guys, just me venting) Now here is my final statement that I liked from the text, “ //Teaching for understanding therefore must be closer to coaching than professing//.” I totally agree with this because in coaching there is so many factors that come into play when showing your athletes what to do or how to do something. I probably related with this chapter the most! (Julie)

Right now a big push in our school is differentiating our teaching. On our weekly lesson plans we must include how we plan to differentiate throughout the week in order to meet the needs of all our students. This goes along with what the authors are talking about in chapter 10. It says on page 228 that, “Teaching on its own never causes learning. Only successful attempts by the learner to learn causes learning.” Differentiating our instruction helps us motivate our student’s to want to learn. By changing the process, content, and product of our lessons we help keep all students motivated to learn. Finding ways to get students to learn is, in my opinion, the true definition of teaching. Instead of simply covering the material we need first get our students interested in what we are teaching. Once we have the student’s interest we can then precede into the teaching part. Is it possible to motivate all students to learn? Can a teacher possible grasp the interest of all students on every lesson or concept they are required to teach? (Jason) Do you think that differentiating instruction is a means of teachers not losing their empathy? The author says "We lose our empathy, unless wer are vigilant, for the likelihood of misunderstanding."(245). So, if we are constantly thinking of the various ways that students learn (or mis-learn- not a word), is that a way to remain empathetic? (UGOCHI)

Chapter 10 talks about how the process of teaching and using instructional strategies is the last stage of the Understanding by Design process. The aim of the chapter was to offer guidelines about the role of the teacher and the most common instructional resources.The chart on p.241 is actually really beneficial to this course and another course I am currently taking. From what I have read on this post so far; several of us agree that teaching is not the same as learning. More specifically, understanding is a constructivist exercise acomplished by the learner. We are reading here that understanding can not be "covered." Understanding, demads a three-pronged combination of the right experiences, the appropriate discussion,and the reflection. With all of the mentioned so far, I agree. :) I have to say though, I strongly disagree with the textbook trashing in this chapter. I also disagree with the statement that we are living in a world dominated by coverage of what textbooks say. I'm in the buisness and that's not even why I'm offended. Regardless of what this book is saying, it isn't matching up with what we are hearing our customers want-especially with the new common core. Some of these citations in this masters level course textbook (ironic, right) are from the Eighties. The textbooks I am familiar with,do not provide a disservice to teachers. Yes the textbook is the resource, but it is also the alignment to the curriculum and the expertise in the content, and I don't think the work that goes into creating all that gets the credit it deserves. -Colleen

The chapter started off by looking over the terms coverage vs. uncoverage. The author points out the cover is a weak word that people use to go the route of 'mile wide, inch deep.' While on the other hand uncoverage is actually uncovering the topic and letting the students dig into the information. I see a lot of alignment between these terms and the new standards that will are coming. The next thing this chapter covers is that of the textbook. Like any tool that we use, it's there to help. But by no means is it the only structure that we should use. The chapter finished off with the idea of transfer and use of big ideas. It harps on the idea of recall, and way that is not learning. Chase S.

The section of the chapter that I really enjoyed, that not many people have addressed, was the section on formative assessment. I commented on it earlier but I really connected with it because I finally feel like I'm getting the hang of gauging my students' learning with formative assessment AND adjusting my lessons to accomodate their needs. I mean, I've always tried but, like Julie said, I really feel like I connected with this chapter! I was also thrilled to read that true understanding can't happen if students aren't open and willing to learn. That is one of those things that you //know// but is hard to //understand// with all of the talk about lack of student learning being the fault of the teacher... what a breath of fresh air! :-) Isn't it? I think it's so funny that they put this chapter where they did. I would've put it at the beginning! It caught my attention and grabbed my interests... (ally)