Wiggins+Ch.+12

Wiggins Ch. 12

This chapter shifted the focus from unit design to course design. The authors suggest the best way to use backward design in this sense is also by using essential questions, enduring understandings, key performance tasks, and rubrics. I felt this chapter was a repeat of many of the things the authors discussed in previous chapters, but I did find the last half of the chapter to be more helpful. I liked the ideas presented about scope and sequence and how the more traditional __academic__ areas should follow the sequence found in more “modern” areas (p. 292). The example given about the mechanic on page 291 (I really liked this analogy as well. It really make me understand that we feel like we have to teach lot of things hopeing the students will make the connections I agree with you-Karen) really made me think about if I’m just putting all the pieces out for my students but not really showing them how they work together and why. I also found the idea of the spiral curriculum interesting and was wondering if anyone had ever been taught with one or currently teaches with one and what it was like. The most profound thing I took away from this chapter was the quote from Jerome Bruner on page 275 about asking ourselves the worth of what we teach. I personally feel like there are so many times when I get caught up in what I “have” to get done that I lose perspective of what is truly worthwhile and beneficial for my students.(Jen) I think most of us do that too, **I agree** I once had a professor tell me to have two calendars on my desk one for the daily things & notes, then the other one for my reflection. I tried that with a notebook instead next to my computer but as the year went on and the days got more hectic I failed to keep up with it.(Julie) I think working on staying focused on today and yet looking to the future is a huge dichotomy I agree! I started off the year doing a few things and just realized the other day that I haven't followed through with some of them. As things get hectic, my priorities have changed, and I just don't have time for it all!

This chapter was really setting the stage for using backward design. It reminds you how essential questions can be used across many units and possibly years of study. Essential questions provide the backbone of courses and programs into which individual units fit. As someone who never used UbD before this class it was a good reminder that essential questions should be focused more on the entire curriculum rather than a single unit. (Jen) It suggests that framing your curriculum around essential questions as opposed to content makes connective, thought provoking, and recurring inquiries more appropriately central to the learning experience. A good question can make it more likely that the work will yield interesting and fruitful connections and meaning. A good question will get the students thinking more outside the box! These questions can encourage the student to want to expand their knowledge in the subject and want to go deeper. By engaging the students in this sense you are helping them be prepared for higher-order assessment tasks, which will only benefit them as they grow in their __academics__. I like how they remind you that "no matter what a goal in all cases is to be able to do the subject with understanding." This goal can be placed into almost any category, academics, sports, life..... I feel that this is easier for a social studies teacher because planning by a theme/unit then working down to the details is how I've always done it. So when the kids questions why is this important it is easy for me as a social studies teacher to show them how history repeats itself and how one theme/unit easily transitions into the next one. Every teacher should be inspired to "cause knowledge to increase in depth and breadth." (Julie) I think the other really important part of using essetial questions and this bigger way of thinking in all of this has to do with the self esteem of the students. If a question is reccuring and the students have some background knowledge as they delve into it in another subject or the same subject but the next year they are going hopefully be eager to share their background knowledge and want to begin to learn more because they have started out on a positive note. Isn't that what we want is for our students to think positively about themselves and wan to be life long learners? Now I will admit that this does have a downside too, you will continue to have some students who will have the opposite reaction and walk into a class thinking they know everything and not want to learn more on that subject. I guess that is where that hook will have to come in handy. (Gretchen)

The macro level of UbD is actually more my language. It is what we do over at that terrible textbook company. For the last year (more than a year actually) we have been working as a team to build a program that consists of units that are __conceived__ and framed with Essential Questions, Enduring Understandings, and Key Perfomance Tasks. Is there a market for that kind of framework? We can only hope. Check back with me in the 2012 selling season. If nothing else happens, then I can honestly say that I have first-hand experience with doing exactly what this chapter is talking about. If I were currently teaching, I would really like the idea of "big ideas" being generated at the grade-level teams. **I love the idea of big ideas!! *ally** I think that sort of planning and prepartion would work well at the elementary level. I completely agree and would love to do something like that with my grade level team. (Jen) Reading this chapter is reinforcing some of the connections I made when I created by UBD project for this class. For example, my unit was measurement, and one of my essential questions was "Why do we measure?" I then had several supporting essential questions and enduring understandings about measurement that build upon the unit's essential question. I have been to a few workshops and presentations on UbD, and I agree with the section on p.281 about cross-disciplinary connections. It is a natural learning process, especially for elementary students. Agree! (Jen) One more thing--I couldn't belive my eyes when I saw Greece, New York mentioned on pages 282 and 284. That's where I am from. Greece Central School District is the school district I grew up in. Greece is a suburb outside of Rochester, NY. So there is really good chance that this Langauge Arts Assessment Plan came from my former teachers. How cool is that? Must be why I'm a fan of UbD so much. (-Colleen)

This chapter reiterated how important the essential questions are to have a successful framework. The chapter also discussed how the essential questions can help to connect information between the different subjects. This will also allow students to relate information and make connections to gain a better understanding. This chapter also talked about using performance tasks to frame a curriculum. This makes me think of which one would be easier to write. I don’t know if it depends on what subjects or grade levels you are planning for as to which will work out best.

UbD Wiggins 12-KAREN

For some reason this chapter was a bit over my head? Maybe it’s because I have a cold and a sore throat? Anyway…Thinking of using the UnD design for an entire curriculum seems daunting to say the least. I agree but I see the benefits and how it would be worth all the extra work and time. (Jen) It took me 5 hours to do one lesson. But I guess with a curriculum committee, responsibilities would be delegated and not so imposing of a task? Having a course and program revolving around central questions seems like a good idea on the surface, but too me might seem too Big and too general and how would we get to the “meat” of a lesson? **The central questions are good to focus our lessons in the way to meet our goals (Silvia).** I guess (as stated on page 276 ) it says how individual units would fit into it. I guess I am having a hard time seeing the BIG PICTURE-no pun intended.

On page 282 the heading says: Framing Curriculum by performance tasks…I think this would be a great idea because if the curriculum is framed around tasks, it will give more credence to assessments other than just “THE TEST”. To me this is teaching and education and if the curriculum already has this in place, all teachers could adhere to it? Am I being too hopeful?

I do like the idea of –strategy flexible assessment (284) which if I understand it correctly, means using a plethora of assessments ranging from a formal debate, to writing a bill of rights for an emerging democracy. I think if a curriculum that focuses on assessment and the many neat ideas, it could bring life back into some classrooms? I completely agree and I really think the students wouldn't even see it as assessment. (Jen) I love the idea of authentic assessment and varied assesments. I think the hard sell is to parents and old school educators who were taught differently and are stuck in their ways much like the whole changing of grades to numbers and rubrics issue. (Gretchen)

After reading the whole chapter 12, I really got attracted by the misconception alert in page 301 that says"...It is unlikely that most of our students will become professional artists, musicians, or soccer players. Nonetheless, we organize the sequence around performance mastery because that is how people learn most effectively." We, as teachers, teach our students for mastery most of the time. We have high expectations for their learning careers and skills. Our goals is to get as high as we can in the Bloom's Taxonomy levels even though sometimes it is impossible because of different other reasons. When we think of our lesson plans' goals, we most of the time think that our students will master all the knowledge and skills that they suppose to get in their grade level and above it (Silvia).

Chapter 12

The theme for this chapter was on the idea of using Ubd as curriculum framework. I found this particular chapter to be a comprehensive overview of the book, but with a slight twist. Wiggins and co focus on the 'bigger' picture: the 'macro' curriculum. They go over several different ideas that hope to show the reader a more efficient, coherent and effective design. "we, advocate that programs and courses be conceived and framed in terms of essential questions, enduring understadings, key performance task and rubrics." These key items keep popping up as the themes that we should take away form this chapter. Several charts in this chapter help break down their abstract thought: Figure 12.1 & 12.2. A lot of this chapter is filled with examples that show how we should approach our thoughts and ideas of what we want our framework to look like and how we want to structure it. Later on the chapter it goes into rubrics more, and how to set them up. (I got a little bored at the rubics part. I don't know why, but I have had enough of rubrics these days. It seems to rigid to go with something like UbD - Colleen) I wish that I have had more chances to develop some curriculum on my own so this way I could get a better feel for the chapter and what it is trying to get me to think about. (chase s)

**I will agree with what several of you have said that the beginning of the chapter is repetitive. However, the second half of the chapter I found to be more beneficial and in some ways helpful. I feel like the design has great ideas and on the larger scale of a longer amount of time the actual template is much more helpful here. I am still puzzling over the misconception at the end of the chapter. Yes, we want most students to gain mastery over the areas that we teach, but here is where I am getting a little foggy and maybe you all can help me. We may not know for sure what a student wants to become as an adult, but aren't there certain things in their character and cognitive abilities or lack there of that will help you decide when to continue to push or say this is their level of mastery (let's move on to something else)? This will keep both you and them from spinning their wheels and getting frustrated. Or am I completely misunderstanding the misunderstanding (ha ha)? (Gretchen)**
 * I found this chapter to be a little repetitive of what we have already read about UBD, just applying it to curriculum design... not a simple lesson, or unit. The most important thing I found in this chapter was when it was talking about the scope and sequence. I personally think scope and sequences are more important than rubrics... because they show not only what the child cannot do, but what they can do. They are also super easy to fill out... all you have to do is highlight! At my grade level, we have created a scope and sequence for each are of reading. I would love to do the same thing with math, but it's hard finding the time to all meet together as a team! (ally) **

**I agree with Ally that this chapter seemed to be repetitive. As we're wrapping up the book, I feel that they're also wrapping up their ideas, and reemphasizing the important pieces of UbD design. I did find the scope and sequence part of the chapter interesting. I think it's important to have a good "flow" in what we teach, so that things make sense and the pieces fall into place for the students as you teach. I know there have been times in my teaching that I've realized the way of been doing things doesn't make sense, and the flow isn't working in my lesson. Sometimes I'll adjust what I'm doing, or the order in which I do things, from class to class, as I see that things don't work. The other part of the chapter that I thought was helpful was the chart on page 277. As many of the visuals in this book have been, I thought this chart helped me visualize the details and pieces of the Ubd process. I thought it helped give a clear picture of everything from the really big picture, all the way down to the small pieces.**