Week 6 UBD and Principles of Instruction

7 key tenets 

  • teacher thinks about purposefully about curricular planning 
  • focuses on deepening students understanding 
  • understanding is revealed
  • planned backwards from long term desired results through a 3 stage design process
  • teachers serve as coaches 
  • reviewing units and curriculum 
  • continual improvement 
The reading states that the components listed above serve as the driving force of UBD. As teachers, curriculum instructors, administrators and students work through the UBD process, no part holds greater weight than the other. The intersection of the components is what allows this approach to work in regards to desired results. 

3 stages of backward design

Stage 1: Identify desired results 
What should students know, understand and be able to do?
  • consider our goals and learning objectives 
  • focuses on the transfer of learning with goals and sample questions 
Stage 2: Determine assessment evidence 
How will we know if students have achieved the desired results? 
UBD encourages teachers and curriculum planners to FIRST think like assessors 
  • apply 
  • perspective 
  • self knowledge 
  • explain
  • interpret 
Students can be assessed using performance tasks. 

What are the pros and cons of performance tasks being used as assessments?
Why do we think that teachers are so attached to multiple choice format tests? Do we limit our students depth of knowledge to just recalling and retelling?
*many other countries with high performing students are not attached to multiple choice testing. 

Teaching for understanding requires that students be given numerous opportunities to draw inferences and make generalizations for themselves. 

Stage 3 Plan learning experiences and instructions 
What activities, sequence and resources are best suited to accomplish our goals? 
  • plan appropriate lessons and learning activities 
  • transfer, meaning making and acquisition 
TEXTBOOKS ARE NOT THE BIBLE (thoughts?)

Can UBD be implemented with fidelity in ALL content areas? Does it connect to standardized testing?

Principles of Instruction (10 research based principles of instruction) 

Use this guideline to create an open learning environment attached with quality instruction. 
The best way to become an expert is through practice.

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