Starting With the End in Mind

1. Starting With the End in Mind Kim Harrison Mono County Office of Education

2. Today’s Objectives • Stages in the Backward Design Model • Six Facets of Understanding • Sample Lessons • Hands-on: Grade Level Groups • Copyright Issues • Information Literacy

3. Backward Design “To begin with the end in mind means to start with a clear understanding of your destination. It means to know where you’re going so that you better understand where you are now so that the steps you take are always in the right direction.” -Steven Covey The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

4. Backward Design • Starts with the end-the desired results (goals and standards)-and then derives the curriculum from the evidence of learning (performances) • Backward design calls for us to operationalize our goals or standards in terms of assessment evidence as we begin to plan a unit or course.

5. Stages in the Backward Design Model Understanding by Design, Wiggins and McTighe On-line Template, Blank Template

6. Stage 1: Identify Desired Results • Identify the standard • Enduring understandings • Develop guiding question • Questioning Toolkit, Jamie McKenzie • Identify key knowledge and skills

7. Identify Desired Results Understanding by Design, Wiggins and McTighe

8. Four Selection Criteria • To what extent does the idea, topic, or process represent a “big idea” having enduring value beyond the classroom? • To what extent does the idea, topic, or process reside at the heart of the discipline? • To what extent does the idea, topic, or process require uncoverage? • To what extent does the idea, topic, or process offer potential for engaging students?

9. Stage 2: Determine Acceptable Evidence • Evidence: demonstrates mastery • Continuum: variety of assessments • Validity: measures what it says • Reliability: measured the same by all • Performance-based: application of standards and key understandings Assessment Continuum Informal Observation, Quizzes, Tests, Writing Prompts, Performance

10. Creating Performance Assessments • G oal • R ole • A udience • S ituation • P roduct or Performance Understanding by Design, Wiggins and McTighe

11. Creating Performance Assessments • Presentations • Demonstrations • Oral presentations • Documentaries • Graphic Organizers • Character analysis • Charts/graphs • Artistic Production • Storyboard • Bulletin board • Writings • Essays • Journals • Research • Portfolios • Video portfolio • Electronic portfolio • Technical Products • Design/blueprint • Database

12. Curricular Priorities and Assessments Assessment Types • Traditional quizzes and tests • paper/pencil • selected response • constructed response • Performance tasks and projects • open-ended • complex • authentic Understanding by Design, Wiggins and McTighe

13. Stage 3: Planning Learning Experiences & Instruction • What activities and instruction will equip students with essential knowledge and skills? • What should be taught, coached, facilitated? • What is the sequencing of activities and instruction? • What resources, materials, technology will be needed?

14. Successful Learning Experiences • WWhere are you going? • HHook the students-engage! • EExperience real or simulated events • RReflect, rethink, revise • EExhibit quality final products and self evaluate Understanding by Design, Wiggins and McTighe

15. Six Facets of Understanding Performance-based learning, tied to standards, can lead to true understanding. “A key difference between knowledge and understanding based onknowledge is that the latter is always fluid, transferable to new contexts and transformable into new theory.” From Understanding by Design by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe

16. Six Facets of Understanding • Performance that Supports Understanding • Explanation • Interpretation • Application • Insight that Supports Understanding • Perspective • Empathy • Self-knowledge

17. Facet 1: Explanation • Explanation: knowledge of facts • why and how, evidence and reasoning, connecting facts and ideas • make inferences and predictions • justify opinions • generalize, support, verify, prove, substantiate, defend

18. Facet 2: Interpretation • Interpretation: stories, parables, myths • interpretations, narratives, translations • enlightens, entertains, helps find meaning, helps us remember • makes sense of unconnected facts

19. Facet 3: Application • Application: use knowledge in new situations and diverse contexts • ability to use knowledge • reflects real-world situations

20. Facet 4: Perspective • Perspective: critical and insightful points of view • cultural diversity • confront alternative theories and diverse point of view

21. Facet 5: Empathy • Empathy • ability to get inside another person’s feelings and world view • walk in another’s shoes • cannot be accomplished through text-driven instruction

22. Facet 6: Self-knowledge • Self-knowledge • wisdom to know one’s ignorance • how personal thoughts “inform” and prejudice our understanding • metacognition: how and why we think what we think • reflection • question our understandings

23. Resources • Indicators of Teaching for Understanding, by Jay McTighe and Eliot Seif • Using the Understanding by Design Planning pages