Rigorous unit development

1. Rigorous unit development Keota CSD, Iowa Gail B. Wortmann November 11, 2011

2. Keota’s Reputation • It has been good. Rigorous and ready. • Cannot continue. (example: Iowa) • Must move forward. Forward thinking… • Changes in your lifetime. • Changes in their lifetime. • Beloit College http://www.beloit.edu/mindset/2015/ • Gap: current college seniors/ high school freshman.

3. Today’s Agenda: It’s about YOU! • Examples of forward-thinking, rigorous units • 21st Century Unit Development Framework • Rigor/Relevance Framework • Grown-up Thematics • Scenario Development • Rigorous Unit Workshop and Product • http://edvance21-support-wiki.wikispaces.com/Keota+Nov.+2011 OR Google Docs

4. Iowa Core and Teacher Effectiveness • History of Iowa Core to Iowa Core Curriculum • Added START Characteristics of Effective Instruction • Google “Iowa Characteristics of Effective Instruction” • S • T • A • R • T

5. Iowa Core and Teacher Effectiveness • History of Iowa Core to Iowa Core Curriculum • Added START Characteristics of Effective Instruction • Google “Iowa Characteristics of Effective Instruction” • Student-Centered Classrooms • Teaching for Understanding • Assessment for Learning • Rigorous and Relevant Curriculum • Teaching for Learner Differences

6. Mosquito Ringtone • Young people using ringtone • Test frequencies • Does it work for mosquitoes? • If it works for mosquitoes, does it work for young people? • Application of apps in schools for problem solving • 21st Century context • If you make it relevant problem solving, rigor will come with it

7. Use of Smartphone Apps • Angry Birds – physics • QR Codes (scavenger hunts, assignments, etc.) • Camera as note-taker; kids texting evidence • Google Sky • Musical Lite • iTuned You Out – Decibel • Others? • TTYP

8. Don’t forget: You can copy-paste this slide into other presentations, and move or resize the poll.

9. Internet access at home? Don’t forget: You can copy-paste this slide into other presentations, and move or resize the poll.

10. “Think” Experiments • Don’t let lowest common denominator limit you • Next Generation Standards • Argue from evidence • Engineering – solutions, not just conclusions

11. Paleobiology • Example of rigorous unit development

17. In the Context of 21st Century Skills • Civic literacy • Financial literacy • Health literacy • Employability skills (individual and team evaluation rubrics) • Technology literacy • Using Google Docs today!

20. 21st Century Unit Framework • Can’t do one-by-one, must interweave • Adjust it for your own purposes (small groups?) • Google Docs and share/collaborate • Review Bloom’s Taxonomy

21. H.O.T.S. Advance Organizer • Higher Order Thinking Skills card sort Activities Assessments

22. H.O.T.S. Advance Organizer • Higher Order Thinking Skills card sort (10 min.) Knowledge Comprehension Application Analysis Synthesis Evaluation Activities Assessments

23. H.O.T.S. Advance Organizer • Higher Order Thinking Skills card sort Knowledge Comprehension Application Analysis Synthesis Evaluation Activities Assessments

24. Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy Original Bloom's • Knowledge • Comprehension • Application • Analysis • Synthesis • Evaluation Revised Bloom’s • Remembering • Understanding • Applying • Analyzing • Evaluating • Creating

25. Rigor and Relevance Framework C E A A u R Knowledge Apply knowledge Across Disciplines Real-world Unpredictable real-world

26. Rigor + Relevance = Engagement Goal for Increasing Engagement, thus Learning

27. Iowa Core / Rigor & Relevance Page 5 • Characteristics of Effective Instruction • http://educateiowa.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2102 • Rigor and Relevance Framework • http://www.leadered.com/rrr.html • Standards/Details/Examples • Hints about R&R Framework • Definitive answers/solution unknown (ill-defined) • Key/rubric

28. Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy • Find a good reference about Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy and share it via Google Docs by creating and sharing a new document. At the top of your document, write a reflective statement about the digital taxonomy and your level/subject.

29. Grown-up Thematics • Overarching concept • Teleinterns • Refer to adjusted Unit Checklist • Use lesson plans you already have • Problem to solve on student’s agenda

30. Problem • Teacher poses the problem • Students do the work • Answers/solutions are found/developed by the students (they must investigate, not just research and report – solution cannot be “found”) • It is not about right/wrong; It is about the best defensible answer (arguing from evidence) • Rubrics to assess

31. Scenario Examples • Patients, Chemical Consulting Company; Sneezing School • Hiring a writer for a newspaper column – find a columnist to follow, determine what is good about the column, emulate that person, write movie reviews – research good movie review writers. Convince people to go and not to go. Write dialogue, finishing a story. • Math Mall Rats • Global citizenship with videographer

32. To help stimulate your thinking… • Dancing Cell Phone • iTuned You Out • BFF Moms • Sneezing School • Cell Phone Remote Control

33. Skeletal Unit • Go carefully through unit, note things on the Unit checklist

34. Growth of a Scenario • Theme that ties your course together? • Possible problem-solving options? • Already using the concept? Expand… • Something in your community • Base it on something you know • Experience you’ve had • People or other organisms you know ? Benchmark Possible problem Relevant idea

35. Conception of Scenario • Skeletal unit problem: osteoporosis • Web articles on osteoporosis • Found data for making diagnosis • Found groups with more osteoporosis • Chose related group without data available (ill-structured) • Multicultural: Tony Hillerman novels, Ship Rock, NM • Invented Elsu Featherstone • Baby-naming websites • Position problem introduction at the beginning

36. Evolution of Scenario • Navajo context • Found barriers to treating the Navajo • Found contributing factors for osteoporosis • Created patient • Necessary data to be revealed • Problem to be solved on student’s level • Wove regular labs into the scenario

37. Examples of Scenarios • Embedded scenarios in Iowa Learning Online Anatomy course • Colonel Weismann • Corrupted data • School nurse • TTYN: Ideas?

38. A, B, C, Not Yet Rubric Scoring Rubric for Projects

39. Share student comments about Elsu • I really like how we used what we learned to help Elsu. It made learning the info easier to do and understand. In this unit I was good about reading the websites because they helped me help Elsu. • I loved doing the Elsu scenario because it not only gave me a lot more insight about how osteoporosis is developed and treatments for it, but it reminded me how important calcium is to a daily diet. • I learned a lot about the Navajo Nation and racial statistics of those with osteoporosis.  • I really enjoyed learning about Elsu's problems, and making a diagnosis. I especially liked writing the paper explaining what she needed to do and why it was important.

40. Rigorous Unit Workshop • Come up with next or near unit • Come up with overarching concept to tie it to • Use Google Presentation • Collaborate with others • Turn in your current stage of development to Lisa • Target date?

41. Thanks for your kind attention! Go Forth and Assess!

42. Contacts Gail B. Wortmann Iowa Learning Online Great Prairie Area Education Agency 2814 N. Court Ottumwa, IA 641-682-8591 ext. 5233 gwortmann@iowalearningonline.org gail.wortmann@gpaea.org