vicki bechard teaching and learning consulting network, llc getting to the heart of understanding...
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Vicki BechardTeaching and Learning Consulting Network, LLC
Getting to the Heart of Understanding
Designing instruction that leads to understanding
2014 TLCN Summer
Workshops
Your Turn… What should we
understand about you as we work together over the next 2 days?
Let me tell you about myself…
Introductions Continue
What is Understanding?1. Think, Write, Share – your
definition of Understanding Critical Vocabulary Activity
2. Can you teach someone to understand?
3. How do we understand?
Understanding
Big Ideas about
Understanding
1. Knowledge and understanding are not equivalent.
2. Understanding is complex and has many layers.
3. Deeper understanding requires deeper thinking.
4. Understanding requires that one demonstrate what they know and can do with the learning.
Understanding
Quotes on Understanding
Only a person who has questions can have real understanding.
Hans-Georg Gadamer
Understanding
Table Talk: Typical Instructional Strategies & Assessments
Brainstorm how we typically instruct and or assess desired content Analyze what is being asked What are we teaching/assessing,
knowledge or understanding?
Understanding
Designing curriculum
Imagine a Vacation…. Where would you go? What would you do? How would you get there? And Why?
Impact of Design
Parallels of Planning
VACATION What is the first
thing you typically decide?
• Why?• Where?• How?• What to do?
CURRICULUM What is the first
thing you typically decide?
• What to do?• How?• Where does this fit
in the curriculum?• Why?
What question(s) come to mind as a result of this awareness?
Parallels of Focus
Teaching Lesson Planning Delivery method Instructional
strategies Activities Organization &
management
Learning What knowledge
will students gain?
How will they use this knowledge?
What new skills or questions will they have as a result?
How much better will the results be if we focus on planning the learning
before we plan the teaching?
Essential Questions…1. What connects unit/lesson planning with
desired learning?2. Where do we see the benefits or use of
backwards design practices in education and other real world situations?
3. How could implementation of College and Career Ready Standards (CCRS) be enhanced by the use of the backwards design process?
4. Are educators often guilty of measuring “knowing” instead of “understanding” and is that a problem?
…about design
Understanding & Educational Design
Hands-On Without being Minds-On
Engaging, fun, or interesting without leading to desired learning results or intellectual stimulation;
Learning activities lack focus or depth
Typically an Elementary/Middle School “sin”
Coverage Goal: get through the
entire textbook or curriculum in a prescribed amount of time
Much like a whirlwind tour
Typically a High School “sin”
Concerns
Backward Design: Benefits
BENEFITS Prioritizes learning Guides intellectual
purpose Framework to focus
the instructional journey toward desired results
Why?
Essential Questions about Understanding
1. When does knowledge translate to understanding?
2. How can one demonstrate understanding of desired learning?
3. How does focusing on the 6 Facets of Understanding increase cross disciplinary awareness?
4. What assessments are most effective in measuring understanding?
Understanding
What is the difference between knowledge & understanding?
1. Facts2. Theory behind the
facts3. Verifiable claims4. Degree or
sophistication5. Truth (or not) 6. Why it is true (or
not)
7. Meaning of facts8. Facts in relation to
other facts9. Fallible, In process
theories 10. Right or wrong11. Respond on cue12. Judge when to
and not to use the knowledge
Determine…
What is the difference?
Knowing Facts Facts in relation to
other facts Verifiable claims Right or wrong Truth (or not) Respond on cue
Understanding Meaning of facts Theory behind the facts Fallible, In process
theories Degree or sophistication Why it is true (or not) Judge when to and not
to use the knowledge
How Do We Understand Skills?
Isolated performance
Slower, more deliberate
On demand
Integrated in a “doing” session
Up tempo to fit the activity
Use appropriately when needed
Understanding: T or F? Knowledge and skill are necessary
elements but not the end all Understanding can be achieved through
memorization. Understanding requires us to figure out
which knowledge to use and/or adapt it to a given situation.
Understanding: The successful result in trying to understand
Knowledge and skill are necessary elements but not the end all
Requires The ability to “do” Self-assessment Justify Critique
Figuring out which knowledge to use and/or how to adapt
Understanding
Consider this Statement…We are coaches of their ability to
play the “game” of performing with understanding, not tellers of our understanding to them on the sidelines.
Misunderstanding1. Students always know what we want
them to do and learn.2. Wrong answers on a test =
misunderstanding.3. You can get a correct answer and still
have misunderstandings.4. You have to have knowledge to have
misunderstanding5. Fixing misunderstanding is solely about
correcting mistakes
True or False?
Misunderstanding Students don’t always get out of the
lesson what we intended Not knowing and misunderstanding are
different You have to have knowledge to have
misunderstanding Applying what they know in an improper
manner: Literal?
Transferability: Does it Matter?
What We Know Expectation: Apply lessons
learned and to other related, but different situations.
Teachers can only help students learn a limited number of ideas, facts, skills, examples
We must help students use that knowledge when confronted by different scenarios or problems.
What We Have to DO Include more Authentic
tasks &/or questions (real world)
Teachers become facilitators
Provide repeated exposures in different scenarios
Doing - Not Just Knowing
Keys to UnderstandingEstablishing and Communicating • Learning Goals• Big Ideas• Essential Questions
Understanding
Clarifying Content Priorities
Learning Goals
BIG IDEAS:• Broad and abstract• 1 or 2 words• Universal in application• Timeless• Represented by different
examples that share common attributes
• Provide focus (lens)• Connect & Organize facts, skills,
experiences for understanding• Pointing to ideas at the heart of
expert understanding• Require uncoverage• Transfer value (horizontally &
vertically)
Setting the Stage for Understanding Learning Goals
What will learners know and be able to do? Curriculum oriented
Big Ideas – Enduring Understandings Overarching understanding of concepts
(goes beyond “knowing” facts) Essential Questions
Important and essential are not the same Open-ended Interpreting and applying learning If you can “google” it – not essential
Understanding
Big Ideas: Framing Enduring Understandings
The student will understand that…
1. In a free market economy, price is a function of supply & demand.
2. True friendship is revealed during difficult times, not happy times.
3. The interaction of heredity & experience influence behavior.
The student will understand…
1. That the price of long distance phone calls has declined during the past decade.
2. True friendship.
3. DNA
Consider the differences:
Essential Questions Framing goals with Essential
Questions: A doorway through which to explore the content more deeply Not answerable in a brief sentence (can’t
just “Google it”) Aim is to stimulate thought, provoke
inquiry, and spark more questions Broad and full of transfer possibilities Enrich the learning experience
Essential Questions
Critique the Following Questions… Determine: Is it “Essential?” Why or Why not?
What is cancer?What could you do to
decrease your likelihood of developing cancer?
Essential Questions
Uncover the 6 Facets of Understanding Understanding is multi-dimensional and
complicated 6 sided view of understanding
1. Can explain 2. Can interpret3. Can apply4. Have perspective5. Can empathize6. Have self-knowledge
6 Facets
6 Facets of Understanding
1. Explain why, how, supporting opinions, show their
work Support, justify, generalize, predict,
prove, verify, substantiate
2. Interpretation Meaning, matter, who cares? Connections to real world, human
experience, and me
6 Facets
6 Facets of Understanding3. Application:
Using knowledge effectively in new situations and diverse realistic contexts
How and when to use a particular knowledge or skill
Matching knowledge content to context
4. Perspective Critical and insightful points of view Confront alternative theories & ideas What of it? What is assumed? What
follows?
6 Facets
6 Facets of Understanding5. Empathy
The ability to get inside another person’s feelings and view
Insight:• Helps with understanding their point of view• Helps to understand the author to improve
one’s own understanding
6. Self-Knowledge To know one’s own ignorance, thought
process, and bias Questioning our beliefs and assumptions
6 Facets
6 Facets: Knowing to Doing
1. DO AS A GROUP: Play a Card Game2. Then Do one on your own:
a. Taking care of a pet (identify the pet.)b. Dribbling as a part of the game of
basketballc. The Handshake as a greetingd. How to count change backe. Riding a bike
In Class Activity: Using the 6 Facets of Understanding handout, take the assigned topic and determine how each facet pertains to the understanding of the topic.
6 Facets Handout
Making Connections to Practice Application: Take a topic that would be
appropriate for your class (use one of your own or select one below) & identify how each of the 6 Facets would apply.
6 Facets
Potential Topics• Westward Expansion of
the US• Hitler’s Treatment of the
Jews• A recipe for pizza or
your favorite dessert• The use of percentages• Decimals and fractions
• The use of commas and other punctuation• Basketball Defensive
strategies (i.e. zone vs man-to-man)
• Speed • Angles and/or geometric
shapes• Mammals
Examining your own practice Using your own lesson
example What facets of
understanding did/do you utilize?
What revisions could you make to include more of the facets in this lesson?
Do you have to use all 6 facets in every lesson? Every unit?
Applying the 6 Facets
Making Connections: What evidence suggests that
understanding is complex, with many layers? Identify misunderstandings can be anticipated
How do the 6 Facets fit with what the KCCRS are asking teachers and students to do? What evidence of understanding is being
asked for?
6 Facets
Making Connections to Practice Quick Write: How can utilizing the 6
Facets help achieve the goals set forth in the Anchor Standards or the learning goals that you have in your classroom? Share
6 Facets
DAY 2
• How do we know they understand?• Planning for increased understanding
Making Sense of Understanding
Evidence of Understanding We need to see that a student can
extract understanding (meaning) and apply that understanding to problems or performance
Quite different than just recall of facts Assessments must reflect our goal of
understanding not just knowing.
How Do We Know?
Thinking Like an Assessor Goals ---- Assessment ---- Instruction
What do we typically do when planning? Why might planning in this order be more effective?
Questions to ask (over and over) What evidence can show that students have
achieved the desired results ? What assessment tasks and other evidences
will anchor our units and guide instruction? What should we look for to determine the
extent of student understanding?
Assessing Understanding
Thinking Like an AssessorHow do we do we change from
thinking like an activity designer to thinking like an assessor?
Picture this! From snapshots to a scrapbook. What does this analogy suggest?
Assessing Understanding
Types of Evidence Performance Tasks Academic Prompts Quiz and Test Items Informal Checks for Understanding
Assessing Understanding
Thinking Like an Assessor What is AUTHENTIC assessment?
Task, problem or project (handout)
What makes it authentic? Realistically simulates real world situations Student has to USE their knowledge wisely and
effectively Student has to “do” the subject Replicates key real-life contexts Student effectively uses sum of knowledge and
skills (not in isolation) Allows for appropriate rehearsal, feedback, revision
Assessing Understanding
What would “authentic” look like in your classroom?
Assessment – Measuring… What is the purpose? What assessment will fit the purpose? How will you use the assessment data? When will you assess? How often will you assess?
Evidence of Understanding
Guskey: The Rest of the Story
Tomlinson: Using Assessment to Impact Instruction
Application to Practice What does understanding look like in
your content area? How will you design instruction to
achieve understanding? How will you assess understanding? What will be the result if you plan for
and deliver instruction that leads to understanding?
Putting it all together
Making Connections: Changing Classroom Practice
FROM What are you
doing/seeing now…
TO What you want to
(or should) do/see…
Understanding
Why? How? What
Revisit Critical Vocabulary Match definitions to vocabulary. Think of an real life or practical example
for each one. How does adding the next step create a
deeper understanding?
Next Steps
Creating Your Lesson Plan Goal(s) Big Idea Essential Question(s) How will you know they understand? Instructional Activities that lead to
understanding and the desired learning goal
Performance Task
Exit Activity: Square, Triangle, Circle
Something that you understand or already knew (square with your thinking) 3 new things
you learned or plan to do with the information you received today.
Something that is still “circling” in your head…. Question… concern…. Future application…
What are you thinking?