February 13, 2013
BTPS Assessment Facilitator Meeting
"Americans hold the notion that goodteaching comes through artful andspontaneous interactions with studentsduring lessons… such views minimize theimportance of planning increasingly effectivelessons and lend credence to the folk beliefthat good teachers are born, not made .”
Stigler, J. & Herbert J. (1997). “Understanding and Improving Classroom Mathematics Instruction”, p.20.
The Twin Sins
The 3 stages of backwards design
Stage one: big ideas & essential questions
Stage two: acceptable evidence
Stage three: plan learning and instruction
Tools and Templates
How does the front matter relate to thisprocess?
More time on essential questions and bigideas
Exemplars please!
Our task: uncover the target purposes andidentify the BIG IDEAS intended for ourstudents
Read through the “Front Matter”, identify the BIG IDEAS you thinkwould help teachers create a philosophical and organizationalframework for instruction, highlight the key words or phrases thatclarify the intention (purpose) for teaching the subject.
At your table group, discuss the key words and phrases that eachof you identified to help you to clarify an intention (purpose) forteaching your program. On your piece of chart paper, reach aconsensus for a vision/ mission statement that describes theintention of your program (in general, according to the FrontMatter, not a specific grade), by using the key words and phrasesidentified by the group. Write this program intention statementacross the top of your chart paper. Underline your key words/phrases.
Did anything surprise you about this activity? (Didyou know there were requirements of you to addressthe ideas and philosophy from the front matterstatement of your program?)
Are there similarities? Between grades? Subjects?
Why do you think similarities exist here?
What are the implications for your teaching knowingthat all subjects share philosophical underpinnings orBIG IDEAS?
How will you incorporate these common visions intoyour day-to-day teaching?
Consider:
Year and Unit Planning in teams so you can…
Scope and sequence across grades andsubjects
Create Big Ideas for grades/ subject areas thatscaffold your big ideas for units of study
Marzano – guaranteed and viable curriculum #1 forschool improvement and student achievement.
Big ideas and essential questions guide feedback sostudents can make progress toward a key learninggoal.
Big ideas and essential questions allow for focus oncontent that is relevant and applicable to real life inorder to achieve motivation and engagement.
Not all standards are created equal.
Learning without practical and meaningfulapplication is quickly forgotten.
Understanding occurs when individuals seekanswers to important questions and makeconnections
With an elbow partner consider…
If someone asked you, “why does sharing bigideas matter & essential questions matter,”what would you say?
Big Ideas
Type
Unwrapping standards
Essential Questions
Focusing themes
On going debates and issues
Insightful perspectives
Underlying assumptions
Paradox/problems/challenges
Organizing theory
Overarching principle
Provocative questions
Processes- problem solving, decision making
ConceptConcept
Big IdeaBig Idea
nutritionnutrition
You are what you eatYou are what you eat
westwardexpansionwestwardexpansion
Hardship forged a nationHardship forged a nation
persuasive writingpersuasive writing
Powerful media can influence beliefsand behaviorsPowerful media can influence beliefsand behaviors
fairnessfairness
(mathematical)(mathematical)
Statistics can be manipulated toobscure the truthStatistics can be manipulated toobscure the truth
Does it have many layers not obvious to theinexperienced learner?
Does one have to dig deep to trulyunderstand its meaning or implications?
Is it prone to disagreement?
Might you change your mind about it overtime?
Does it reflect the core ideas as judged byexperts?
Strategy #2:
Unwrapping standards
Looking at key nouns and verbs helpsto identify key learning which canthan be taught in the context of bigideas and essential questions.
Standard:
Comprehend and interpret informationfrom a variety of graphic displaysincluding diagrams, charts, and graphs.
Big Idea:
Graphic displays of information enhancescomprehension and interpretation ofinformation.
Standards
Relate data and facts from informational texts toprior information and experience with assistance.
Identify and interpret facts taken from maps,graphs, charts, and other visuals, with assistance.
Big Idea
Prior experiences can impact the degree to whichwe relate to and interpret visual representations.
Activity: Unpack this standard with your tablepartner by:
1. Finding the nouns and verbs
2. Write big ideas
Standard: (Possible examples on next slide)
Students interpret, analyze, and evaluateinformational text in order to extendunderstanding and appreciation . (ELA 11)
Students interpret, analyze, and evaluateinformational text in order to extendunderstanding and appreciation .
Big ideas
We interpret information and draw conclusionsboth from what we read and life experiences.
Knowing the difference between fact andopinion and inferences can help you becomemore discerning.
A question is essential when it:
Causes genuine INQUIRY into the big ideas and core content
ARGUABLE: provokes deep thought, lively discussion, sustained inquiry, andnew understanding as well as more questions
Requires students to CONSIDER alternatives, WEIGH evidence, SUPPORT theirideas, and JUSTIFY their answers
Stimulates vital, on-going rethinking of big ideas and assumptions
Sparks meaningful CONNECTIONS with prior learning and personal experiences
“An essential question is – well, essential: important,vital, at the heart of the matter – the essence of theissue.” - Grant Wiggins “An essential question is – well, essential: important,vital, at the heart of the matter – the essence of theissue.” - Grant Wiggins
ESSENTIAL
What traits andcharacteristics determine aclassification?
Where do artists get theirideas?
What determines value?
What distinguishes a fluentforeigner from a nativespeaker?
How does where we liveinfluence how we live?
NOT ESSENTIAL
How many legs does a spiderhave?
Did nature influence Monet?
How many dimes in a dollar?
What is the meaning of theGreek term technology fromits Greek root “techne”?
Why were settlementsdeveloped around lakes andrivers?
Big Ideas
We interpret informationand draw conclusionsboth from what we readand experience in life.
Knowing the differencebetween fact and opinionand inferences can helpyou become morediscerning.
Essential questions
How do you determine if amain idea is believable?
How can we decide if whatwe read is true or accurate?
Facts, opinion andinferences, why do theymatter?
Revisit unpacking standards to big ideas AND essentialquestions.
Students interpret, analyze, and evaluate informational textin order to extend understanding and appreciation.Students interpret, analyze, and evaluate informational textin order to extend understanding and appreciation.
Big Ideas
Graphic displays ofinformation supportscomprehension andinterpretation ofinformation.
Prior experiences canimpact the degree towhich we relate to andinterpret visualrepresentations.
Essential questions
How can information berepresented through visualdisplays?
How do some types ofvisuals better representinformation than others?
What knowledge do I needto bring to the informationin order to make meaningand sense of the concepts?
Revisit unpacking standards to big ideas AND essentialquestions.
Relate data and facts from informational texts to priorinformation and experience with assistance.Relate data and facts from informational texts to priorinformation and experience with assistance.
Tools for your use-
- general resources
- templates to consider/ use
- reflections/ self-assessment tools
3 Simple Steps to Planning