Doyna Johnston
Understanding By Design
Assume you are a high-performance athlete about to participate in a competitive game. When you train, you have a precise goal to attain at each practice, followed by a series of specific goals that describe your performance once you reach the competency level in the pinnacle event of your high-performance sport. When athletes practice and prepare, they always have an end goal in mind. They are very familiar with the descriptors of competitive performance required to excel in a sports tournament. Therefore, they always trained with the end result of their athletic performance in mind.
Similarly, as learning facilitators, educators must plan their lessons based on the desired outcomes of performance levels to achieve. Educators must also consider what skills and knowledge they want their students to remember and apply after they complete the course, a discipline of study that will go beyond and will transcend having applications in real life. Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe consider this to be Understanding by Design.
Understanding by Design (UbD) is a realistic and valuable "backward" design framework. It helps educators recognize anticipated results, establish acceptable evidence for learning objectives, and plan specific learning experiences and instruction sequentially conducive to achieving the overarching desired goal. Furthermore, UbD offers strategies to avoid content overload by emphasizing "enduring principles" (Wiggings & McTighe, 2005).
By following the COVA model alongside the UvD framework, educators can approach the execution process more intentionally, focusing on the learning experience. This model, developed by Harapnuick et al. in 2018, is a valuable tool for creating a learning environment that prioritizes the student's learning experience and engagement.
Cova eBook, 2018 (Harapnuik te al., 2018).
Educators must prioritize learner-centered activities, including inquiry-based questioning, collaborative work, integrating digital platforms, and engaging in constructive group discussions to establish a meaningful learning environment. Developing a plan that aligns with specific objectives, assessments, and tasks is essential for enabling students to relate their learning experiences to their ongoing endeavors. Educators should foster the development of significant competencies such as collaborative work, effective communication, and problem-solving while embracing creativity and innovation (Dewey, 2001).
In her language arts program for second graders, Ms. Johnston used Fink's taxonomy to improve students' language comprehension and writing abilities over two semesters. Starting with a Big Hairy Audacious Goal, she designed learning activities and assessments aligned with her learning proposal, Digital Writing Journals. By staying focused on the end goal, Ms. Johnston ensured that all outcomes, activities, and assessments were integrated. This resulted in a cohesive unit that created a learner-centered and engaging environment for her students— Aligning Outcomes, Assessments, and Activities.
This time around, Mrs. Johnston will use the UbD framework proposed by Wiggings and McTighe to supplement the language arts unit planning. She will emphasize the end result of her plan as an overarching guiding objective that will determine the lesson planning steps required before reaching the big learning goal of writing and designing journals online.
Both templates, the Three Column Table (Fink, 2003) and the UbD Design Table (Wiggings and McTighe, 2005), aimed to create interactive, student-centered learning environments. However, the Three Column Table aids in analyzing learners' situational aspects, considering the human and emotional elements (Fink, 2003). Meanwhile, the Understanding by Design Template emphasized the importance of being purpose-driven.
Our planning should follow standards. It should be something other than activity-focused (i.e., meaningless or contextless activities) or coverage-focused. I would routinely evaluate the success of lessons using student engagement, formative evaluations, and reflection. I would change my instructional tactics based on feedback and observed student needs.
Comparing and contrasting Fink’s Column Table versus Understanding by Design Template
I hear and forget; I see and remember; I do and understand. ____ Confucius.
Understanding by Design Template
This UbD concentrates on introducing second graders to informational texts, focusing on understanding their features and purposes and how to use them effectively. Students will develop foundational reading, writing, and information-presenting skills through engaging activities and interactive learning. This unit of informative texts integrates quite well with the educational purpose of my proposal. Please take a moment to review my proposal. Digital Writing Journals.
Understanding by Design Template
Grade level: Second Grade
Subject: Language Arts: Interconnecting Reading with Writing through
Content Areas
Unit 3: Informational Texts
Duration: 10 sessions, 30-45 minutes each
Classroom: Blended Learning Environment with COVA approach (Choice, Ownership, Voice through Authentic Learning (Harapnuik, 2018).
Source: Understanding by Design, Unit Design Planning Template (Wiggings & McTighe, 2005).
Acronym for WHERETO
W= Where is the unit going?
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H= Hook and hold interest
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E= Equip all students
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R= Rethink and Revise their understanding.
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E= Evaluate their work.
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T= Tailored learning (personalization to needs)
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O Organized to maximize engagement.
REFERENCES
Dewey, J., (2001). The School School the Child and the Curriculum.Dover Publications.
Fink, L. D. (2013). Creating Significant Learning Experiences: An Integrated Approach to Designing College Courses. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Harapnuick, Thibodeaux , & Cummings. (2018, January). COVA. Lamar University. https://tilisathibodeaux.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/COVA_eBook_Jan_2018.pdf
Horn, M.B, Staker, H., & Christensen, C.M. (2017). Blended: using disruptive innovation to improve schools. Jossey–Bass.
Texas Education Agency. (2024, June). Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills: Curriculum Standards, Austin, Texas: https://tea.texas.gov/academics
Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design (expanded second ed.). Alexandria, Virginia: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Wiggins, G. P., & McTighe, J. (2008). Understanding by design. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.