DI Classroom Observation Form -...

School: ____________________ Grade: _____ Subject: __________ Period/Time: _____ Teacher: ____________________ Date: _____/_____/_____ Observer: _________________

I. CONTEXT/GOAL SETTING Strong Some None

1) Established clear learning goals (knowledge, understanding, skills).

2) Linked new subject matter to prior learning and/or experience.

3) Most students appear aware of and understand the learning goals.

4) Provided rubrics or other guides to focus students on goals.

5) Closed the class with a focus on goals/meaning of lesson.

Comments:

II. STUDENT ASSESSMENT Strong Some None

1) Implemented & used results of pre-assessment to adjust the lesson.

2) Implemented assessment during lesson to gauge understanding.

3) Attended to student questions/comments during lesson.

4) Implemented assessment at end of lesson to gauge student learning.

Comments:

III. ATTENTION TO INDIVIDUALS/BUILDING COMMUNITY Strong Some None

1) Talked with students as they entered/exited class.

2) Connected with individual students during class.

3) Helped develop awareness of one another’s strengths/contributions.

4) Involved whole class in sharing/planning/evaluating.

Comments:

DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION CLASSROOM OBSERVATION FORM

DI Classroom Observation Form 2

IV. INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICES AND CLASSROOM ROUTINES Strong Some None

1) Varied student groupings: individual; pairs; small groups.

2) Used multiple modes of instruction, with emphasis on active learning.

3) Made flexible use of classroom space, time, materials.

4) Communicated clear directions for multiple tasks.

5) Provided effective rules/routines that supported individual needs.

6) Displayed effective classroom leadership/management.

Comments:

V. POSITIVE, SUPPORTIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT Strong Some None

1) Demonstrated respectful behavior toward students.

2) Demonstrated sensitivity to different cultures/ethnicities.

3) Acknowledged/celebrated student strengths/successes.

4) Active participation by a broad range of students.

5) Students comfortable asking questions/requesting assistance.

6) Emphasis on competition against self, not other students.

Comments:

VI. QUALITY CURRICULUM Strong Some None

1) Lesson targeted one or more State learning standards.

2) Lesson focused on important ideas, issues, or problems.

3) Tasks emphasized thought/meaning vs. drill & practice.

Comments:

DI Classroom Observation Form 3

VII. PREPARATION FOR & RESPONSE TO LEARNER NEEDS Strong Some None

1) Showed proactive preparation for a variety of student needs.

2) Attended appropriately to students who struggle with learning (LD; ELL; reading; etc.).

3) Attended appropriately to students with physical/behavioral challenges.

4) Attended appropriately to advanced students.

Comments:

VIII. EVIDENCE OF DIFFERENTIATION Strong Some None

1) Content: e.g. materials of varied readability and/or interest; multiple ways to access ideas/information; etc.

2) Process: e.g., tiering; contracts; compacting; readiness-based small-group instruction; different homework; choices about how to work (alone, pair, small group); tasks in multiple modes; variety of scaffolding; etc..

3) Products: e.g., product assignments with multiple modes of expression; with choices about how to work (alone, pairs, small group); opportunity to connect learning with individual interests; variety of assessment tasks; variety of scaffolding; etc.

Comments (example of differentiation based on readiness, interest, & learning profile):

1a. Did the lesson meet the needs of learners at all achievement levels? ( one only) (1) Yes (2) No 1b. If No, toward what type/s of student did the lesson seem geared? ( all that apply) (1) Below basic (2) Basic (3) Proficient (4) Advanced Examples: Figure 5.1: A Classroom Observation form used for summative assessment in a district with a second order change initiative in differentiation. Acknowledgements: This instrument was created with Carol Tomlinson by Strategic Research. Used with permission.

Evaluating Your Differentiated Instruction Efforts

ERIE I BOCES

Differentiation Mini-

Conference

May, 2008

Marcia B. Imbeau, Ph.D. Associate ProfessorUniversity of Arkansas

What is differentiation?Differentiation is classroom practicethat looks

eyeball to eyeball with the reality that kids differ, and the most effective teachers do whatever it takes to hook the whole range of kids on learning.

-Tomlinson (2001)

Differentiation asksus to learn how thecogs turn togetherin general…

And how they turn for the individualswe teach…

And to adjust ourteaching so the cogsturn effectively foreach young personin our care.

Piaget reminded us of theheartbreaking difficulty in pedagogy, as indeed inmedicine and other branchesof knowledge that involveboth art and sciencethat the best methodsare also the mostdifficult ones.

Teaching is about

learning—or it is

not much of a

profession.

Based on research from Apple Classrooms of Tomorrow (ACOT) and on differentiation in the middle grades, let’s take a look at how it often playsout when teachers grow to benefitthe success of each of their students.

We tend to “hold tight to the reins”—•Favor whole group instruction—one-size-fits-all•Stick close to the script•Focus on lower-level tasks•Cast the student as receiver•Go a little crazy with technical issues/details•Fear loss of control•Are “private practitioners”

It occurs to us that:Things are not working all that well for some of

our students.We’re playing it safe—inside the box.It’d be good for our students & ourselves

if we could stretch a bit.

We’re stuck with an “old”

set of beliefs and practicesthat’s not the most serviceable.

We’re not quite sure how to start the climb.But we’re game…sort of.We begin to think about change,

anticipate problems, andplan proactively for them…

In small steps, we do basic troubleshooting.

All About Me

1.These things interest me:•••

2. When I have free time I like to 3. When I’m in school, I would rather work

by myself with a partner In a group 4. I learn best when5. I can’t learn when6. One field trip I would like to suggest this year is

7. My favorite subject in school is8. Words that best describe me are9. Here are three special things about my family

•••

10. Anything else you think I should know to teach me well:

MANAGING TO TEACH • 2nd Edition • by Carol Cummings • p. 6

Choice: A Great Motivator

• Math Problems• Content Writing

Prompts• Order of Tasks• Work Alone or

Together• Choose a partner• Modes of Product or

Task Expression

• Personal Learning Goals

• Due Dates• Modes of

Assessment• Roles • Product/Task

Components• Anchor Activities

•Teach in multiple modes•Put key materials on tape•Offer Let’s Make a Deal options•Regularly connect details to

the big picture of meaning•Connect ideas to student

interests•Use “bag of names” to call on

students

•Connect schoolwork with lifebeyond the classroom

•Use key reading strategieswith the whole classregularly (e.g. close readsthink-alouds)

•Provide options for journalentries

•Use highlighted texts•Offer times for extra teaching•Watch more, listen better

Sedimentary

Igneous

Metamorphic

Created by Meri-Lyn Stark Elementary Science Coordinator Park City School District

Sedimentary

Igneous

Metamorphic

Look at Sample #___ Look at Sample #___ Look at Sample #___

You may see small

particles of rock and

other materials. The particles may look

rounded. You may

see layers in some

rocks.

You may see large crystals in some of these rocks. Others will not have crystals, but you will see air holes. Some may look like glass. There are no layers.

These rocks may have crystals or layers. They are formed from other rocks that have been changed by heat and pressure

Rock LogSort your samples. Draw each sample in the correct column. Write a description that tells color, texture and other characteristics about the rock.

The class does the same activity, but more guidance is

given for those who may need it.

We begin to study our students more systematically.We begin to trust them a bit more as we trust

ourselves a bit more.We begin to take more responsibility for the

success of each student.We expect ourselves to change—we seek flexibility.We take some bigger steps toward change in terms

of time, risk, and impact.We study our successes and missteps, learning from

both. We are willing to receive and ask for help from colleagues.

Mini-workshops

Learning Contracts

Homework Options

Orbitals

Product Choices

3-2-1 CardName:

• 3 things I learned from the friction lab…

• 2 questions I still have about friction…

• 1 thing way I see friction working in the world around me….

Writing

Group 1• Meet with teacher• Brainstorm for hot topics• Web ideas for possible inclusion• Develop a word bank• Storyboard a sequence of ideas• Make support ladders• Begin writing

Group 2• Alone or in pairs, develop a topic• Make a bank of power ideas• Web or storyboard the sequence

and support• Meet with teacher to “ratchet”• Begin writing• Paired revision• Paired editing

Hot Topic

Know:Part/Whole

Elements of a story ---plot ---setting ---characters ---conflict

Understand:

Authors use tools to develop images and ideas. Careful use of seemingly unimportant details add up to big ideas.

Do: Analyze a story to see how parts unite to make a greater whole.

Tomlinson ‘02

Story Parts & Wholes

STORY MAP

Title:_______________________________

Setting:

Characters: ____________ ____________ ____________ ____________

____________ ____________

Problem:

Event 1______________________________ Event 2_____________________________ Event 3_____________________________ Event 4_____________________________ Event 5_____________________________

Solution:

STORY MAP

Title:_______________________________

Setting:

Characters: ____________ ____________ ____________ ____________

____________ ____________

Problem:

Event 1______________________________ Event 2_____________________________ Event 3_____________________________ Event 4_____________________________ Event 5_____________________________

Solution:

DETAILS

+______________________________

Main

Idea

DETAILS

+______________________________

Main

Idea

We begin to feel more like a classroom leader than a classroom manager.

We see our students as active contributors, meaning-makers.

We begin to enlist the help of our students in making the class work.

We become more comfortable explaining our thinking about the classroom to our students.

We find ourselves more comfortable when we plan for both content and students

EXIT CARDS

-

Learning Preferences & You

We used the following learning strategies in the last week: • Creative/Practical/Analytical• Read First/Listen First • Work Alone/Work with a Partner• Varied Expression Options

(Draw, Diagram, Write, Tell, Demonstrate)

Which learning strategy orstrategies seemed to work bestfor you? Why? What do theyreveal to you that can help you grow as a learner?

Directions: Complete the chart to show what you know about fractions. Write as much as you can.

Definition Information

Examples Non- Examples

Forces

Useful for pre-assessment & formative assessment of readiness in many grades & subjects

Differentiation By Interest Social Studies

Mrs. Schlim and her students were studying the Civil War. During the unit, they did many things -- read and discussed the text, looked at many primary documents (including letters from soldiers, diaries of slaves), had guest speakers, visited a battlefield, etc.

As the unit began, Mrs. Schlim reminded her students that they would be looking for examples and principles related to culture, conflict change and interdependence.

Differentiation By Interest Social Studies (cont’d)

She asked her students to list topics they liked thinking and learning about in their own world. Among those listed were:

music reading food books

sports/recreation transportation travel

mysteries people heroes/ villains

cartoons families medicine

teenagers humor clothing

Differentiation By Interest Social Studies (cont’d)

Students had as supports for their work:- a planning calendar - criteria for quality - check-in dates- options for expressing what they learned- data gathering matrix (optional)- class discussions on findings, progress,

snags-mini-lessons on research (optional)

Attention and response to student needs becomes a philosophy—a way of life in the classroom.

We push ourselves and our students to become a team working together for the success of each member and the team as a whole.

We are fluid in the classroom--what once seemed risky now seems natural.

We are no longer adopters, but innovators in making the classroom work for each student.

We are eager to join with colleagues to learn and grow—and to teach colleagues as well.

Principles of Differentiated Instruction

Analyze the following scenario to identify specific examples of how these principles were applied. List them in the Evidence of Use column next to the appropriate principle. Then write any suggestions for improving the practice or action from the scenario in the Suggestions for Use and Improvement column.

ASCD

Principle Evidence of Use Suggestions for Use and Improvement

1. Learning experiences are based on student readiness, interest, or learning profile.2. Assessment of student needs is ongoing, and tasks are adjusted based on assessment data.3. All students participate in respectful work.

4. The teacher is primarily a coordinator of time, space, and activities rather than primarily a provider of information.5. Students work in a variety of group configurations. Flexible grouping is evident.

Principle Evidence of Uses Suggestions for Use and Improvement

6. Time use is flexible in response to student needs.

7. The teacher uses a variety of instructional strategies to help target instruction to student needs.8. Clearly established criteria are used to help support student success.9. Student strengths are emphasized.

10.

11.

12.

Scenario of a Differentiated Classroom

What follows is a scenario providing sample content, activities, and products from a differentiated classroom, much like those you’ve seen on the video. Read the scenario carefully – perhaps even a second time. Then analyze the scenario using the handout “Principles of Differentiated Instruction.”

BackgroundMs Largent has taught in a differentiated classroom for most of her 15

years as a teacher. Differentiation has become a natural and relatively automatic way for her to think about teaching and learning. She and her U.S. history students have spent much of this school year exploring the concepts of stability, change, and revolution. They have related these key concepts to the ebb and flow of history, making parallels of the time period they are studying, current events, and other subjects such as literature and science to students’ own lives. This helps students make connections between what they study in history, other areas they study, and their own lives.

Most recently, students have been looking at the idea of revolution in the past by looking at the Industrial Revolution in the United States, and revolution in the present by looking at current trends in technology. Students are investigating two parallel generalizations: (1) revolution affects individuals as well as nations, and (2) people affect revolution. Key skills for the unit are appropriate use and interpretations of research materials, and support of ideas with appropriate evidence.

Getting StartedTo ensure that all students have the necessary background, students

have worked on several tasks this week. First, Ms Largent gave a pre-test on the chapter. Students who had considerable background knowledge began working with tasks designed to come after acquisition of background knowledge. Other students completed a K-W-L activity and then read the text chapter on the Industrial Revolution. By their own choice, some read with reading buddies and some alone. During the course of two days, the teacher met with small reading and discussion groups of 6-8 students. With struggling learners, she read key passages to them, had them read key passages aloud, and ensured their understanding of essential ideas and events. She also helped them think about their experiences and how those experiences might link with those of early adolescents during the Industrial Revolution. With two other smaller groups, she probed their comprehension of the chapter and then posed questions about how changes in technology affected society then and now, for better or for worse. With one group of advanced learners, she had students propose and discuss social, economic, and political costs and benefits of the Industrial Revolution. Later, in a whole class discussion, she raised all of these ideas again.

Getting Started (Continued)

To prepare for a chapter test, Ms Largent assigned mixed readiness review teams and gave them a teacher-prepared review protocol clarifying what students needed to know and understand for the test. Students rook part in a Teams- Games-Tournaments review, studying in mixed readiness teams, and participating in the games portion of the review at similar readiness tables. This allowed the teacher to adjust questions to an appropriate challenge level for individual students, but still enabled all students to earn points for right answers for their study team. When students took their chapter test, there were several short answer questions that all students were required to answer. One set of students, however, had an essay question closely related to their own experience and to the class discussions. Another set of students had a question requiring them to venture further into unexplored applications.

Expanding the StudyTo move from specifics about the Industrial Revolution to a broader application of key understandings, students selected on of ten “modern revolutionary” figures to investigate as a way of seeing how people affect revolution. The students worked independently for a day and then formed a cluster with other students who selected the same revolutionary figure. They decided how their cluster should show what a revolutionary figure does. The cluster groups could decide to make a caricature, create a blueprint for a revolutionary, draft a reference book entry on what a revolutionary is and does, or act out their response. In most classes, there were six or seven cluster groups. After preparing the product, each cluster group gave one presentation to 2-3 cluster groups. Finally, Ms Largent let the class in making a list of generalizations about how revolutionaries affect change.

Expanding the Study (Continued)

Next, some students used excerpts from either Katherine Paterson’s novel Lyddie or Harriette Arrow’s novel The Dollmaker (both set in the Industrial Revolution – the former written at a relatively basic reading level, the latter at a more advanced readying level) to investigate how revolution affects individuals and how individuals affect revolution. Ms Largent assigned students to one of four groups based largely on her assessment of student readiness in reading, abstractness of thinking, and independence in research. In some instances, however, she placed students in groups on learning style needs (e.g., students who might need to hear rather than read passages).

One group listened to a tape of key passages from Lyddie, distilling how and why the main character became first a factory worker, then an organizer for better working conditions. They then worked in pairs on the computer to create a time line of data and events demonstrating how the character was initially affected by events in a revolution and then came to affect events in that revolution.

Expanding the Study (Continued)

A second group read specified portions of Lyddie, and a folder of articles on current factory conditions in developing countries. Their task was to work in groups of three to produce an authentic conversion between Lyddie and two fact-based fictional characters from contemporary sweat shops in which the three shared problems, dreams, and a plan of action.

A third group listened to excerpts from The Dollmaker. They then selected a partner from their group and investigated benefits to contemporary society that can be traced to the Industrial Revolution. Working with their partners, they created a written or made-for-TV editorial on the proposition that the cost of the Industrial Revolution was (or was not) worth its benefits.

Expanding the Study (Continued)

A fourth group read designated excerpts from both Lyddie and The Dollmaker. They then researched the current computer revolution and used what they learned to create one of three products: (1) a series of comparative editorial cartoons based on the Industrial Revolution and the computer revolution, (2) a computer revolution version of an episode paralleling Lyddie or The Dollmaker, (3) a TV newsmagazine style segment on how the computer revolution is affecting people and how people are affecting the computer revolution. Students in the TV newsmagazine group will need more time to complete their work, but will periodically work on this task rather than doing homework and class work that focuses on skills and information they have already mastered.

Applying What Has Been LearnedAt the end of the Industrial Revolution study, all students will select someone who revolutionized a field of interest to them (e.g., women’s rights, sports, medicine, aviation, civil rights, physics, music, their own community). Each student will complete a product called “Dangerous Minds: Understanding People Who Revolutionize the World.” There are two versions of the product assignment. One is more transformational, abstract, open-ended, and complex that the other in content, process, production, and rubrics. Ms Largent’s goal in assigning a given version of the product to a particular student is to push that student a bit further that he is comfortable going in knowledge, insight, thinking, planning, research, use of skills, and production. All students must demonstrate an understanding of the key concepts and generalizations for the unit, and appropriate application of the unit’s skills.

ASCD

If we always doWhat we’ve always doneWe’ll always getWhat we’ve always got

A.A.Milne

Who We TeachA person of worth--with dignity as they are--worthy of respect--worthy of my investment

An individual--both like and unlike others in important ways--with positives and negatives

Someone whom I must know--with whom I will connect--with whom I will construct a relationship

Someone who, in this room, is building a life--whose relationship to learning is evolving--whose potential is, in large measure, hidden

from view

A person who will shape who I am becoming--as I shape who he/she is becoming

Tomlinson • 01

Some Ways to Find Out About Who We Teach . . .

Tomlinson • 03

Pre-assessmentDialogue JournalsGreetings at the DoorIndividual ConferencesInterest RankingsTeacher TalkLearning Profile SurveysExit Cards“What’s Working?” checksWhip AroundChecklist of SkillsAttend Extra Curricular EventsStudy/Discussion GroupsDiscipline-Specific Autobiographies

Alternative AssessmentsAssessment ConferencesMetaphors for SchoolSticky NotebookGraphing MeWindshield ChecksFist to FiveWanted PostersLearner CardsSuggestion BoxLunch BoxSkills InventoriesMorning Meeting

Tomlinson • 01

Where We Teach

• A safe place to learn--on-going affirmation of strengths--support system that deals honestly and

tenaciously with deficits--safe to say, “I don’t know”

--teaching for success

• Each student is known and knows others • Dignity and respect through --positive acknowledgment foundational expectations--on-going opportunity to be known --attendance

and to know others --deadliness--public and private messages valuing --growth as a non-

individuals and the class negotiable--being a colleague of value --commitment to learning

• Ethic of hard work--propelled by purpose, joy, price

--continual support for success--celebration of growth

Tomlinson • 01

Where We Teach (cont’d)

• Place where clear routines supportefficiency and success

--for flexibility, access to learning, andmonitoring growth

• Affiliation through--shared humanity--purpose

• Teaching and learning are shared--everyone with something academically important

to contribute--everyone with something personally important

to contribute--teacher as learner--learner as teacher

Tomlinson • 03

Some Ways to Be Responsive In Where We Teach

Teach UpFocus on CommunitySpace/Time to MoveFocus on Personal BestEmphasis on StrengthsShared ResponsibilityCompetition Against SelfPre-Established Groups

High Expectations/High ScaffoldingConsistent Representation of all Cultures Flexible Furniture ArrangementOpportunity for Mid-Point CorrectionEach Learner a Contributor

Clear Routines Quiet/NoiseFlexible Grouping Clear Routines High Relevance Quality Rubric Flexible Time Making MeaningAffirmation Student ChoiceLanguage Bridges Student ExpertsPositive Humor Keeper of the BookWait Time Study Teams

Tomlinson • 01

What We Teach

• High quality ideas/understandings--leading toward expertise--necessitate thought and

reflection• Essential information

--necessary for cultural literacy--necessary to be conversant

about the discipline• Critical skills

--for production--for transfer--for expertise--to develop as a learner

(self-awareness, attitude,habit of mind, choice)

• Discipline-rich organization-- for construction of leaning--for retention--for retrieval--for transfer

• Purposeful--purposes are made explicit--unambiguously leads to specified goals--student “gets” the purpose--attaches to student’s life--attaches to the larger world

• Invitational--important to the individual--illuminating to the individual--intriguing to the individual--challenging to the individual

Tomlinson • 01

How We Teach

• For fit--readiness--interest--learning profile

•

• Varied forms of presentation, varied instructional strategies

--to match teaching/learning goal--for variety/interest for student and teacher--to see students in varied circumstances

• Varied groupings for teaching,learning, assessment

--whole class--small group--individual

Tomlinson • 01

How We Teach (cont’d)

• Shared meaning-making through writing/ talking/doing/producing

--student to self--student to student--teacher to student--student to teacher

• Student-teacher responsibility--students playing key facilitator roles--teacher teaching in varied settings with varied purposes--teacher coaching for student growth in independence--building success-provoking structures--coaching for intelligent choices

• For earned efficacy--confidence through power of knowledge, understanding,

skill--confidence through successful struggle

Tomlinson • 03

Some Options for Responsive Teaching:How We Might Teach

Expert GroupsWord WallsThink AloudsWord MapsThink-Pair-ShareThree Minute PauseHighlighted TextsMini WorkshopsReading BuddiesVisual CuesLearning ContactsGroup InvestigationComplex InstructionFront Loading Vocab.

Keeper of the BookEcho ReadingRecorded TextDigestsConcept Maps“Me First"Personalized RubricsCubingThink Tac ToeThink DotsTimelinesLearning MenusStory BoardsUnit Digests

OrbitalsThink TanksModelingBook BoxesMultiple TextsOral TestsTiered ActivitiesDesign-A-DayPersonal AgendasI-SearchGraphic OrganizerRAFTsVaried Homework

Tomlinson • 03

Some Ways to be Responsive Teaching How We Might Teach (cont’d)

Thinking Around the Block Multiple Modes of Presentation Whole to Part/Part to Whole Solo/Collaborate OptionsTeacher Choice/Student Choice Student-Specific illustrationsFlexible Use of Materials Negotiated CriteriaAlternate Assessments Highlighted TextsPersonalized Spelling Independent StudyReciprocal Teaching Learning CentersSmall Group Instruction Interest Centers/GroupsNew American Lecture Mode of Expression OptionsMode of Working Options Intelligence Preference OptionsQuiet Spaces “Spare” Spaces“Decompression” Plans WebQuests/Web Inquiry

To which set do we generally do the best job in understanding & responding?

Which set is most difficult for us to understand & address?

What is the cost of not understanding or respondingto any of the 4 sets?

Teacher as teller/Teacher as tellingStudent as absorberCurriculum as coverage • facts/informationKids as dependent and incapableLessons/activities as relatively low level/drillPedagogy as teacher performanceAssessment as

• at the end • seeing who got it • loosely linked to goals • objective

Control as synonym for managementFair as treating everyone alikeGrades as

• norms • objective • separating sheep and goatsTomlinson • 00

I teach in a four-wall box of drab proportions,But choose to make it a place that feels like home.

I see too many students to know them as they need to be known,But refuse to let that render them faceless in my mind.

I am overcome with the transmission of a canon I can scarcely recall myself,But will not represent learning as a burden to the young.

I suffer from a poverty of time,And so will use what I have to best advantage those I teach.

I am an echo of the way school has been since forever,But will not agree to perpetuate the echo another generation.

I am told I am as good a teacher as the test scores I generate,But will not allow my students to see themselves as data.

I work in isolation,And am all the more determined to connect my students with the world.

I am small in the chain of power,But have the power to change young lives.

There are many reasons succumb,And thirty reasons five times a day to succeed.

Most decisions about my job are removed from me.Except the ones that matter most.

Yes, But…

EvolutionThere was a time in my classroom When it was all about me.

Do I look, talk, act like a teacher?

Do the kids like me? Do I sound like I know enough

More than I do know?

There was a time in my classroomWhen it was all about mileage & speed

An acreage of facts to tell

drills to oversee, important transmissions- Too many for the time allowed.

But that was my job. I could push harder

talk faster defy the gravity of time.

Covering the curriculum was my job, Defined by people who knew.

Evolution cont’d

There was a time in my classroom when it was all about the trust of sculpting young lives in the shape of their singular dreams,to become what makes them whole.

And at that time, in my classroom

I understood it was not my classroom, But ours -

Our place to find ourselves in books, and query, and in one another’s silences.

And only then did I know how much I Would never know.

Then I was a teacher And teaching was a wonder.

Tomlinson ‘03

Marcia B. Imbeau, Ph.D.Associate Professor

University of Arkansasmimbeau@uark.edu

•Does it matter that teachers have a clear learning destination for their students?

•Does it matter whether the destination is likely to help students build stronger, more productive, more satisfying lives?

•Does it matter if we know whether our students arrive at the destination?

•Does it matter if some students are lost and have no idea how toreconnect with us & with learning?

•Does it matter if some students are consistently ahead of us and spend considerable time waiting for the rest of us to catch up?

THE CRUX OF THE PROBLEM

. . . Meta-analyses and best-evidence syntheses of literally thousands of studies on effective teaching and classroom instruction point tothe overriding importance of just three factorsin explaining student achievement:

1. Motivation to learn and high expectations

2. Time on task and opportunity to learn3. Focused teaching

Breakthrough (2006) by Fullan, Hill, Crevola - Joint Publication by Corwin, Sage, and Sage Pub.India • p. 35

We suspect that classroom instruction can never be designed so that it has the same degree of personalization and precision as can be achieved in, say, a one-on -one context, but we are confident that it can be made much more personalized and precise thanit currently is.

Breakthrough (2006) by Fullan, Hill, Crevola - Joint Publication by Corwin, Sage, and Sage Pub.India • p. 35

We view focused teaching as:

1. Knowing in a precise way the strengths and weaknesses of eachstudent at the point of instruction through accurate formativeassessment.

2. Knowing the appropriate instructional response and in particularwhen and how to use which instructional strategies and matchedresources.

3. Having the classroom structures, routines, and tools to deliver differentiated instruction and focused teaching on a daily basis.

Breakthrough by Fullan, Hill, Crevola - Joint Publication by Corwin, Sage, and Sage Pub.India • p. 35

Big Idea of Differentiation:

Clarity aboutCurriculumEssentials(the compassfor differentiation)

QUALITY CURRICULUM:THE SHORT VERSION

Engagement + Understanding = Success

However we conceive it, every lesson plan should be, at its heart, a motivational plan. Young learners are motivated by a variety of conditions. Among those are:

noveltynovelty

cultural significancecultural significance

personal relevance or passionpersonal relevance or passion

emotional connectionemotional connection

product focusproduct focus

choicechoice

the potential to make a contribution orlink with something greated than selfthe potential to make a contribution orlink with something greated than self

Tomlinson • 2003 • Fulfilling The Promise...

Teachers Must Distinguish Between:

Enduring Understandings

Important to Know and Do

Worth Being Familiar With

Planning a Focused Curriculum Means Clarity About What

Students Should …KNOW

– Facts– Vocabulary– Definitions• UNDERSTAND

–Principles/ generalizations

–Big ideas of the discipline

• BE ABLE TO DO–Processes–Skills

KNOW

Facts, names, dates, places, information

• There are 50 states in the US• Thomas Jefferson• 1492• The Continental Divide• The multiplication tables

UNDERSTANDEssential truths that give meaning to the

topic Stated as a full sentence Begin with, “I want students to understand

THAT…” (not HOW… or WHY… or WHAT)

– Multiplication is another way to do addition.– People migrate to meet basic needs.– All cultures contain the same elements.– Entropy and enthalpy are competing

forces in the natural world.– Voice reflects the author.

BE ABLE TO DOSkills (basic skills, skills of the discipline, skills

of independence, social skills, skills of production)

Verbs or phrases (not the whole activity)

– Analyze– Solve a problem to find perimeter– Write a well supported argument– Evaluate work according to specific criteria– Contribute to the success of a group or team– Use graphics to represent data appropriately

•The road map to essential learningoutcomes (the K,U, & D)

•The basis of engagement (the Understandings)

•The insurance policy for studentunderstanding (theUnderstandings)

•The foundation for differentiation(K, U, & D are important,but the understandingsallow sharing of rich ideasand high expectations)

“Differentiation is making sure that the right students get the right

learning tasks at the right time. Once you have a sense of what each

student holds as ‘given’ or ‘known’ and what he or she needs in order to learn, differentiation is no longer an option; it is an obvious response.”

Assessment as Learning: Using Classroom Assessment to Maximize Student LearningLorna M. Earl

Corwin Press, Inc. – 2003 – pp. 86-87

Big Idea of Differentiation:

On-GoingAssessment& Adjustment(the feeder system for differentiation)

On-going Assessment: A Diagnostic Continuum

Preassessment(Finding Out)

Formative Assessment(Keeping Track & Checking -up)

Summative Assessment(Making sure)

Feedback and Goal Setting

Pre-testGraphing for GreatnessInventoryKWLChecklistObservationSelf-evaluationQuestioning

Conference

Exit CardPeer evaluation

Portfolio Check3-minute pause

QuizObservation

Journal EntryTalkaround

Self-evaluationQuestioning

Unit TestPerformance TaskProduct/ExhibitDemonstrationPortfolio Review

Preassessment Is...Any method, strategy or process used to determine astudent’s current level of readiness or interest in order toplan for appropriate instruction.

• provides data to determine options for students • helps determine differences before planning•helps teacher design activities that are respectful and challenging•allows teachers to meet students where they are•identifies starting point for instruction•identifies learning gaps•makes efficient use of instructional time

Formative Assessment Is...A process of accumulating information about a student’sprogress to help make instructional decisions that willimprove his/her understandings and achievement levels.

• Depicts student’s life as a learner• used to make instructional adjustments• alerts the teacher about student misconceptions

“early warning signal”• allows students to build on previous experiences• provides regular feedback• provides evidence of progress• aligns with instructional/curricular outcomes

Summative Assessment Is...

A means to determine a student’s mastery andunderstanding of information, skills, concepts, orprocesses.

• Should reflect formative assessments that precede it• should match material taught• may determine student’s exit achievement• may be tied to a final decision, grade or report• should align with instructional/curricular outcomes• may be a form of alternative assessment

Two Views of AssessmentTwo Views of Assessment

Assessment is For:

Gate Keeping

Judging

Right Answers

Control

Comparison toOthers

Use with SingleActivities

Assessment is For:

Nurturing

Guiding

Self Reflection

Information

Comparison to Task

Use Over MultipleActivities Tomlinson

A basic cause of ineffective teaching and learning is lack of

systematic, on-going assessment.

An effective teacher builds curriculum and instruction on analysis of data gathered through diagnosis.

Teaching in the dark is a questionable practice.

Hilda Taba & Deborah Elkins Teaching Strategies for the Culturally Disadvantaged

Chicago: Rand McNally

On-Going Assessment & Adjustment•Determining student readiness to work with essential knowledge, understanding and skill as a unit begins (pre-assessment), as a unit progresses (formative or on-going assessment), and as a unit concludes (summative assessment).

•Assessment provides direction to teachers on who needs particular kinds of support in particular areas to grow and succeed.

•Assessment is also key to understanding and attending to student interest and learning profile needs.

I hope we do …

BasketballSoccerWeight RoomGymnasticsTennis

An example of pre-assessment of student interest

Puzzle

This puzzle is about you, your interests and things that you like to do. On each piece write things that you like to do in your free time and things that you would like to study in class. You can divide the areas if you need more pieces.

An example of pre-assessment of student interest

An Example of Pre-assessing Student Readiness in a Primary Classroom

Directions: Complete the chart to show what you know about ________. Write as much as you can.

Definition Information

Examples Non- Examples

Fractions

Use for pre-assessment & formative assessment of readiness in many grades & subjects

Directions: Complete the chart to show what you know about Jazz. Write as much as you can.

Definition Information

Performers/ Composers

JazzPersonal

Experience

WORDS

FAMILY

PICTURE

Knowledge Rating Chart1. I’ve never heard of this before2. I’ve heard of this, but am not sure how it works3. I know about this and how to use it

_____ Direct object_____ Direct object pronoun_____ Indirect object_____ Indirect object pronoun_____ Object of a preposition_____ Adjective_____ Interrogative adjective

An example of pre-assessment of readiness

Exit Cards: Earth Science

Name:

• Draw the orbit of the earth around the sun.Label your drawing.

• Why is it warmer in the summer than in the winter?

Useful for on-going assessment in many grades/subjects

Exit Cards: Decimals & Fractions

Name:

• How is a decimal like a fraction?

• How are they different?

• What’s a light bulb moment for you as you’ve thought about fractions and decimals?

Exit Cards: Algebra

• Name:

• Draw a graph & label the “x” and “y” axes• Graph a line with the endpoints (3,5) (7,2)• Graph a line with the endpoints (-3,-5)

(7,2)• Provide two ways of writing the equation

for a line

3-2-1 CardName:

• 3 things I learned from the friction lab…

• 2 questions I still have about friction…

• 1way I see friction working in the world around me….

Windshield Check

• CLEAR – “I get it!”• BUGS – “I get it for the most

part, but I still have a few questions.”

• MUD – “I still don’t get it.”

Or: Dip Stick—Full, Half Full, Need Oil

Weather Report—Sunny Skies, A Few Low Clouds, Fog & Smog

An example of informal

on-going or formative assessment of readiness

Name_______

What Do You Want to Learn about Rome?These are some of the topics we will be studying in our unit on Ancient Rome. We want to know what you want to learn about. Number your choices from 1-7. Make sure that 1 is your favorite and 7 is your least favorite.

_____geography _____government (law) _____agriculture (food they grew) _____architecture (buildings) _____music and art _____religion and sports _____roles of men, women, and children

What Can You Tell Us About Rome?1. What country is Rome in?_____________ 2. What does “civilization” mean?_________________________ _____________________________________________________ 3. Can you give us some examples of different civilizations? _____________________________________________________ 4. Can you name any famous Roman people?______________ _____________________________________________________ 5. Many things in our country and culture came from the Romans. Name any you can think of _______________________________ _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________

Name_______

How Do You Like To Learn?1. I study best when it is quiet? Yes No

2. I am able to ignore noise of others when I am Yes No working.

3. I like to work at a table or desk. Yes No

4. I like to work on the floor. Yes No

5. I work hard for myself. Yes No

6. I work hard for my parents. Yes No

7. I will work on an assignment until it is Yes No completed, no matter what.

8. Sometimes I get frustrated with my work and Yes No do not finish it.

9. When my teacher gives an assignment, I Yes No like to have exact steps on how to complete it.

10. When my teacher gives an assignment, I like to Yes No create my own steps on how to complete it.

11. I like to work by myself. Yes No

12. I like to work in pairs or in groups. Yes No

13. I like to have an unlimited amount of time to Yes No work on an assignment.

14. I like to have a certain amount of time to work Yes No on an assignment.

15. I like to learn by moving and doing. Yes No

16. I like to learn while sitting at my desk. Yes No

Movie Time….

In These Classrooms, Look For:

Ways the teachers think about and use assessment,Ways in which their thinking about teaching and

learning may differ from the ways we oftenthink about teaching and learning,

Your questions.

DifferentiationDoesn’t mean a different program for each student in the class, and it doesn’t mean ability grouping to reduce the differences. It means recognizing and accepting that each student is a unique individual. It means using what you know about learning and about each student to improve your teaching so that students all work in ways that have an optimal effect on their learning. And assessment provides the necessary information to do it.

Assessment as learning: Using the classroom assessment to maximize student learning. Lorna Earl, Corwin, 2003, p. 87

A Differentiated Classroom in Balance

FLEX

IBLE

SOLID CURRICULUM

RESPECTFUL ACTIVITIES

TEACHER-STUDENT

PARTNERSHIPS

A G

RO

WTH

O

RIE

NTA

TIO

N

It’s about guiding students, not judging them.

It’s about informing instruction, not filling grade books.

It’s about before, during, & after—not just after.

It’s about teaching for success—not gotcha teaching.

Strengths Opportunities

How are you doing with pre-assessment & on-going assessment to inform instruction?

Two Ideas that Go Together

Marcia B. Imbeau, Ph.D.Associate Professor

University of Arkansasi b

@

k d

a framework for planning

Understanding by Design

a set of design standards

provides

promotes

encourages quality control through

a way of thinking

•

•

•

•

•• •

Activity Orientiation

3rd

Grade Unit on Apples

For two weeks every fall, all the 3rd

grade classes participate in a unit on apples. The students engage in a variety of activities related to the topic. In language arts, they read Johnny Appleseed

and view an illustrated filmstrip of the story. They write a creative story involving an apple and then illustrate their stories using tempra

paints. In art, students collect leaves from nearby crab apple trees and make a giant leaf print collage on the hallway bulletin board adjacent to the 3rd

grade classrooms. The music teacher teaches the children songs about apples. In science, they use their senses to carefully observe and describe the characteristics of different types of apples. During mathematics, the teacher demonstrates how to “scale up”

an applesauce recipe to make a quantity sufficient for all the 3rd

graders.A highlight of the unit is the field trip to a local apples orchard, where

students watch cider being made and go on a hayride. The culminating unit activity is the 3rd

grade apple fest, a celebration for which parent volunteers dress as apples and the children rotate through various activities at stations –

making applesauce, competing in an apple “word search”

contest, bobbing for apples, completing a math skill sheet containing word problems involving

apples, and so on. The fest concludes with selected students reading stories while the entire group enjoys candy apples prepared by the cafeteria staff.

Wiggins & McTighe, 1998, pp. 1-

2

September ----------------------------------------

June“Coverage”

Orientation

It Begins with Good Instruction

The greatest enemy to understanding is

coverage.Howard Gardner

Use the textbook as a resource --

not the syllabus!

Content standards are the goals,

not text coverage.

Research Finding…

A “guaranteed and viable curriculum is the #1 school-

level factor impacting on student achievement.”

-- Marzano, What Works in Schools

•

a prescriptive program

Understanding by Design

is not…

•

an instructional model

•

incompatible with some subject areas

The UbD Template…

reflects a way of thinking and planning

fosters a “mental template” for

effective design

Assessment Evidence

Learning Activities

Understandings Essential Questions

stage

2

stage

3

Standard(s):

stage

1

Performance Task(s): Other Evidence:

The UBD 1-page template

fosters alignment:

content standards

‘big ideas’

essential questions

assessments

learning activities

Assessment Evidence

Learning Activities

Understandings Essential Questions

stage

2

stage

3

Standard(s):

stage

1

Performance Task(s): Other Evidence:

UbD: the 2 strands of inquiry

Understanding UnderstandingTransfer is the key evidence of understanding (or lack of it)Big ideas make meaning of the learning and permit transfer

Good designbest done “backward” from the desired understanding

Given the understanding we seek, we ask: what follows for assessment and for student learning?

The need: results

In even our best students and their work, we see frequent –

amnesia Persistent misunderstandingrigid knowledge, no transfer

The need: design

‘TWIN SINS’: “Aimless but fun Activity”

and “Superficial Coverage”

Aimless activity: fun hands-on activities that keep kids engaged, but which are not aligned with Standards/learning goalsCoverage: marching through the textbook with no overarching ideas or transfer objectives

No guiding learning goals in either

case

3 Stages of Backward Design

1. Identify desired results.

2. Determine acceptable evidence.

3. Plan learning experiences & instruction.

Assessment Evidence

Learning Activities

Understandings Essential Questions

stage

2

stage

3

Standard(s):

stage

1

Performance Task(s): Other Evidence:

Who are the students that willstudy this unit?What are their life experiences?

In what ways might I phraseessential understandings &essential questions to be relevantto them—or to pique their interests?

What is likely to be their span ofproficiency with essential knowledgeand skill?What am I going to do to connect

with the students? To buildcommunity in the classroom?

The UbD Template + DI

Assessment Evidence

Learning Activities

Understandings Essential Questions

stage

2

stage

3

Standard(s):

stage

1

Performance Task(s): Other Evidence:

How can I write the assessments so thateach student will have maximum chanceto show what he/she knows, understands, and can do?

What supports might I build in for studentsnew to English or students who havedifficulty w/ reading and writing?

How can I write the task to challenge anadvanced learner?

Is there room for student interests here?…. for their learning preferences?

The UbD Template + DI

Assessment Evidence

Learning Activities

Understandings Essential Questions

stage

2

stage

3

Standard(s):

stage

1

Performance Task(s): Other Evidence:

How will I know who has and who lacksprecursor knowledge, understanding, & skill as the unit begins?

How will I know step by step who is with me,who is falling behind, and who is ahead of me?

Once I have that information, how might Iadjust my curriculum plans to account forvariance in student readiness?

How will I give students opportunities toconnect the content with their interests?

How will I give them a chance to work inways that work for them?

How will I be flexible in presentation, time, space,resources, groupings, homework, scaffolding?

How will I plan each lesson for the right balance of structure and independence?

The UbD Template + DI

Should rarely be Differentiated

May need some Differentiation

Should be Differentiated

“Color Key”

to differentiation in backward design

Stage 1 - Desired Results

Performance Tasks

Other Evidence:Stage 2 - Assessment Evidence

Other Evidence:Stage 3 - Learning Plan

Other Evidence

Key Criteria

Established Goals/ Content Standards

Understandings Essential Questions

Knowledge Skill

Differentiation in UbD

Synthesizing Activity:

Summarize the key ideas of this session as represented by the color-Coded UbD

“backward

design”

Template.

A Planning Guide for Differentiating Curriculum & Instruction

(The UbD/DI Connection)

Define Summative Assessments

Based on pre-assessment data, differentiate the unit plans for readiness, interest, and

learning profile-- & continue to adjust plans based on on-going assessment data

Pre-assess, based on K U D, for readiness—also for interest, & learning profile

Identify what students should Know,Understand, & Be Able to Do (KUD) at the end of the unit

Administer SummativeAssessments

Develop a unit plan to ensure student proficiency w/ essential knowledge, understanding, and skill

Conn

ecti

ng w

ith

Stud

ents

Crea

ting

a P

osit

ive

Lear

ning

Env

iron

men

t

Big Ideas of UbD –Backward Design

Research Finding…

A “guaranteed and viable curriculum is the #1 school-

level factor impacting on student achievement.”

-- Marzano, What Works in Schools

•

a prescriptive program

Understanding by Design

is not…

•

an instructional model

•

incompatible with some subject areas

The UbD Template…

reflects a way of thinking and planning

fosters a “mental template” for

effective design

Assessment Evidence

Learning Activities

Understandings Essential Questions

stage

2

stage

3

Standard(s):

stage

1

Performance Task(s): Other Evidence:

The UBD 1-page template

fosters alignment:

content standards

‘big ideas’

essential questions

assessments

learning activities

Assessment Evidence

Learning Activities

Understandings Essential Questions

stage

2

stage

3

Standard(s):

stage

1

Performance Task(s): Other Evidence:

Big Ideas of UbD –Stage 1

1. Identify desired results

2. Determine acceptable evidence

3. Plan learning experiences & instruction

The 3 Stages of (“Backward”) Design

1. Identify desired results

2. Determine acceptable evidence

3. Plan learning experiences

3 Stages of Design

60ff

What

understandings will the students leave with?

Understanding, Defined:specific generalizations about the key meanings/upshot/point/value of the content - the “So what?”expressed in terms of “big ideas” having transfer value to other work. deliberately framed as a full sentence “moral of the story” – “Students will understand THAT…”require “uncoverage” because they are not “facts”to the novice, but not-so-obvious inferences drawn from factsoften abstract and counter-intuitive i.e. easily misunderstood

An understanding is a “moral of the story”

for the unit

What specific insights will students take away about the ‘content’?What statements summarize the desired insights we want students to come to realize as a result of our design and work together?

From Big Ideas to Understandings

About Them U

Sample Understandings...Great artists often break with conventions to better express what they see and feel.The storyteller rarely tells the meaning of the story Price is fluid, a function of supply and demand.Friendships can be deepened or undone by hard timesHistory is the story told by the “winners”F = ma (weight is not mass)Math models simplify physical relations – and even sometimes distort relations – to deepen our understanding of themMinorities have rights that the majority cannot take awayLearning another language focuses on idiomatic expression, not word-by-word translation

U

You have to ask questions of a text to make meaning of itOpen up space when you do not have the ball, to create offensive opportunities; close it down on defense.Persuasion rarely depends upon logical reasoning; it is often an appeal to emotionsAny discrepant data may represent an error or it may represent a vital new insightScience isolates key variables and controls for them; it is not meant to be trial and error

Understandings in Skill AreasU

Avoid truisms, facts, definitions: what un-obvious, non-trivial, and importantrealizations do you want students to leave with?What are hard-won, powerful insights that students should come to with your help (vs. bland or self-evident generalizations, like most rules and definitions)?

Understandings: Design TipU

Knowledge vs. Understanding

An understanding is an unobvious and important inference, a big idea needing “uncoverage” in the unit; knowledge is a set of established “facts”.Understandings make sense of facts, skills, and ideas: they tell us what our knowledge means; they ‘connect the dots’

Essential Questions

What questions –are important to argue about? are at the heart of the subject?recur - and should recur? raise more questions – provoking and sustaining engaged inquiry?must become habits of mind when we face real problems? often raise important conceptual or strategic issues in the subject?can provide organizing purpose for meaningful & connected learning?

Sample Essential Questions:

Does a good read differ from a ‘great book’?To what extent is geography destiny? What is the government’s proper role? Have I understood the native speaker? If not, what should I do next?How different is a scientific theory from a plausible belief?Is that an insightful anomaly or an error in the data?How “rational” is the stock market? Why write?

My son’s teacher’s EQs

(9th grade Global Interdependence)

Whom should we care for? How do we identify ourselves? What causes conflict? Why do people abuse their power over others?Does global interdependence help or harm the people involved? How do our economic and political choices affect others?Do human beings have rights? Are people "equal"? What does it mean to say that people have “rights” and are all “equal”? What responsibilities do we have to others in the world? What responsibilities do governments have to people? What responsibilities do corporations have to people? Is there right and wrong? If there is right and wrong, how do I come to know it? How does one live in the world with integrity?How well do my choices, words, and actions reflect my values?What habits and attitudes do I need to be successful in life? How can ‘Global’ help?What information should you trust? How do we know what to believe? How do we know what we know about the past? What are the key challenges and responsibilities of historians?

Essential Questionsexamples for Eng./LA–

When should I talk? When should I listen? How do I know?In the case of misunderstanding, how can I tell when it’s me and when it’s them? What can I do to fix the problem?Have I understood the real message? How do I know? What does the feedback and body language suggest? What isn’t being said that is the real message? What should I do when I don’t understand? Have I been unintentionally unclear? Rude? How do I know?What are the most common but hard-to-spot causes of communication breakdowns? How can I tell when others understand me? What can I do when they are confused?What do good speakers do? Are there any consistent aspects to excellent performance, given so many distinctive styles?How does the audience affect the way I should speak?In what ways does effective speaking require an interaction with the audience?Have I been clear? Effective? How do I know?

Math Essential Questions

What’s the pattern? Where should I look? When should I estimate? Sample? Calculate? Count? When shouldn’t I? What kind of problem is it? What does this remind me of?What should I do when I’m stuck?How can this be simplified? What makes a math model a good or poor one? How does a model illuminate and how does it distort?How sure am I? What’s the margin of error? How accurate (precise) does this need to be?How else might we represent this?

Essential vs. “Leading”

Q’sEssential

Asked to be arguedDesigned to “uncover”new ideas, views, lines of argumentSet up inquiry, heading to new understandingsQs we want kids to be constantly asking

LeadingAsked as a reminder, to prompt recall Designed to “cover”knowledgePoint to a single, straightforward fact -a rhetorical question“teacher” questions, to set up a lesson

Edited Questions: Language Arts

DraftWhat can a story about someone else tell me about my life?How have culture and historical backgrounds influenced the lives we lead?What is a life-changing experience?

EditedHow much of every story is about me?How important are genes, family, culture, luck, and choice in who we become?What pattern to life-changing experiences is there, if any, in those we have read about, and people you know?

Edited Questions: Math

DraftWhat is a linear equation?

How do you recognize a linear equation?

EditedWhat key patterns

and relationships are linear? How does knowing that help us?Is it linear with anomalies or is it non-linear: how can you tell?

Big Ideas of UbD –Stage 2

Think like an Assessor, Not an Activity Designer!

Design assessments before

you design lessons and activities.

Be clear about what evidence of learning you seek.

ecognizing the limits f testing...

“Evaluation is a complex, multi-faceted process. Different tests provide different information, and no single test

can give a complete picture of a student’s

academic development.”from CTB/McGraw-Hill Terra Nova Test Manual

Think “Photo Album” versus “Snapshot”

Sound assessment requires multiple sources of evidence, collected over time.

Gather Evidence from a Range of Assessments

authentic tasks and projectsacademic exam questions, prompts, and problemsquizzes and test itemsinformal checks for understanding student self-assessments

What is

Understanding?

Challenges in Assessing Understanding

It is often difficult to distinguish true understanding from accurate

recall.

Challenges in Assessing Understanding

It is often difficult to distinguish true understanding from accurate

recall. Knowing is binary, while

understanding is a matter of degree.

Challenges in Assessing Understanding

It is often difficult to distinguish true understanding from accurate

recall. Knowing is binary, while

understanding is a matter of degree. Understandings are student-

constructed; thus, are not easily standardized.

Understanding???

How many buses doesthe army need to transport1,128 soldiers if each busholds 36 soldiers?

Source: 8th grade NAEP mathematics assessment

Question:

Answer: 31, remainder 12

Remainder12 bus

Focus on Evidence.

Students should be presumedinnocent of understanding until proven guilty by a preponderance of evidence.

Consider a judicial analogy:

Evidence of Understanding...

requires the student to:

Applyto novel situation(‘authentic’ context)

Explainsupport, justifytheorize, defend

Facet #1: Explanation

To understand is to know not only what and when but why and how.

The student must not just do, they must explain and support (thedissertation and its defense).

example:Teach a Lesson

You have been asked to help a third grader understand the economic concept of “supply and demand”. Design a plan for a 5 minute lesson. You may wish to use examples (e.g., Beanie Babies or Pokemon cards), visuals, or manipulatives

to help

them understand.

Interpret the data on ______ for the past ______ (time period). Prepare a report (oral,written) for ______ (audience) to help them

understand: •what the data shows

•what patterns or trends are evident •what might happen in the future

example:What’s the Trend?

Imagine that you are an elderly tribal member who has witnessed the settlement of the plains by the “pioneers”. Tell a story to your granddaughters to show the impact

of the settlers on your life.

example:

Tell a Story

Chris wants to decide which of two spot removers is best. First, he tried Spot Remover

A on a T-shirt that had fruit stains and chocolate stains. Next, he he tried Spot

Remover B on jeans that had grass stains and rust stains. Then he compared the results. What did Chris do wrong that will make it

hard for him to know which spot remover is best? Design an experiment to help him

decide which spot remover is best.

Kentucky SDE

example:Spot Remover

Facet #3: Application

Understanding is revealed through the ability to use knowledge effectively in varied contexts (i.e., transfer).

Emphasize “authentic” performance –students apply knowledge in meaningful, “real-world” contexts to show that they really understand.

“Transfer of learning

is the use of knowledge

and skills (acquired in an

earlier context) in a

new context. It occurs when a person’s learning

in

one situation influences that person’sperformance in other situations.”

– Bigge & Shermis, 1992

esearch on Learning and Cognition

Inauthentic vs. Authentic (examples)

Inauthenticfill in the blankselect an answer

from a set of given choicesanswer the ?s at

end of chaptersolve contrived problems

Authenticpurposeful writing scientific investigationissues debate primary researchinterpret literature solve “real-world”problems

Important Distinction!

Sideline Drills Playing the Game

Practicing and testing• discrete skills

• de-contextualized

Requires “putting it all together”• authentic

• contextualized

You have been hired by a day care agency to fence in an area to be used for a play area. You have been provided with 60 feet of fencing (in 4’

sections) and a 4’

gate. How can

you put up the fence so the children will have the maximum amount of space in which to play?

Submit your plan for the playground area. Include a diagram, your calculations, and a summary of why this is the best design.

example:Day Care Center

example:Making the Grade

Your math teacher will allow you to select the method by which measure of central tendency –

mean, median

or mode –

your quarterly grade will be calculated. Review your grades for quizzes, tests,

and homework to decide which measure of central tendency will be best for your situation. Write a note to your teacher explaining why

you selected that method.

Cornerstone Assessments

Overarching EssentialQuestion(s)

OverarchingUnderstanding(s)

ContentStandards

Program Area

unit 1unit 2

unit 3unit 4

unit 5

unit 1unit 2

unit 3unit 4

unit 5

unit 1unit 2

unit 3unit 4

unit 5

unit 1unit 2

unit 3unit 4

unit 5

Course 1 Course 3 Course 4Course 2

unit 5

cor·ner·stone (n):1. the first stone laid at a

corner where two walls begin and form the first part of a new building

2. something that is fundamentally important to something

Cornerstone Assessments

Anchor the curriculum around important, recurring tasks.

Require understanding and transfer of learning.

Provide evidence of authentic accomplishments.

(“doing the subject”

and “playing the game”)

DI

UbD-DI

UbD

Curriculum Instruction Assessment

for

understanding transfer

personal relevance

developed through

backward design

for for

individual fit

in response to

readiness interests

learning profile

evidence

feedback

informing instruction

engagement &

meaning making

reflection

UbD and DI Connections

Attribution Theory

CLIMATE

comfort safetyacceptance

physical

psychological

teacherpeers

Attribution TheoryTASK

clarityutility/

relevance

• clear goals• known tasks

• public criteria• models

• big ideas• essential ?s

• authentic tasks• personal/cultural

connections

perceived capacity to

succeed

• responsiveteaching

• personalizedsupport

• celebrating achievement

& growth

Essential Questions

When and how should we differentiatewithin the UbD

framework?

We move from a focus on content in the foreground to a focus on students in the foreground.

The question now becomes, “How do I ensurethat each student has the best possiblechance to learn what is essential and todemonstrate what he or she has learnedin a way that reveals what that studentknows, understands, and can do?”

BACKWARD DESIGN:

STAGE 3

What teaching and learning experiences will equip studentsto demonstratetheir targeted understandings?

DESIRED RESULTS

CONSIDERATIONS

your “bag of tricks”

your “stack of books”

CONSIDERATIONS

Research –based repertoire of learning

and teaching strategies

Essential and enabling knowledge and skills

CRITERIA

W.H.E.R.E.T.O.?

W.H.E.R.E.T.O.Where are we going? Why? What is expected?

W.H.E.R.E.T.O.

Hook and Hold the students.

W.H.E.R.E.T.O.

Explore and

Equip.

W.H.E.R.E.T.O.Rethink and Revise

or Refine and Reflect.

W.H.E.R.E.T.O.

Encouraging Self-

Evaluation

W.H.E.R.E.T.O.Tailoring the design to address student differences in background knowledge and experiences, skill levels, talents and learning styles.

W.H.E.R.E.T.O.How will the learning experiences be organized to enable the learners to achieve the desired results? What sequence of learning experiences makes sense?

DI

UbD-DI

UbD

High School Biology RAFT

Know: (See terms below the RAFT)

Understand:Plants and animals have a symbiotic relationship with

photosynthesis and respiration.Photosynthesis and respiration are essential to human life.

Be Able to Do:Explain the relationship between photosynthesis in plants

and respiration in humansCompare and connect the equations for photosynthesis and

respirationIllustrate the nature of human dependence on plants with

applications from nature

ROLE AUDIENCE FORMAT TOPICAn animal ofyour choice

A plant of your choice

Song Why I am grateful to you

Trees & shrubs in the local park

Real Estate Developer

Numbered List

Our needs, why you should care, and what you should do about them

Athlete Coach Letter (with sketches, if you’d like)

For better or worse: What plants have to do with my performance

this year

High school biology student

3rd Grader Annotated diagram

What plants have to do with you

Scientist preparing for a Mars mission

Financial backers for the

trip

Presentation Plants—and plant substitutes: The unsung heroes of the mission

A kid Mom Conversation The lettuce is turning yellow! Are we threatening the balance of nature?

Important Terms: photosynthesis, respiration, carbon dioxide, sunlight, blue light or green light (or other colors), sugar, water, mitochondria, chloroplast, stoma (stomata), lactic acid, aerobic respiration, anaerobic respiration, autotroph, heterotroph, sunny, cloudy, cool, warm, long sunny days, short days, lungs, light energy, food energy

Annette Hanson, Timberline High School, Boise, Idaho

This is NOT a meal…

It’s Ingredients for a meal!You would not take people you care about into the

kitchen, point to the ingredients on the counter, and say, “Here’s dinner. Eat it.”

To make Dinner, you mix the Ingredients in an Appetizing Way…

Ensuring the right balance of ingredients to be pleasing

In Fact - with the same ingredients, you can make a base

that you can then use to make many different dishes

Depending on the tastes and diet needs of your diners.

Owning Student Success

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Connecting with Students