RIGOROUS UNIT DEVELOPMENT

Cardinal CSD, Iowa

Gail B. WortmannNovember 14, 2011

Celebrating Generational Divides

Remember your grad group 0-9 (mine is 1970-1979)

During the decade you graduated from High School, what were the:

Trends

Fads Values

Heroes Taboos

What does this say about what we value and how we operate?

Decades Discussion

Changes in your lifetime. Changes in students’ lifetime. Beloit College

http://www.beloit.edu/mindset/2015/ Gap: current college seniors/high school

freshman.

Today’s Agenda

Examples of forward-thinking, rigorous units 21st Century Unit Development Framework Rigor/Relevance Framework Grown-up Thematics Scenario Development http://

edvance21-support-wiki.wikispaces.com/Cardinal+Nov.+2011 OR Google Docs

Iowa Core and Teacher Effectiveness

History of Iowa Core to Iowa Core Curriculum Added START Characteristics of Effective

Instruction S T A R T

Iowa Core and Teacher Effectiveness

History of Iowa Core to Iowa Core Curriculum Added START Characteristics of Effective

Instruction Student-Centered Classrooms Teaching for Understanding Assessment for Learning Rigorous and Relevant Curriculum Teaching for Learner Differences

Mosquito Ringtone

Young people using ringtone Test frequencies Does it work for mosquitoes? If it works for mosquitoes, does it work for young

people? Application of apps in schools for problem solving 21st Century context If you make it relevant problem solving, rigor will come with it

Use of Smartphone Apps

Angry Birds – physics QR Codes (scavenger hunts, assignments, etc.) Camera as note-taker; kids texting

evidence Google Sky Musical Lite iTuned You Out – Decibel Others? TTYP

If you are not already there, you need to move to Collaboration and problem solving. (Use 1:1 for H.O.T.S)

“Think” Experiments

Don’t let lowest common denominator limit you Next Generation Standards Argue from evidence Engineering – solutions, not just conclusions

Paleobiology

Example of rigorous unit development

In the Context of 21st Century Skills

Civic literacy Financial literacy Health literacy Employability skills

(individual and team evaluation rubrics)

Technology literacy Using Google Docs!

21st Century Unit Framework

Can’t do one-by-one, must interweave Adjust it for your own purposes (small groups?) Google Docs and share/collaborate

Grown-up Thematics

Overarching concept Teleinterns Refer to Unit Checklist

Use lesson plans you already have Problem to solve on student’s agenda

Problem

Teacher poses the problem Students do the work Answers/solutions are found/developed by the

students (they must investigate, not just research and report – solution cannot be “found”)

It is not about right/wrong; It is about the best defensible answer (arguing from evidence)

Rubrics to assess

Scenario Examples

Patients, Chemical Consulting Company; Sneezing School

Hiring a writer for a newspaper column – find a columnist to follow, determine what is good about the column, emulate that person, write movie reviews – research good movie review writers. Convince people to go and not to go. Write dialogue, finishing a story.

Math Mall Rats Global citizenship with videographer

More Examples

Dancing Cell Phone iTuned You Out BFF Moms Sneezing School Cell Phone Remote Control

Skeletal Unit

Go carefully through unit, note things on the Unit checklist

Growth of a Scenario

Theme that ties your course together? Possible problem-solving options?

Already using the concept? Expand… Something in your community Base it on something you know

Experience you’ve had People or other organisms you know

Benchmark Possible problem

Relevant idea ?

Conception of Scenario

Skeletal unit problem: osteoporosis Web articles on osteoporosis

Found data for making diagnosis Found groups with more osteoporosis

Chose related group without data available (ill-structured) Multicultural: Tony Hillerman novels, Ship Rock, NM Invented Elsu Featherstone

Baby-naming websites Position problem introduction at the beginning

Evolution of Scenario

Navajo context Found barriers to treating the Navajo Found contributing factors for osteoporosis

Created patient Necessary data to be revealed Problem to be solved on student’s level

Wove regular labs into the scenario

Examples of Scenarios

Embedded scenarios in Iowa Learning Online Anatomy course Colonel Weismann Corrupted data School nurse

TTYN: Ideas?

A, B, C, Not Yet Rubric

Scoring Rubric for Projects

A B C Not Yet (resubmit)

Criteria

Criteria

Criteria

Share student comments about Elsu

I really like how we used what we learned to help Elsu. It made learning the info easier to do and understand. In this unit I was good about reading the websites because they helped me help Elsu.

I loved doing the Elsu scenario because it not only gave me a lot more insight about how osteoporosis is developed and treatments for it, but it reminded me how important calcium is to a daily diet.

I learned a lot about the Navajo Nation and racial statistics of those with osteoporosis.

I really enjoyed learning about Elsu's problems, and making a diagnosis. I especially liked writing the paper explaining what she needed to do and why it was important.

Share student comments about Elsu

I really like how we used what we learned to help Elsu. It made learning the info easier to do and understand. In this unit I was good about reading the websites because they helped me help Elsu.

I loved doing the Elsu scenario because it not only gave me a lot more insight about how osteoporosis is developed and treatments for it, but it reminded me how important calcium is to a daily diet.

I learned a lot about the Navajo Nation and racial statistics of those with osteoporosis.

I really enjoyed learning about Elsu's problems, and making a diagnosis. I especially liked writing the paper explaining what she needed to do and why it was important.

Generate Ideas!

Come up with next or near unit Come up with overarching concept to tie it to

THANKS FOR YOUR KIND ATTENTION!

Go Forth and Assess!

Contacts

Gail B. WortmannIowa Learning OnlineGreat Prairie Area Education Agency2814 N. CourtOttumwa, IA641-682-8591 ext. 5233

gwortmann@iowalearningonline.orggail.wortmann@gpaea.org