UbD as Curriculum Framework

This chapter presents an application of what has been previously seen in a more global picture: the curriculum. The authors propose that “the syllabus be a public document, available to students, parents, and colleagues.”  What is more, they suggest that the syllabus should follow the same standards as small units. Thus, there is a list of basic elements that must be present in any curriculum:

·         Essential questions and core problems

·         Expected performances that demonstrate learning

·         Rubrics and scoring systems

·         Assessment principles

·         Major learning goals

Although these principles make a lot of sense, it would be ideal to have the possibility to apply them in a real context. I feel that UbD is quite an interesting way of approaching curriculum design, but I also feel we lack knowledge of basic aspects related to the structure and main elements of a syllabus.  Besides, most of the time it is not us the ones who create the curriculum, we just have to follow it… I guess we just have to try to do our best, even if we don’t have the necessary tools or skills.

Planning for Learning

                 Chapter 9 presents key aspects to consider when planning our lessons in order to achieve real learning. This is the stage in which we need to decide on what approaches, resources and experiences students need in order to achieve the desired results and performances.

                It is essential for a successful plan to be both engaging and effective. How do we get that? The authors suggest a list of characteristics of engaging and effective designs such as hands-on and meaningful activities, personalized challenge, balance between cooperation and competition, clear objectives and purposes, provision of models, and opportunities for self-assessment among others.

                Closely connected with that is what the authors call the WHERETO of instructional planning. According to this model we need to make sure our students know Where the unit is headed and Why. We must also Hook and Hold their attention, and Equip them with the necessary knowledge and skills to achieve the goals. It is also vital to give learners the chance to Rethink, Reflect, and Revise what they do as well as Evaluate their progress. Finally our design must be Tailored, considering students’ individual needs, and Organized to enhance deep understanding.

                In my opinion this can be a quite user-friendly checklist to apply whenever we plan not only a whole unit but every lesson. Though I am certain we are all aware of these aspects, it is always helpful to have them organized in such a clear way that we can easily put it into practice.

Crafting Understanding

As we have read before, “understanding involves the grasp of big ideas, as reflected in thoughtful and effective transfer.”  It is interesting, therefore, to consider the difference between understanding and factual knowledge presented in chapter 6.

Facts are evidence, data and they must be accepted as such. Understanding, on the other hand, is the interpretation or significance of those facts. In order to get real understanding we must “ask questions about facts, connect them to other facts, and try to apply them in various situations”.

It is essential for us teachers to be aware of the difference between these two concepts, particularly when we set the objectives of our lessons. Many times we expect students to “understand” certain contents, but we are not able to clearly state what exactly they should infer from them. To avoid this common mistake, the authors suggest using the prompt “student should understand that…” so we ensure a detailed description of our goals. Personally, I believe this suggestion is very useful as it can make a real difference in the way we approach our planning and our lessons.

Essential Questions

Is it possible to find the balance between trivial and impossibly difficult questions? As a matter of fact, it is. With a bit of thought and clear goals we should be able to frame what are called Essential Questions. But, why are Essential Questions so important in education? Well, these are the kind of questions which allow us to stay focused on “big ideas”, to take our students knowledge and shape it into engaging and effective work.

Now, how can we discriminate between questions that are really essential and others that are not?  First, essential questions cannot be answered briefly and they do not have a ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ response. The purpose of these questions is to stimulate thought, to provoke inquiry, and what is more, to generate more questions. These are the type of questions which we should definitely pose when planning our lessons. However, I cannot stop thinking of a much more practical use for essential questions: reading comprehension.

I have the fortune of working at a school where the English program is base mostly upon reading. Thus, it is necessary for us teachers to be constantly thinking of appropriate questions whose purpose is not precisely to just recall what the texts say. On the contrary, students must be able to judge and to make connections between what they read and what they observe in the world around them. Through essential questions, we enable our students to discover the real richness of the texts they read.  

Gaining Clarity in our Goals

There are three key concepts that appear on this chapter that deserve special attention when dealing with goals, these are understandings, knowledge, and skills. The first has to do with the results we want to achieve in terms of making our students perceive the purpose of learning what we teach them. The second refers to the concepts and facts that students are expected to gain during the learning process. Finally, skills are the techniques or procedures students are supposed to learn.

As teachers we are certainly aware of the importance of these three aspects. However, not all of these are included in our planning. It is very common that we base our plans on the contents included in the course book we use and, consequently, we simply forget to incorporate the purpose and the skills involved. The question is, then, do we pay attention to these aspects in the classroom, during the lessons? My perception is that if we are not able to include them in our syllabus, it is very difficult that we actually do.

This fact leads us to a major problem in education: assumptions. It is usually assumed that students know the purpose for learning, and that they possess the necessary skills for their educational development. But why do we expect that if they have never been taught to do so? We know our educational system is full of flaws, so I think it is time to stop assuming, and to start ACTING, no matter how difficult that can be at the beginning. If we do so, the learning process will be successful and we will be feel the satisfaction from knowing that things are done in the right way.

Backward Design

It is well known for us teachers that all our practice depends upon one single aspect: learning objectives. Therefore, every decision we make, in terms of methodology, materials, planning, etc. should be influenced by explicit goals we set according to our context. The design of the curriculum is not the exception. Wiggins (1998) makes it clear in his chapter ‘Backward Design’ that the objectives must be the starting point when creating or reviewing the curriculum to be followed.

Wiggins states that the process of designing a syllabus should be carried out following three steps. First, it is necessary to identify the desired results, having a clear idea of what we expect our students to know or be able to do. Second, “acceptable evidence” should be determined, i.e. it must be clear how we expect our students to demonstrate they have actually learned. Finally, learning experiences and instruction are planned. In this stage we should think of the most suitable instructional activities as well as the skills our students will need in order to accomplish the objectives stated previously.

Although this process makes a lot of sense, and seems to be the most appropriate way to design, it implies a massive change in common teaching practice. My experience, which is not very extensive, tells me that unfortunately things are usually done quite the opposite. Generally, this is not because teachers are not willing to do things in the best possible way. My feeling is that, in most cases, teachers are not given the time or conditions to improve their practices. On the other hand, it is easier to do things they way they have always been done, and it is sad to observe that some teachers are reluctant to changes, even when those changes may mean professional growth.

Regarding my own context, I can say that we, as English department, have tried to move in that direction, adapting our institutional curriculum and trying to see objectives as the core of our teaching. It is a process that takes plenty of time and effort, but it is definitely worth it.