Online Journal: Day 7 & 8
Day 7 and 8
What are the Big Ideas? How do they relate to UbD? These are just a few of the questions that we have been discussing in the last couple of classes. I figure this is a great forum to clarify my understanding. The Big idea is a system of many powerful inferences from a small set of givens. It provides a way to connect and recall knowledge. In order to really uncover the big idea, you have to go below the surface. In stage 1 of Ubd, the key is to focus on the big ideas. The understandings are the specific insight of the ideas we want students to leave with. The Essential Questions provide questions that will foster inquiry, understanding, and transfer of learning. Student knowledge and skills are the specific concepts that students need to know. The established Goals are the content standards that are addressed explicitly by the unit. Stage 2 is the assessment piece of the design. There are two types of assessments in stage 2. Performance Task requires students to transfer their understanding. Other Evidence is your more traditional assessments (quizzes, tests, observations…). Stage 3 is the learning plan that provides purposeful learning activities and directed teaching to help all students reach the desired achievements.
This Curriculum design created by Wiggins and Mctighe eliminates activity-focused teaching and COVERAGE-FOCUSED TEACHING. I believe it is a great design and my district is already in the process of revising the curriculum around the UbD model. The only problem I have with UbD is that sometimes it is difficult and time consuming to get past stage 1, but I guess that is the problem with any quality process.
I agree with you about UbD. It can be very time consuming…but so worth it in the end! When preparing for a concert performance, instrumental teachers get into the “teach to the concert” mode very often missing many of the important elements of music. I try to make realistic challenges for my students so I can incorporate more of these into my weekly lessons. It’s very difficult to think about teaching in this way when you only see students one time per week for a lesson and once in a rehearsal. However, I could certainly see teaching this way in the secondary level where band and orchestra is usually a scheduled class. I have all kinds of ideas to break from the normal mode of teaching1