Vicki BechardTeaching and Learning Consulting Network, LLC

Getting to the Heart of Understanding

Designing instruction that leads to understanding

2014 TLCN Summer

Workshops

vicki@teachingandlearningnetwork.com

Who Am I?

Introductions

Your Turn… What should we

understand about you as we work together over the next 2 days?

Let me tell you about myself…

Introductions Continue

Understanding Expectations• Housekeeping• Learner Expectations

Note to Self (quick writes)

What is Understanding?1. Think, Write, Share – your

definition of Understanding Critical Vocabulary Activity

2. Can you teach someone to understand?

3. How do we understand?

Understanding

Has understanding been our focus?

I Choose C

Big Ideas about

Understanding

1. Knowledge and understanding are not equivalent.

2. Understanding is complex and has many layers.

3. Deeper understanding requires deeper thinking.

4. Understanding requires that one demonstrate what they know and can do with the learning.

Understanding

Quotes on Understanding

Only a person who has questions can have real understanding.

Hans-Georg Gadamer

Understanding

Table Talk: Typical Instructional Strategies & Assessments

Brainstorm how we typically instruct and or assess desired content Analyze what is being asked What are we teaching/assessing,

knowledge or understanding?

Understanding

Activity: Exploring Design

Designing curriculum

Imagine a Vacation…. Where would you go? What would you do? How would you get there? And Why?

Impact of Design

Parallels of Planning

VACATION What is the first

thing you typically decide?

• Why?• Where?• How?• What to do?

CURRICULUM What is the first

thing you typically decide?

• What to do?• How?• Where does this fit

in the curriculum?• Why?

What question(s) come to mind as a result of this awareness?

Teaching vs. Learning

Consider….

Parallels of Focus

Teaching Lesson Planning Delivery method Instructional

strategies Activities Organization &

management

Learning What knowledge

will students gain?

How will they use this knowledge?

What new skills or questions will they have as a result?

How much better will the results be if we focus on planning the learning

before we plan the teaching?

Essential Questions…1. What connects unit/lesson planning with

desired learning?2. Where do we see the benefits or use of

backwards design practices in education and other real world situations?

3. How could implementation of College and Career Ready Standards (CCRS) be enhanced by the use of the backwards design process?

4. Are educators often guilty of measuring “knowing” instead of “understanding” and is that a problem?

…about design

Understanding & Educational Design

Hands-On Without being Minds-On

Engaging, fun, or interesting without leading to desired learning results or intellectual stimulation;

Learning activities lack focus or depth

Typically an Elementary/Middle School “sin”

Coverage Goal: get through the

entire textbook or curriculum in a prescribed amount of time

Much like a whirlwind tour

Typically a High School “sin”

Concerns

Backwards Design

Clarifying Misunderstanding

Backwards Design: Stages

Framework

Backward Design: Benefits

BENEFITS Prioritizes learning Guides intellectual

purpose Framework to focus

the instructional journey toward desired results

Why?

Essential Questions about Understanding

1. When does knowledge translate to understanding?

2. How can one demonstrate understanding of desired learning?

3. How does focusing on the 6 Facets of Understanding increase cross disciplinary awareness?

4. What assessments are most effective in measuring understanding?

Understanding

What is the difference between knowledge & understanding?

1. Facts2. Theory behind the

facts3. Verifiable claims4. Degree or

sophistication5. Truth (or not) 6. Why it is true (or

not)

7. Meaning of facts8. Facts in relation to

other facts9. Fallible, In process

theories 10. Right or wrong11. Respond on cue12. Judge when to

and not to use the knowledge

Determine…

What is the difference?

Knowing Facts Facts in relation to

other facts Verifiable claims Right or wrong Truth (or not) Respond on cue

Understanding Meaning of facts Theory behind the facts Fallible, In process

theories Degree or sophistication Why it is true (or not) Judge when to and not

to use the knowledge

How Do We Understand Skills?

Isolated performance

Slower, more deliberate

On demand

Integrated in a “doing” session

Up tempo to fit the activity

Use appropriately when needed

Understanding: T or F? Knowledge and skill are necessary

elements but not the end all Understanding can be achieved through

memorization. Understanding requires us to figure out

which knowledge to use and/or adapt it to a given situation.

Understanding: The successful result in trying to understand

Knowledge and skill are necessary elements but not the end all

Requires The ability to “do” Self-assessment Justify Critique

Figuring out which knowledge to use and/or how to adapt

Understanding

Understanding is Continuum

Understanding

Cleveland 1982

Consider this Statement…We are coaches of their ability to

play the “game” of performing with understanding, not tellers of our understanding to them on the sidelines.

Misunderstanding1. Students always know what we want

them to do and learn.2. Wrong answers on a test =

misunderstanding.3. You can get a correct answer and still

have misunderstandings.4. You have to have knowledge to have

misunderstanding5. Fixing misunderstanding is solely about

correcting mistakes

True or False?

Misunderstanding Students don’t always get out of the

lesson what we intended Not knowing and misunderstanding are

different You have to have knowledge to have

misunderstanding Applying what they know in an improper

manner: Literal?

Transferability: Does it Matter?

What We Know Expectation: Apply lessons

learned and to other related, but different situations.

Teachers can only help students learn a limited number of ideas, facts, skills, examples

We must help students use that knowledge when confronted by different scenarios or problems.

What We Have to DO Include more Authentic

tasks &/or questions (real world)

Teachers become facilitators

Provide repeated exposures in different scenarios

Doing - Not Just Knowing

Keys to UnderstandingEstablishing and Communicating • Learning Goals• Big Ideas• Essential Questions

Understanding

Clarifying Content Priorities

Learning Goals

BIG IDEAS:• Broad and abstract• 1 or 2 words• Universal in application• Timeless• Represented by different

examples that share common attributes

• Provide focus (lens)• Connect & Organize facts, skills,

experiences for understanding• Pointing to ideas at the heart of

expert understanding• Require uncoverage• Transfer value (horizontally &

vertically)

Setting the Stage for Understanding Learning Goals

What will learners know and be able to do? Curriculum oriented

Big Ideas – Enduring Understandings Overarching understanding of concepts

(goes beyond “knowing” facts) Essential Questions

Important and essential are not the same Open-ended Interpreting and applying learning If you can “google” it – not essential

Understanding

Big Ideas: Framing Enduring Understandings

The student will understand that…

1. In a free market economy, price is a function of supply & demand.

2. True friendship is revealed during difficult times, not happy times.

3. The interaction of heredity & experience influence behavior.

The student will understand…

1. That the price of long distance phone calls has declined during the past decade.

2. True friendship.

3. DNA

Consider the differences:

Essential Questions Framing goals with Essential

Questions: A doorway through which to explore the content more deeply Not answerable in a brief sentence (can’t

just “Google it”) Aim is to stimulate thought, provoke

inquiry, and spark more questions Broad and full of transfer possibilities Enrich the learning experience

Essential Questions

Critique the Following Questions… Determine: Is it “Essential?” Why or Why not?

What is cancer?What could you do to

decrease your likelihood of developing cancer?

Essential Questions

Uncover the 6 Facets of Understanding Understanding is multi-dimensional and

complicated 6 sided view of understanding

1. Can explain 2. Can interpret3. Can apply4. Have perspective5. Can empathize6. Have self-knowledge

6 Facets

6 Facets of Understanding

1. Explain why, how, supporting opinions, show their

work Support, justify, generalize, predict,

prove, verify, substantiate

2. Interpretation Meaning, matter, who cares? Connections to real world, human

experience, and me

6 Facets

6 Facets of Understanding3. Application:

Using knowledge effectively in new situations and diverse realistic contexts

How and when to use a particular knowledge or skill

Matching knowledge content to context

4. Perspective Critical and insightful points of view Confront alternative theories & ideas What of it? What is assumed? What

follows?

6 Facets

6 Facets of Understanding5. Empathy

The ability to get inside another person’s feelings and view

Insight:• Helps with understanding their point of view• Helps to understand the author to improve

one’s own understanding

6. Self-Knowledge To know one’s own ignorance, thought

process, and bias Questioning our beliefs and assumptions

6 Facets

6 Facets: Knowing to Doing

1. DO AS A GROUP: Play a Card Game2. Then Do one on your own:

a. Taking care of a pet (identify the pet.)b. Dribbling as a part of the game of

basketballc. The Handshake as a greetingd. How to count change backe. Riding a bike

In Class Activity: Using the 6 Facets of Understanding handout, take the assigned topic and determine how each facet pertains to the understanding of the topic.

6 Facets Handout

Making Connections to Practice Application: Take a topic that would be

appropriate for your class (use one of your own or select one below) & identify how each of the 6 Facets would apply.

6 Facets

Potential Topics• Westward Expansion of

the US• Hitler’s Treatment of the

Jews• A recipe for pizza or

your favorite dessert• The use of percentages• Decimals and fractions

• The use of commas and other punctuation• Basketball Defensive

strategies (i.e. zone vs man-to-man)

• Speed • Angles and/or geometric

shapes• Mammals

Examining your own practice Using your own lesson

example What facets of

understanding did/do you utilize?

What revisions could you make to include more of the facets in this lesson?

Do you have to use all 6 facets in every lesson? Every unit?

Applying the 6 Facets

Making Connections: What evidence suggests that

understanding is complex, with many layers? Identify misunderstandings can be anticipated

How do the 6 Facets fit with what the KCCRS are asking teachers and students to do? What evidence of understanding is being

asked for?

6 Facets

Making Connections to Practice Quick Write: How can utilizing the 6

Facets help achieve the goals set forth in the Anchor Standards or the learning goals that you have in your classroom? Share

6 Facets

DAY 2

• How do we know they understand?• Planning for increased understanding

Making Sense of Understanding

Evidence of Understanding We need to see that a student can

extract understanding (meaning) and apply that understanding to problems or performance

Quite different than just recall of facts Assessments must reflect our goal of

understanding not just knowing.

How Do We Know?

Demonstrating Understanding on Student Terms

Consider the Possibilities!

Assessing UnderstandingMoving from Knowing to Doing

Thinking Like an Assessor Goals ---- Assessment ---- Instruction

What do we typically do when planning? Why might planning in this order be more effective?

Questions to ask (over and over) What evidence can show that students have

achieved the desired results ? What assessment tasks and other evidences

will anchor our units and guide instruction? What should we look for to determine the

extent of student understanding?

Assessing Understanding

Thinking Like an AssessorHow do we do we change from

thinking like an activity designer to thinking like an assessor?

Picture this! From snapshots to a scrapbook. What does this analogy suggest?

Assessing Understanding

Assessing Understanding

Types of Evidence Performance Tasks Academic Prompts Quiz and Test Items Informal Checks for Understanding

Assessing Understanding

Thinking Like an Assessor What is AUTHENTIC assessment?

Task, problem or project (handout)

What makes it authentic? Realistically simulates real world situations Student has to USE their knowledge wisely and

effectively Student has to “do” the subject Replicates key real-life contexts Student effectively uses sum of knowledge and

skills (not in isolation) Allows for appropriate rehearsal, feedback, revision

Assessing Understanding

What would “authentic” look like in your classroom?

Assessment – Measuring… What is the purpose? What assessment will fit the purpose? How will you use the assessment data? When will you assess? How often will you assess?

Evidence of Understanding

Guskey: The Rest of the Story

Tomlinson: Using Assessment to Impact Instruction

Application to Practice What does understanding look like in

your content area? How will you design instruction to

achieve understanding? How will you assess understanding? What will be the result if you plan for

and deliver instruction that leads to understanding?

Putting it all together

Project Based Learning

From Worms to Wall Street

Making Connections: Changing Classroom Practice

FROM What are you

doing/seeing now…

TO What you want to

(or should) do/see…

Understanding

Why? How? What

Revisit Critical Vocabulary Match definitions to vocabulary. Think of an real life or practical example

for each one. How does adding the next step create a

deeper understanding?

Next Steps

Creating Your Lesson Plan Goal(s) Big Idea Essential Question(s) How will you know they understand? Instructional Activities that lead to

understanding and the desired learning goal

Performance Task

Exit Activity: Square, Triangle, Circle

Something that you understand or already knew (square with your thinking) 3 new things

you learned or plan to do with the information you received today.

Something that is still “circling” in your head…. Question… concern…. Future application…

What are you thinking?