Understanding by Design II: Construction of suitable assessment method

Mariett L. Bergantin

In the first part of this article, we presented the Understanding By Design (UBD) teaching framework. The three steps comprising the framework were enumerated and the first step, dealing with setting learning objectives or outcomes, was discussed.

How does the teacher know if the desired learning outcome in the first step has been met by the students? What are the accepted evidences that these outcomes have indeed been achieved? These questions are addressed in the second part of the UBD backward design process.

The second part of the backward design process is designing the assessment. It is argued that that several types of assessment are essential in proving true understanding [1]. According to learning theories, students learn when they can “apply” their learning to new situation or real life problems. In assessing the performance of students, the teacher has to take this into account as well as the suitability of the chosen assessment to the established learning goal.

There are three methods of assessment associated with the UBD framework: Performance tasks, in which student are given real world challenges or the performance of tasks or activities; criteria referenced assessment such as quizzes, tests and prompts, which provide feedback on how well the material has been assimilated to both teacher and students; and unprompted assessment such as classroom observation and journals.

As an example, let us briefly examine projectile motion in the context of performance tasks. Projectile Motion is commonly demonstrated using an object thrown on a moving carrier or an object projected at an angle with respect to the horizontal. As a basis for understanding, students are expected to solve, for example, the time of flight, horizontal distance, the vertical and horizontal component of the projection velocity. Learning can be extended by using these quantities in describing or explaining real life problems.

Scientific learning in projectile motion is done usually using interactive simulation from Phet [2] or a laboratory experiment. After about a week, an assessment, usually comprised of quizzes long test, is performed. UBD stresses that these are not sufficient for students to achieve the required target. Instead, student centered activities are encouraged rather than teacher initiated activities such as demonstrations. Modifications can be made from the old laboratory experiments to make assessment more successful. An example would be to ask students to assemble a golf ball launcher that will produce maximum range. Aside from the student effort, the teacher can gauge if students have prior knowledge on the project rather than giving them the needed materials and measuring the time of flight and distance traveled by the ball. Knowing something is different from understanding the context. This is the essence of the assessment.

To conclude this second part of the UBD framework, we note that a practical advantage of UBD is that tasks are authentic and transparent. In constructing performance tasks scenarios, the GRASPS acronym [3] (goal, role, audience, situation, product or performance, standards for success) can be used in order to maximize the authenticity of assigned tasks. The success of performance tasks is rated through rubrics. Effective rubrics provide criteria that discriminate the different degrees of based on the outcomes differentiating from novice to expert. The big challenge in UBD is the creation of performance tasks that are parallel to the learning objectives. Finally, observations from the application of UBD to Secondary School classes reveal that UBD requires more time compared to traditional chalk-and-talk.

In the next part of this article, we will cover the third part of the UBD framework.

REFERENCES
1. J. Mctighe, R. Thomas, Backward design for forward action. Educational Leadership. 50 (5), (2003).
2. http://phet.colorado.edu/ accessed 19 August 2011.
3. “Performance Tasks,” http://xnet.rrc.mb.ca/glenh/CourseImplementation/grasps.htm accessed 19 August 2011.

Note:
Mariett L. Bergantin obtained a Masters degree in Physics Education from the Ateneo de Manila University in 2010. Her research interests are geared towards curriculum and instruction. She is currently affiliated with the Basic Education Department, Colegio de San Juan de Letran.

10 Rules for Chalk Talks: How to give an effective lecture using chalk and blackboard

by Quirino Sugon Jr.

Chalk talk is one of the oldest way of giving lectures.   But to use this method well, you need to know ten principles:

Chalk talk: Phase angle in oscillations

1. Begin with the end in mind.  Before starting your lecture, ask yourself what is the ultimate goal of the lecture.  Is it to prove a theorem, to discuss a law, to demonstrate a phenomenon?  Write it down in one sentence.  This is your topic sentence for an hour or an hour and a half of lecture.  But if your students are not adequately prepared to handle your topic, e.g. they don’t know integral calculus but only derivatives, you may backtrack and provide introductory material–just enough for them to understand your lecture.  If your students already know the topic, junk whatever you have prepared and proceed to the next lesson.
2. Divide each 50 minute lecture into at most 5 parts. You have only 5 fingers per hand. The brain can only remember at most 7 new things using short-term memory. So do not rack up your your students’s brains by giving them more things than they can associate with their five fingers. A good exercise is to write a four to five sentence abstract of your lecture: state the problem, state what you assume your students know, explain your method, and outline your expected results, and decide on your evaluation tools.  Your evaluation tool can be as simple as getting half of your students to nod when you make a point or as tough as getting perfect in your 20-point quiz.
3. Plan your teaching strategy. There are many ways to deliver a lesson. You can start from general law or theorem and give specific examples of its applications. This is called the deductive method. Or you can start from specific examples in order to lead to the general law. This is called the inductive method. The most important thing is this: you must always start from what your students know and slowly lead them to new things they do not know.
4. Divide the blackboard into four parts. The blackboard is naturally divided into two. So divide each part further into two to give four sections. I am talking about standard blackboard sizes for a class of 50 students. As a rule of thumb, each blackboard section should be at most as far as your two arms can span and at least as far as your left shoulder to the tip of your right hand outstretched.
5. Do not talk and write at the same time. When you talk, don’t write. When you write, don’t talk. Talking is the time for resting your hands. Writing is the time for resting your throat. If you write and talk at the same time, you’ll easily get tired even after 30 minutes. Besides, you students also needs time to take notes and digest what you have said.
6. Never write with your students looking at your back. As much as possible, write with your shoulder perpendicular to the blackboard.   In this way, you can see what you are writing and you can use your peripheral vision to know what is happening in your class. Some may be raising their hands to ask a question, to request permission to go out, or to throw something at you. If you spend too much time looking at the blackboard, you may end up with half your students gone; the rest may be playing card games or taking videos. And before you know it, you are in You Tube.
7. Write from left to write. Since we read from left-to-write, write also in the blackboard from left-to-write, assuming that you are facing the blackboard. Start with the leftmost section, fill it up from top to bottom, then proceed to the next section until you reach the rightmost section. If you have filled the rightmost section, go back to the leftmost section, erase its contents, and write anew. Repeat the whole process.
8. Remember that teaching is drama.  You are an actor whether you like it or not.  The podium is your stage and your students are your audience.  Make eye contact when speaking, by shifting your gaze from left to right.  Make sure that your voice is heard even by those sitting at the back.  Vary your voice to emphasize your point.  Let your points sink in using long pauses.  Sometimes, it is helpful to ask one of your students to be the actor by asking him to graph an equation or show his solution.  Sit in one of the chairs with your students.  Observe what they are doing.  Check out the blackboard layout if it is pleasing to the eye.  Ask the student volunteer probing questions and correct his answers.  Then take your turn at the podium.
9. Use colored chalks.  A blackboard filled with white chalk is dull.  Underline the section headings with colored chalk.  Use different colors for different graphs.  Practice drawing freehand different shapes: parallel lines, perpendicular lines, rectangles, circles, and ellipses.  Then move to 3D objects like parallelpiped, cubes, pyramids, cones, and spheres.  If possible, use the opportunity to teach your students how to draw, too.  Never label the arrows or lenghts or points in your diagrams without asking your students.  The best way to teach is through dialogue and one of the best way to facilitate this dialogue is the chalk.
10. All’s well that ends well. If you still have few minutes left, give a short summary of what will happen in the next lecture. In this way, you can prevent the bad practice of dismissing the class before the bell rings.  If you are in a Catholic institution, end with a prayer–an Our Father, a Hail Mary, a Glory Be, or Angel of God.  And don’t forget the Sign of the Cross. You are not sure if you will still see your students tomorrow.  Death is always an unexpected thing.  So it is always best to prepare for a good death to go to heaven by praying before and after class.

Understanding by Design: Teaching framework

Mariett L. Bergantin

“To begin with the end in mind means to start with a clear understanding of your destination. It means to know where you’re going so that you better understand where you are now so that the steps you take are always in the right direction.” (Covey, 1994)

Effective and engaging pedagogy coupled with meaningful assessment of student performance amounts to effective learning. This paradigm is espoused by Understanding By Design (UBD). Understanding by design is not a teaching method teaching framework, which is not a teaching method or pedagogy, rather it is a framework developed by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe which aims to improve student’s learning performance.

Traditionally, teaching starts from setting learning goals and ends in assessment which is according to the content of textbooks and Learning Competencies (PSSLC) specified by Department of Education following the Revised Basic Education Curriculum. With the new framework, Ubd focuses on the “backward design process” of presenting material and assessment. The idea of planning “backward” is emphasized by starting from results or outcomes and then proceeds to goals/objectives. The process focuses on how the student will have deeper understanding by identifying what the student know already and what the student need to know. The teacher’s role then is two-fold: as a designer and as a coach/facilitator. As a designer, the teacher design or plan student learning and teaching methods at the same time facilitates the learning process in classroom. The new framework forces the teacher to be creative thinkers and designers in what she wanted for her students to learn/know and what she expect her student to do/perform on the said lesson. This minimizes the problem of “textbook coverage” and rote memorization.

Wiggins and McTighe provide a useful process for establishing curricular priorities. They suggest you ask yourself three questions as you progressively focus in on the most valuable content:

1. What should participants hear, read, view, explore or otherwise encounter?   This knowledge is “worth being familiar with.”
2. What knowledge and skills should participants master?  Sharpen your choices by considering what is “important to know and do” for your students.  What facts, concepts and principles should they know?  What processes, strategies and methods should they learn to use?
3. What are big ideas and important understandings participants should retain?  These choices are the “enduring understandings” that you want students to remember after they’ve forgotten the details of the course.

The second part of the backward design process deals with the construction of suitable assessment methods. This will be covered in the second part of this article.

References

Wiggins, G. and McTighe J.. Understanding by Design. Expanded 2nd Edition. Alexandria, VA: ASCD, 2005.p 242.

Note:
Mariett L. Bergantin obtained a Masters degree in Physics Education from the Ateneo de Manila University in 2010. Her research interests are geared towards curriculum and instruction. She is currently affiliated with the Basic Education Department, Colegio de San Juan de Letran.