EDLD+5368+Discussion+Boards


 * Week 1**

Hello and welcome back. Hope everyone had a nice rest. Was reading Ch. 6, Design of Learning Environments and came across this:

"In addition, many standardized tests that are used for accountability still overemphasize memory for isolated facts and procedures, yet teachers are often judged by how well their students do on such tests."

This hit home today as I administered a benchmark to a 4th grader. He spent so much time underlining and circling words in the problem, I was flabbergasted when he hit a brick wall when trying to figure out how he was supposed to find the answer! I couldn't believe what I was seeing! I know for a fact that during the last benchmark, he didn't show his work or underline/circle on all of his problems so he had to do it while they went through it. I cringe to think what will happen tomorrow when I give him the reading benchmark. There is so much "mess" on the test that I really think they have no clue what they're reading. No wonder kids don't enjoy reading anymore. My 15 year old really enjoys reading (thank goodness) and unfortunately, I ask him the standard "teacher" questions about it but he never had to underline, circle and show his PLORE during his standardized tests. Because of the emphasis on these tests, the quickest way for teachers to get good scores is to teach procedures and students won't be able to figure out problems on their own. It seems their creativity is being stifled.


 * Week 2**

According to Wiggins and McTighe (2000), some teachers believe their students should “really understand,” others want their students to “internalize knowledge” and yet others want their students to “grasp the core or essence.”

Do these mean the same thing? These concepts do not mean the same thing. If a teacher believes their students should "really understand" (objectivism), the requested end result is that the students spit out facts and pass standardized tests. If a student "internalizes knowledge" (constructivism), they will be able to use their own experiences (what they have learned) to gain more knowledge. If the student is to "grasp the core or essence" (cognitivism), they are expected to gain knowledge by building on to a base they have already learned.

When a student really understands, what will he do that he will not do when he does not understand?

If a student really understands, he will not only build on the base of knowledge he already has but also be able to provide correct responses to given cues and mold future learning using his own personal experiences. He will also be able to take his knowledge learned and used in a specific setting and determine how and when to use it in other settings.

What is your definition of understanding and how do you assess understanding? Before reading Understanding by Design and teaching PK (after moving from 1st grade), my definition of "understanding" leaned more towards objectivism. I was expecting my students to provide correct responses based on specific questions, worksheets and tests. After teaching PK for a year, viewing the three basic principles in IDKB and reading the chapters this week, I now realize that understanding actually combines the three principles. I am, in regards to some skills, the one who provides the base for which my students will build further knowledge. I am also in charge of helping them decide when, where and how to use this knowledge in other settings. I also am required to elicit certain responses from them when given standardized or skill tests. I have always felt that the way to assess understanding not only required the use of tests but also observation and questioning. What one person sees on paper is not always what a teacher sees after spending 8 hours a day/5 days a week with a student. The teacher is the first line when observing how and when students use knowledge and in providing guidance and questioning that will help them build understanding.

Wiggins, Grant P.; McTighe, Jay. Understanding by Design Expanded 2nd Ed .[e-book]. by Publication: Alexandria, VA Assoc. for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2005. Available from: Netlibrary.

Instructional Design Knowledge Base. (2002-2006). Retrieved April 9, 2010 from Instructional Design Knowledge Base. website: []  ** Week 3 **   In designing instruction for my PK students, I find myself referring to the school designated scope and sequence along with the main drive of our instruction-the CIRCLES assessment. Since we are not monitored as much as 1st-4th grades, we can change our scope and sequence. I tend to design my lessons around a certain theme (as was a mistake made in the 3rd grade class in "Understanding by Design") but the activities include the main sections tested on the CIRCLES assessment-syllables, rhyming, counting words in a sentence, etc. This does mean I have to work from my students needs and the desired results I want BUT it means that I am guilty of "teaching to the test". I have two different times for workstations which means I can focus on developing my students social skills and vocabulary but I do not design specific lessons for them.

Pros of using the "backward design" include assuring you focus your lesson on your students needs and planning activities that will bring desired results.

Cons of using the "backward design" would be that you may focus to heavily on a desired result and not provide meaningful understanding that students would be able to use in different situations.


 * Week 4 **

I would definitely like to see some form of online education used in my classroom but since I teach PK, that may be a long time coming. I do know a 4th grade teacher that assigns many technology-based projects so she would be the first to take advantage of online learning at our campus. I am not sure if any of the other campuses in the district use online learning as they are all fairly competitive and do not like to share information. Our district is working on creating a technology-based school within a school and I would hope that they would include online learning. I feel if they would include it, we might be able to lower the number of high school dropouts. In Understanding by Design, "understanding involves matching our ideas, knowledge, and acions to context." Online learning opportunities, especially at the high school level, would give students the opportunity to transfer what they are learning in school to real-life situations thus providing them insight into what life will and can be like once they graduate. I would also hope that the professional development teachers have to complete each year could be done through online learning so we can complete it at our own pace.

In order to develop and implement online learning, K-12 teachers need to have a great amount of training. At this point in time, the teachers in our district no nothing about online learning unless they have taken online courses. Depending on the university, those courses could be very different and may not be suitable for K-12 students. I believe the main obstacle would not be training however. I believe their own thoughts against online learning are more related to lack of time, planning, school curriculum, and fear of not teaching the test.

Online learning will have a great impact on the business world. Students who have had practice using technology and transferring it to real life situations will be more than ready to contribute to any business. Because there are aspects such as organizational skills and time management involved with online learning, these students will be highly recruited. These future employees would then not have to be trained as much as those that have not encountered online learning.

Wiggins, G., McTighe, J. (2005).The Six Facets of Understanding. In Understanding By Design (Expanded Second Edition). (p.92). Alexandria, VA, USA. ** Week 5 ** I will admit that I felt very inadequate when designing the Schoology activities. Unfortunately, I have been trying to individually administer the CIRCLES test to my 23 PK students. This has taken all week and we have not been able to complete any activities. I wish I had more time to play around with Schoology so I could use it to its full advantage. I now understand how teachers who have not grown up using technology or refuse to use it feel. If educators are trained properly, it is easier to design engaging lessons. They will also be able to interact with their students more. According to Michael Horn in his book Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns, “Moving lesson planning and delivery online can provide students with more supervision, not less. It would free teachers, to do hand-holding and mentoring, something which is pretty much impossible in the current model.”
 * What benefits do you see in educators knowing how to design and implement online learning?
 * How will you professionally use your course that you designed?

I designed my course as a theme assessment for my PK students. Although we were not able to access it this week, we will try this coming week. I then plan to continue to use it next year for my PK students. I also plan to share this with my district when I participate in providing professional development during our 2010 Fall Staff Development Conference.
 * Will you integrate online learning in your role as a teacher/staff developer?

Our district offers summer workshops and staff development at the beginning of the year. I plan to showcase online learning as a benefit during these two sessions. I also hope to work with our third and fourth grade teachers to emphasize how online learning can free them to be able to interact with their students on a regular basis.
 * What questions do you still have about online learning?

How can I continue to use this for my PK students? After showing other teachers how useful online learning can be, how can I get them to continue to use it? Will widespread use of online learning affect the infrastructure of the school? · What will you do with this new learning? I will continue to create online activities for my PK students. After sharing the benefits with teachers, I will be available to assist them with questions regarding activity development, technology issues and promoting it to their students. Christensen, C.M., Horn, M.B., & Johnson, C.W. (2008). Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns (1 ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.