Stage 3: Learning Plan

How do we do instruction even better?Stage 3: Learning PlanThis is where the teaching and student understanding take place. There is no ideology prescribed in UbD. You plan, do and assess Stage 3 to meet the objectives in Stage 1. The appropriate methods are any that work to cause understanding. Planning with the learners in mind: who are the learners, what will they need, individually and collectively, to achieve the desired results of Stage 1 and perform well at the tasks in Stage 2. We will look at the characteristics of the best designs, the elements that should be included in your instructional planning, designing with the Six facets of Understanding in mind, types of teaching, questioning techniques and formative assessment techniques. Stage 3 brings the big ideas, essential questions, skills and knowledge of Stage 1 to life. If Stage 1 provides the framework for your unit and Stage 2 the proof of results, then Stage 3 is the means to facilitate building knowledge, developing understanding and transfer of that understanding into unfamiliar situations. The teacher prepares to be the orchestrator of learning in the classroom. 1Essential Questions for Stage 3Can deliberate sequencing of lessons in a unit contribute to student understanding?Does the frequency and type of questions asked during a lesson effect student understanding?How does the type of instruction determine the level of student understanding?How can our lesson planning help to produce learners that are engaged, inquiring, reflective and self- evaluate their growth?

Teachers Matter Immensely!If a student is in one of the most effective classrooms, he/she will learn in 6 months what those in an average classroom will take a year to learn. And if a student is in one of the least effective classrooms in that school, the same amount of learning takes 2 years.

Deborah Loewenberg Bell Dean of Education University of Michigan

Lets begin by emphasizing that what we teach, when we teach it, how we teach it and why we choose to teach it matters. If you can make such a substantial impact on the learning of the students in your classroom by the lessons you choose to teach, then the challenge is to think less about the teachings and more about the learnings sought. 3Address Content in Specific WaysInteracting with new knowledgePracticing and deepening knowledgeGenerating and testing hypothesesAccording to research conducted by Robert Marzano and his colleagues, most classrooms consist of 65% New knowledge, 35% practice and 5% Generating and testing hypothesis. This model of instruction portrays the teacher as the giver of knowledge. The student does not have an active role in their own learning. The new Common Core State Standards will test students on their ability to generate and test hypotheses. Without a change in present instructional practices, they will be ill-prepared to understand the assessment and perform well. 4How can UbD change how content is presented and alter the way that students learn?Take 5 minutes to talk with your neighbor. How do you communicate learning goals to your students? How do you present new knowledge? How do students practice what theyve learned? Would your pie chart resemble the one shown? Should the chart change according to the subject being taught?

Full group discussion questions:

What similarities do you have to the pie chart? What differences?How does the way you present new knowledge influence the students in your classroom?Do the students in your classroom have the big picture?Can your delivery of learning goals help to differentiate learning in your classroom?Does the content of the class determine the delivery of material? Should it?5How do we go from

The agenda isI have to complete this byTo

As a result of doing this assignment, I should :Know more aboutUnderstand betterBe more skilled atThe learning goal today isAlthough a bit exaggerated, a well prepared teacher with high expectations for his/her students should have students that can answer these questions. 7Stage Three VideoUnderstanding by DesignUsing the Backward Design Process: Stage 3

School and District Leadership Not only matters, but also has a direct correlation and measureable effect on student achievement!A system of clear learning goals connected to student feedback and evaluation at the classroom, school and district level.Ensuring effective teaching in every classroom.Building background knowledge for all students.The building and district support for quality instruction is critical to student success. A common understanding of what effective instruction is, holds everyone to the same standard. Classroom placement no longer determines the gains a student will make in a school year. Competitive lines can be erased if everyone in the building has a common goal of teaching for understanding and graduating students that can meet unfamiliar challenges in life with success. 9The Art and Science of TeachingLearning goals and feedbackInteracting with new knowledgePracticing and deepeningGenerating and testing hypothesesStudent engagementEstablishing rules and proceduresAdherence to rules and proceduresTeacher-student relationshipsHigh expectations

Taken from the work of Marzano Research LaboratoryThe work of the Marzano Research Laboratory identifies nine practices/procedures that should be implemented in the classroom to improve the instructional effectiveness. The first five listed correlate with Stage 3 of UbD. Looking at how learning goals are written, communicated to students, evaluated, revised, refined, experienced and self-evaluated by learners. Marzano structures this work around Design Questions. These questions are used by teachers as reminders of what should be addressed during a unit of instruction and the lessons within those units. Marzano believes that not every teacher uses these tools in the same way and with the same frequency. However, most effective teachers probably have developed a facility with them.

The questions include:What will I do to establish and communicate learning goals, track student progress, and celebrate success?What will I do to help students effectively interact with new knowledge?What will I do to help students practice and deepen their understanding of new knowledge?What will I do to help students generate and test hypotheses about new knowledge?What will I do to engage students?What will I do to develop effective lessons organized into a cohesive unit?

10 Learning Goals vs. Learning ActivitiesA learning goal is a statement of what students will know and be able to do.

As a result of what we do today, you will be able to demonstrate that you:Understand foreshadowing in mysteries.Can revise writing to improve use of descriptive adverbs.Activities that help students attain the learning goals.

Finish adverb assignment.Read chapter 2.Write a mystery story.Before making sure that students are clear about the learning goals, make sure that you are clear about the difference between a learning goal and a learning activity.

A learning goal should answer the questions in the students head from slide #6. As a result of learning this I should be more skilled at know more about understand better Once a students clearly understands the learning goal, they should be able to verbalize their understanding.

A learning activity provides the means for attaining and understanding the learning goal. It addresses some of Marzanos other questions: How will students engage or interact with new knowledge? How will they generate and test new hypotheses?11

WHERETO Considerations for the Learning PlanThe acronym WHERETO summarizes the key elements that should be found in your learning plan, given thedesired results and assessments drafted in Stages 1 and 2. Note that the elements need not appear in thesame order as the letters of the acronym. Think of WHERETO as a checklist for building and evaluating the finallearning plan, not a suggested sequence. For example, the learning might start with a hook (H), followed byinstruction on the final performance requirements (W), then perhaps some rethinking of earlier work (R).12WHERETOCommunicating Learning Goals

Clearly state your learning goals by identifying all aspects of the expectations for students. How do you ensure that students understand WHERE the unit is headed and why? How do we help students become clear about the goals and expectations and the purpose and benefits of achieving them? This chart is designed to look at your learning goals and identify why a student would need the information, how the information will be used, what the student knows prior to your instruction and what they should know as a result of the instruction. 13

When the unit learning goals are clearly articulated to students and they have the opportunity to identify and record their own learning goals, they can become the keepers of their own learning.

The destination and journey become clearer.Refer to the questions found on page 199. Research and experience show that students are more likely to focus and put forth effort when they have clarity on the goals and expectations and see a purpose and value for the intended learning.14An Old Proverb States:You can lead a horse to water, but you cant make them drink.

We learned that maybe with reward and punishment the horse will do whatever we ask.

However, consider a different goal, How can I make the horse thirsty?

15WHERETOHookem And Hold Their Interest

What is the most effective way to encourage intrinsic motivation ? The H asks us to act on our knowledge about engagement to achieve our goals as teachers. How can we create interest in a subject so that students see the worth in knowing it? Students need to be able to see the usefulness beyond the classroom. 16Partner WorkHow could you use the following essential questions to hook your students?

Why do some books interest us more than others?How is math relevant to everyday life?Why is it important to study the past?How does water quality effect the life we live?

Possible answers:-Imagine that you are stranded on a deserted island, what book would you most like to have with you? Why?

- Fourth grade students build a model home to practice using fractional amounts and angle measures.

- Students participate in a simulation of the Great Depression. They are given situations that determine there fate.

-Are we drinking the same water as our ancestors?

17WHERETOEquip, experiences, exploration, experiment.WHERETORethink, revise, refine, reflect. WHERETODesign evaluation, Student self-evaluation

Learning ActivitiesThe learning activities center around the learning goals. The ERE- of WHERETO define the variety and effectiveness of the chosen activities.

The first E was highlighted nicely on page 213, You know the trouble with kids? They dont know what to do when they dont know what to do. Through experiences and exploration, we are equipping students for performance. We are enabling them to demonstrate understanding with increasing autonomy. These activities address Marzanos questions: What will I do to help students effectively interact with new knowledge? What will I do to help students practice and deepen their understanding of new knowledge?

The R underscores the need to generate and test hypotheses, to test understandings in a new and unfamiliar situation and refine or revise our understanding. The big ideas must constantly be reconsidered the flow of the unit must be iterative, students must be made fully aware of the need to rethink and revise in light of current lessons. Page 215 states built-in rethinking is a critical and deliberate design element, central to learning for understanding. Focusing on the idea that built-in rethinking is deliberate, how does the order of learning activities influence the students ability to rethink, revise and reflect on their present understanding? Discuss with your table partners and be prepared to share out.

Essential to student understanding is the role of student metacognition. Students should be taught to self-assess their understanding. Asking the questions: What do I understand? What dont I understand? What have I accomplished? What remains to be done? The other part of this E is the practice of evaluating and re-evaluating the design. What works in the design? What does not work? Using the information from classroom activities and formative assessment activities to revise and inform instruction.

The TO of WHERETO look at differentiation and organization of the activities. These are topics that could easily be workshops of their own. The handouts will give you a break down of each element. 18A-M-T There are 3 kinds of learning goals in a unit of study. We want students to acquire (A) knowledge and skill, make meaning (M) of big ideas, and be able to transfer (T) their understandings, knowledge, and skill to new situations. Our designs must involve not merely how content will be learned but how students will learn to think about and use it effectively. A-M-T is another way of looking at your learning activities, specifically, how does the activity help the student to meet the learning goal. What is expected of the student and how does the student makes sense of and use the information gathered. As with the WHERETO model, A-M-T equips the teacher with another lens for evaluating his/her learning plan.

19If the segment involves new knowledge what do you expect to see? What learning activities and instruction will optimize students acquisition of the knowledge and skills targeted in Stage 1?Previewing activitiesInformation presented in small chunksStudents processing each chunk in small groupsStudents summarizing and taking notes after content has been introducedStudents reflecting on their learning.Acquisition: Fact and skills are apprehended and acquired, learned through direct instruction or self-learning. A key benchmark in such learning is automaticity. The student as soon as possible should be able to recall information and perform a skill.

20If the segment involves knowledge practice and deepening activities what do you expect to see? What activities and teacher facilitation will engage students in making meaning of the big ideas and essential questions identified in Stage 1?Cooperative learning activitiesPracticing skills, strategies, and processesExamining similarities and differences (comparing/contrasting, classifying, creating analogies and metaphors)Identifying errors in thinkingHomework (guided/independent)Revising knowledgeMeaning: The achievement of meaning involves active intellectual work by the learner to make sense of the content and its implications. The learner must try to make sense of the content and its implications. The learner must try to understand something that cannot be grasped immediately. Meaning is not so much taught and learned as challenged and constructed. Students have to be presented with questions and intellectual tasks that resist an easy answer and demand thought.21If the segment involves using knowledge and skills in a new and unfamiliar situation what would you expect to see? What experiences will help students practice and get feedback in the transfer task(s) related to the long-term goal(s) Stage 2 performance?Developing and testing a hypothesisStudents self- assess and self- adjust using formative assessment feedbackStudents develop high-level questions that promote discussion, analysis and application of the learning goals.Transfer: Having acquired knowledge and skill, and having been helped to come to understand what the learning means, the learner must now effectively apply and adapt this learning to new and particular situations. The teachers role in transfer is that of coach, one who trains, watches and offers feedback on performance. The learner should be given many opportunities and models to apply the learning to new and varied situations. Over time, teacher support and scaffolding is gradually removed so that students learn to transfer learning and process the feedback on their own.

22What Do You Think?How would you classify the activities on the given sheet?

Look at the WHERETO model and the A-M-T elements.At the end of this activity you will be asked to write about the benefits of using the checklist. How could using the checklist improve your ability to teach for understanding?

1. Work individually to complete the checklist.

2. Compare your results with another persons results.

After discussing the results of the checklist, return to the question:What will I do to develop effective lessons organized into a cohesive unit?How important is the order of the activities to building student understanding?

23Break Time

Take 15 minutes to relax, refresh and refuel.Thinking Through the Lesson ProtocolTake the next fifteen minutes to read through Thinking Through a Lesson: Successfully Implementing High-Level Tasks; Smith, Bill & Hughes

Use the reflection page to write on your first impressions of the article. 25DiscussionTalk to your neighbor about the TTLP article.Could using the TTLP better prepare you for teaching a lesson?Are there drawbacks to the TTLP?How does the TTLP differ from your present lesson planning process?

Discuss as a whole group the merits of using the TTLP. Distribute the TTLP template. 26Whats the best use of our limited time together?

-Bob James

The TTLP allows the teacher to be prepared for misconceptions and have a plan for addressing them. The teacher has prepared questions that have been thought out and include questions to facilitate discussion and assess student prior knowledge and present understanding. The teacher can then adjust instruction to maximize student understanding. 27Questioning TechniquesThe art of holding interest lies in raising questions and delaying answers- D. Lodge, The Art of FictionAlong with careful selection and preparation of lessons is the engagement of students and effectiveness . As we found with the TTLP process, questioning can direct a lesson. Content is often best learned in response to starting with and framing upon questions and answers.

Well-planned Questions CanBe Used to: begin active inquiry. start discussions. involve all your students. extend the new knowledge. encourage discussions. problem- solve. encourage interactions.

The art lies in asking questions that further the learning and promote student self-questioning. Independent learning has to be our goal.28Types of QuestionsKnowledge recall data or informationComprehension understand meaningApplication use a concept in a new situationAnalysis separate concepts into parts; distinguish between facts and inferencesSynthesis combine parts to form new meaningEvaluation make judgments about the value of ideas or products

KNOWLEDGE questions dealing with Remembering,memorizing,recognizing,recalling information,recalling identification.COMPREHENSION questions dealing withInterpreting,describing in ones own words,organization and selection of facts and ideas,RetellAPPLICATION questions dealing with problem solving,applying information,use of rules or principles,How is? Why is,,,?ANALYSIS questions dealing with identifying motives,separate the whole into component parts,classify parts according to outline/diagram, compare/contrast.SYNTHESIS questions dealing with inferences or predictions,adding to what was given,combining ideasfinding solutions.EVALUATION questions dealing with placing in order of priority.deciding on actions to take choosing criteria for assessing agree or disagreeing with a premise.

29Ask some open-ended, not just yes or no questions

An open ended question has the advantage of allowing you to draw several students into the discussion that otherwise would not participate.Whatever your favorite teaching methods, they will be enhanced by including well-planned questions. Perhaps you now use questions spontaneously in your classes. For best results in developingcritical thinking skills,however, you probably will want to plan and write out some of your more sophisticated questions. Here are a few ideas to try:30Ask divergent questionsA question where there is not one correct answer but where the task is to search for many possible correct answers.From passive to active types of questions.

Changing a question from How many door/window in this room? To What are the possible ways to get out of this room?

Name the members of the United Nations to what concern would you take to the United Nations and why?31Promote discussions among studentsAllow time for students to discuss their answers in pairs or small groups before discussing as a whole group.

Paraphrase student answers and encourage others to contribute their answers.32Ask probing questionsQuestions that draw the students attention to things only implied in their answers.Consider: Learning to tolerate the silence while students think through their responses. This is probably the hardest skill to master!For best results, wait at least 6 to 8 seconds before calling on a student for a response. Likewise, give wait time after a student responds before responding.

34At what point in a class do you think questioning is most effective?

At the beginning? During the presentation? At your conclusion?Who asks more questions in your class yourself or the students? Why might that be so?

DiscussionIn recent research studies conducted at the Marzano Research Center, they found that teachers ask an average of 50.6 questions; students posed only 1.8 questions in a 30 minute period.

Along with adding variety to the questioning processes, teachers who wish to encourage critical thinking dialogues need to establish an environment where students are at ease in responding and asking questions. Here are some strategies to try: Plan opportunities for students to ask questions during class. Then, be sure to allow time for the group to formulate their questions before moving on. Look at your group as you teach to be sure that you are not missing a student who is too timid to raise a hand to answer. Watch for non-verbal cues that the group really needs to ask questions. Look for puzzled expression, frowns, etc. Be sure to clear up their confusions! Be sure you fully answer a students question before moving on. In some such moments, you might choose to clarify for two or three students after the class. Be sure that your non-verbal communications encourage questions. Be flexible enough to allow time for careful consideration of thoughtful student questions.35Planning Tools

The Learning Plan document will allow you to decide the sequence of the activities, the A-M-T elements and the WHERETO model components. If each of these aspects is addressed with the Stage 1 ideas and questions in mind, your unit should be comprehensive. The activities will allow students to use and build upon their prior knowledge. It should be engaging, thought provoking, and promote student growth. It will be balanced and cover all types of teaching and learning.36Planning Tools

When the sequence of activities, types of teaching, and lesson elements have been considered, it is now time to carefully look at the activities and decide which lessons would benefit from a closer look. 37Work Time