All my life I have been what I refer to as “directionally challenged”. I grew up without Google maps or Siri commanding me where to turn. I fully expected to be lost everywhere I went. Having someone tell me to “go west” meant nothing to me. I seldom traveled alone and never without studying a map throughly before beginning my journey. Just like traveling without directions, students should never be expected to master the content if the teacher can not tell them where they are going and how to get there. Students and well teachers need a plan.
Students should never feel as if they are learning without purpose. Teachers should never teach without giving their students a clear direction of where the learning is leading. In working with my Innovation Plan I have determined my BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) and developed course goals, learning activities and assessment activities using L.D. Fink’s 3 Column Table (Fink, 2013). I have also completed a UbD (Understanding by Design) model using the UbD Framework by Jay McTighe and Grant Wiggins (1998).
Comparing
In comparing the two course designs using my Innovation Plan, I feel that the 3 Column Table is a better design when planning professional development with teachers and the UbD is a better design when planning a course for students using learning objectives. The UbD design is a more detailed plan using standards and learning objectives working backwards from the expected outcomes. With the 3 Column Table, I was able to determine professional development goals for teachers, provide learning activities and assessment activities without relying on learning objectives to build the course backwards. However, both models help to provide a beneficial design process when creating a course because they both are built around the BHAG and the learning outcomes.
UbD
The UbD allows for a backwards design method that focuses on teaching and assessing for learning transfer and understanding (Bowen, 2017). UbD is designed in 3 stages: The first stage is about the Desired Result. The main focus is to make sure that the goals are targeted. The second state is about Assessment Evidence where the there is evidence of transfer, and the third stage is the Learning Plan Activities where the activities should lead to the desired results and success on an assessment. In Stage 3 is it all about how the students will engage in the learning. It is built around the idea of where the learning is going and is teacher driven. It consists of the following:
After using both of these design processes, I have a better understanding of my innovation plan and how it could be implemented with success in the classroom. Thinking about the goals and learning outcomes of both the teachers and the students has helped me to build a better foundation for my blended learning plan. When students know why they learning something it helps them develop a plan for success. By designing these models, it has given me a much clearer picture of how to help teachers understand blended learning with a station rotation model.
Below is my UbD Framework model.
References
Bowen, R. S. (2017). Understanding by Design. Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching. Retrieved [February 25, 2023] from https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/understanding-by-design/.
Fink, L. D. (2013). Creating significant learning experiences: An integrated approach to designing college courses. John Wiley & Sons.
Resources. McTighe & Associates. (n.d.). Retrieved February 25, 2023, from https://jaymctighe.com/resources/#1521464642340-080b3214-9baa
Wiggins, Grant, and McTighe, Jay. (1998). Backward Design. In Understanding by Design (pp. 13-34). ASCD.
Blended Elementary 