Recent Changes

Chapter 10 Reflection
1. One of the first things I'd like to achieve by integrating UbD and DI is to use more essential questions to help teach my students the big ideas of the curriculum. Another item I would like to improve upon would be to use more ongoing assessments to better meet the needs of the students. Both the UbD and DI models will enhance students' learning by integrating students' interests and learning styles into a successful classroom experience. Using essential questions will help me focus on the key components of a unit and assist me in teaching deeper understanding of the content to students rather than skimming the surface of topics by concentrating on coverage of content. Assessing students more often throughout a unit of study will help me to differentiate my instruction based on individual needs. It was too easy in past years to rely heavily upon the pre-test and post-test assessments only. It only makes sense to challenge those who understand the material well and to reteach in a variety of ways to those who have trouble grasping the key concepts. The most important result I'd like to achieve in the classrrom next year is to ensure that all students reach their full potential.

2. As for my professional practice results based upon the use of UbD and DI, I really have the chance to improve my effectiveness as an insturctor. One of the best things I can continue to do is to collaborate with other teachers on my learning team who are also implementing UbD and DI. It is very beneficial to discuss with colleagues those things that are and are not working in the classrroom. To step outside my comfort level of teaching, I will need to have a variety of learning activities available for all students rather than using the "one size fits all" approach. In addition to these changes, I'd like to assign "higher-quality student work on tasks that are meaningful for each student" (Tomlinson & McTighe, 2006, p. 167). This will involve incorporating more teachnology-based lessons and other 21st century skills that will be necessary to prepare students for life beyond school.

3. As Tomlinson and McTighe suggest, one must "consider data" to see if goals are being reached. When formative and summative assessments are given, I must evaluate this data to determine which students are ready to move forward and also to determine which students may need reteaching to grasp the important concepts of a unit. I will choose one observable indicator from each of the four categories to assist me in making sure that students are reaching their full potential. First of all, "There are high expectations and incentives for each student to learn the big ideas and answer the essential questions" (p. 162). This will be explained to the class prior to teaching the unit and also through the use of several formative assessments given along the way. As for the curriculum indicator, "Assessment of understanding is anchored by 'authentic' performance tasks calling for students to demonstrate their understanding through application and explanation" (p. 163). Letting students know what is expected of them for final projects and assessments way in advance and having good examples of final projects will assist in meeting this objective. "The teacher helps students connect the big ideas and essential questions of the unit with their backgrounds, interests, and aspirations" (p. 163) could be taken care of through the use of journaling and class discussions. Finally, "Students are involved in self or peer assessments based on established criteria and performance standards" (p. 165). Well-defined rubrics will assist students in reviewing their own work and providing helpful feedback to their peers.

4. The three steps Tomlinson and McTighe suggest in achieving goals are "set student outcomes and professional actions, 'think like an assessor', and decide how to 'get there'" (pgs. 166-168). As the book has discussed, it is best to start backwards first when planning a unit. I will need to know what the students are required to do as a final assessment to a unit plan, the essential questions that will need to be answered throughout the unit, and make a list of activities that will be done along the way to help answer the essential questions and ensure that students are successful in reaching the final oucomes. To get help and support in achieving high-quality instruction for each learner, I will need to collaborate with other teachers, read more materials about UbD and DI, and visit other schools who are implementing these models in their classrooms. Another thing I will have to take into consideration is that changing instruction should be done in small steps and will have to be done on a trial and error basis. The first year of implementing UbD and DI will definitely be a learning experience for me!

Chapter 10 Reflection
1 & 2. The results I would like to achieve with and for my students are for them to continue to be interested in learning and be engaged in meaningful tasks. I would like to improve my ability to connect my students’ curriculum to the content standards/benchmarks of their grade level peers by finding more time to collaborate with the general education teachers.

3. The indicators I would accept that show my students and I are achieving the goals and that are working are: A. Observation and data that indicate my students are grasping the material presented to them and they show an interest in the tasks they are working on. Showing interest in a meaningful task will give the student motivation to succeed. B. Having my students reach their Individual Education Program (IEP) goals is another indicator. C. Using multiple assessment that enable students to show mastery of a task using their preferred mode is one more indicator. D. My students’ successful transition from Middle School to High School and then High School to their Post-High School goals is an additional indicator.

An indicator that I am connecting the curriculum to the content standards will be to what extent and how often I adapt grade level material to meet my students’ needs and provide them with the opportunities to think at a deeper level.

I need to incorporate the UbD and DI backward design model to achieve the goals as stated on page 27, “backward design for planning should provide me with results in more clearly defined goals, more appropriate assessments, and more purposeful teaching.” This will help me to identify the “big ideas”, ask the “essential questions, and hopefully to develop a “mental template” or different way of thinking and approaching curriculum planning when adapting grade level material.

4. The first step to achieving my goals is to find out what makes my students tick, what interests them beyond just the questions of favorite foods, pets, or colors. I need to find ways that my students’ interests will drive them to achieve their personal goals and encourage them to want to learn.

Another step that would help to ensure high quality curriculum and instruction for each student is encouraging our district to provide more team planning time for all staff, or encourage staff members to use their time, even if it is only 15-20 minutes per week to meet and discuss curriculum needs. The questions for faculty or team meetings on page 170 would be an excellent start. At one time our staff created curriculum maps. We could possibly take them and align them with the ideas of UbD and implement them for several years.

Chapter 9 Reflection
1. As always when reflecting on a chapter and the questions presented, I think of the students in my classroom, their curriculum, the environment in which they learn best, and my role as a teacher in the process of helping them be successful. Each indicator is vital to the success of each student, but as the author states on page 162, “This list may seem daunting, but we would not expect to see every one of these indicators on every single visit to a classroom.” The following responses to the indicators are only in the order as written in the book. The order does not reflect the importance of one indicator over another.
Learning Environment: I must develop a positive relationship with my students (and their parents) that is built on trust and respect. I have students in my classroom for six to possibly eleven years, so having open communication and input from their parents is critical to student progress. The routines I develop and how I manage the classroom will foster a successful and safe classroom environment where a student feels safe to express their learning in the style that best suits them. I must engage my students in the settings that best match their learning preferences, (small group/individual).
Curriculum: As it states on page 151, “Information is useless unless it is used.” Same goes for quality curriculum. Designing curriculum for an individual student’s needs that are anchored in content standards and at their instructional grade level, that ask essential questions, and have multiple assessments to show proficiency, help to connect students to the curriculum and be successful learners. Although some of my students may not “deepen their understanding” as typical students may, they are entitled to tasks and curriculum that challenge their thinking.
The Teacher: Achieving personal learning goals based on my student’s interests, preference in learning style, background experiences, intellectual development level, readiness, and transition needs is only part on my responsibility to assist in my student’s success. I must use ongoing assessment; adapt materials and the presentation of the materials, as my students’ progress. Equipping myself with multiple resources at the beginning of a unit, lesson, or task will give me flexibility to adapt more quickly to student’s needs.
The Learners: The ability for my students to grasp the understanding of any given task is critical to their success. “Why” a task is given must make sense to them or they will not connect to a larger goal. “What” they are doing at any given time must be connected to their life today and how it will help them get to where they want to go, (Assisted living, alternative employment opportunities, college/trade school, etc.). Accepting responsibility for their place or role in the classroom and how their contributions help not only their personal goals and that of their peers, but their teacher in making a more productive environment is beneficial in an academically diverse setting.

2. There is none of minimal importance in an academically diverse classroom. All indicators would suffer without a strong emphasis on understanding-based curriculum and attention to learner needs. To minimize the learning environment you take away the students’ safety net and feeling of value. To minimize the curriculum you may lose sight of the big ideas and essential question or importance of teaching a specific unit, lesson, or task. To minimize the teacher’s role you toss out the trained coach that helps to connect the students to the curriculum. To minimize the learners’ role you would not allow them to be empowered by their individual successes. All of the indicators are just part of the whole educational practice. As I alluded to earlier, each indicator is as valuable as the other, but on any given day one or another may have priority in a specific unit, lesson, or task.
3. Making connections with my students and researching current strategies in using curriculum are my strengths. Providing my students with a safe environment to work in where they know they are respected and have something to contribute to the classroom is a daily goal for me as a teacher. Networking with peers, continuing my professional develop in taking courses, and researching articles about the current curriculum and strategies is part of my philosophy to be a lifelong learner.
4. Anchoring all student curriculums to content standards is an area I would like to improve. At times my students are using such extended benchmarks that I lose sight of the grade level expectation. The use of Iowa Core Standards and benchmarks has assisted me in focusing on the content standards.

Chapter 10 Reflection
1. The ultimate goal for my students is to improve their writing skills. They will be given a variety of methods to learn how to achieve this. With multiple assessements, there will also be more opportunities to receive feedback. With more feedback they will be able to see what they do right and improve on what they need to.

2. Although I feel that I use feedback to make adjustments in my classroom, I do not feel that I use it enough. With more individual feedback and more assessment tools, I will be able to better see the progess of my students. This will also allow more time for the students to see their own progess. I need to do more assessments for each skill I wish the students to develop. Patience in allowing the students to develop the skills will be a top priority.

3. Higher test scores on writing skills will be a good indicator that I am achieving my classroom goals as well as the students achieving them. The students' own confidence in their abilities will be a key indicator. Once they have mastered the basic skills, they will continue to improve with the advance skills. I also need to be sure that I am not only assessing the students, but that I am assessing my own classroom. Once I feel I am reaching my classroom goals, I need to keep monitoring what I am doing to keep pushing the kids to the next level. I need feedback for my classroom as well as for the kids.

4. Self-evaluation of my classroom methods would be an important step. Feedback from others in my field would be nice. I do a lot of activities with multiple intelligences trying to find a variety of ways to teach the information. I think I could change my teaching style to include more diverse methods for all individuals. I feel I need to concentrate on more of a variety to reach all of the learners. As I said before, I also need assessement and feedback for my classroom. I think it would be good to visit other schools to see how they may be reaching all of the students in my content area.

Chapter 10 Reflection
1) I want my students to learn from a variety of teaching methods that give them a variety of assessment opportunities and want each one to be pushed to their maximum level. I don't want to leave anyone behind in mastering the objectives but also don't want anyone bored with or not getting enough out of the course.
2) I hope to see alot of response from my students on mastery w/ responsive teaching. I will achieve this with detailed flowing lessons w/ reasonable objectives that aliqn to the standards/benchmarks and offer a wide variety of instruction. This should lead to better organization with unit alignments and a clear overall picture of overall class objectives. Reteaching will be a key aspect to continue the assessment of students reaching a learning point. I hope this will cut down on discipline w/ more engaging activities that meet the needs of all learners.
3) The data that is collected from a variety of assessment methods. When completing a semester I should be able to adjust lessons if needed to make them run smoother or hit a variety of learners. I will need to evaluate if my objectives were relevent to the work to acheive the knowledge of these objectives. Basically just constant self evaluation of my courses and the drive to constantly better my lessons and methods is the biggest thing I think one can do. Making the students an effective partner in their own success will be key in acheiving the overall goal.
4) Planning is # one. Without effective planning of lessons and relevent objectives it is hard to continue. I will begin with continued research and using some of the books video instruction advice as well as some of the website and any other sources that I can "copy" effective strategies. I feel that after this class I have the right knowledge to begin this research and to know what I want things to look like. I have already started a p.e. rubric and have worked to get the classes broken up into a more specific area. For example, in stead of calling classes high school pe we have aerobics, team sports, weight training, lifetime fitness. This will obtain more measurable objectives and allow me to make a better assessment on objectives. I feel that our staff is a great team to work with if I ever need assistance with anything and will help me to obtain continued support as well as the wave of information online. My evaluations from mr. foster have also given me an insight and starting point of where to go with things in my current courses.

Chapter 9 Reflection
1. In looking at the indicators, they all seem pretty important to me. Some of the indicators are new concepts introduced with the UbD/DI classrooms, but a few of them are things that the classroom teacher does naturally in the education process. There are a few of them that really stand out as more important for my class room.

The Learning Environment
Students deserve the right to be treated the same, and an important part of that is treating them with dignity and respect. The students will learn better and retain more if they feel they are safe and their work and opinions are valued by their teachers and peers. We need to hold the students accountable for high expectations and give them incentives to push themselves to a higher level of understanding. By allowing the students to work collaboratively, they can see the differences and similarities that they have with others and be allowed to see first hand a variety of perspectives on the content. By recognizing the different perspectives, it will open the door for high-level thinking.

The Curriculum
The most important indicators here are the ones dealing with the multiple ways to look at the concept and the multiple forms of assessment. Since we are trying to get more diverse, we need to reach out to all types of learners. We have to adapt our teaching to meet the needs of the students. Since they can learn in different ways, we need to be able to assess them in diffferent ways. We also need to keep an open mind to taking numerous assessments to allow the students to demonstrate understanding in their own way. We also need to allow them time to revisit and rethink so they can stay open minded to a concept. Teacher, peer, and self-evaluation gives them different sources of feedback which can help them meet their needs and goals.

The Teacher
In these indicators I once again feel the important one deals with the use of multiple ways to promote deeper understanding. The teacher needs to use a variety of strategies with all of the students. The teacher needs to help the students see the connection of their content with the students background, interest, and aspirations. Keeping the students interested in a concept is a key to developing a deeper understanding and promoting the big idea of the subject matter. The teacher must look at pre-assessment and ongoing assessments to provide necessary feetback and to make modifications to increase understanding. There needs to be continued questioning, probing, and feedback to keep the students moving toward a deeper understanding.

The Learners
I think an important indicator is that the students themselves can explain what they are doing and why. This will help them see the reason for understanding the information. By making the students be able to explain and justify their work and their anwswers, they are being held accountable. When they regularly reflect and assesses, they can adjust their goals and see their progess. This will help improve their work habits, therefore, improving and increasing understanding.

2. From all of the categories there were a few indicators that seemed of minimal importance or difficult to achieve.
The Learning Environment
Most of the indicators in this group seemed to has significant importance. The one problem I might see is working collaboratively. Some students just don't feel confident enough to work in a group. They either won't work in a group, they just sit there and let others do the work. I guess this would be an area that the teacher would have to design the lesson to keep them all engaged.

The Curriculum
These indicators all seemed to be important to me. They all deal with the what needs to be done to develop the UbD/DI classroom.

The Teacher
In my content I don't think providing numerous resources is necessary. The information in my classroom would be the same in all resources. The only difference might be the types of practices the student may have for understanding.

The Learners.
The indicator that I don't think is important is that all students have opportunities to generate relevant questions and share interests and perspectives. This just does not fit my content. I have trouble with the students giving feedback. I don't feel that students are will to go the extra step to use this indicator.

3. I feel that my strong point is the variety of instructional strategies that I use. I make an honest effort to look at the the assessments and make adjustments to reach more of the students. I also make the students realize why this information is necessary. I use examples from former students as to how they use my content area as they have moved on into high school and college. I think the students feel comfortable in my classroom and are willing to express their concerns about the information and look for feedback.

4. I do give the students some feedback, but I do not give them enough. I need to give more feedback as well as give a variety of assessments. My students need to be given more opportunity to demonstrate their understanding. I also need to find more activities that will help improve their understanding and challenge them to high-level thinking.

Chapter 9 Reflection
1) In the learning environment I feel that the following indicators are important for the success of each student in academically diverse school populations:
a)Each student is treated with dignity and respect- they need a feeling of fitting in to be successful
b)Each student feels safe and valued in the classroom- it is difficult to succeed when you don't feel safe and secure
c)Each student makes meaningful contributions to the work of the group- if you can't contribute you aren't very successful
d)varied student perspectives are sought and various approaches to learning are honored will enable success
e)Samples of student work is helpful to see the standard for which is set to reach
For the curriculum indicators:
a)using a variety of instructional strategies will hit the learning needs of all students
b)using a variety of strategies from a variety of subjects will allow the student to grow academically as whole.
c)The teacher uses a variety of resources will keep the students interest
the Learners indicators are as follows:
A)if all students can describe the goals it will mean that there is capable learning of all students
b)students contribute actively and share responsibility show that they can be successful
c)All students have opportunities to generate relevent questions and share interests
d)students can't be successful without being able to justify and explain their work
e)successful students will reflect on and set goals related to their acheivement progress and work habits.

these are the main ones that I thought but feel they are all important in a way.

2)for the learning environment i feel the following indicators are not as important to academically diverse situations
a)balanced emphasis on individuals and group as whole which i feel that more should be placed on the individual if they are diverse
b)big ideas, essential questions and criteria/scoring rubrics are posted

For the curriculum I feel that all are important in some way or another.

For the teacher category the only one i think to even consider is providing feedback to parents and students about progress and habits only because if they are successful they should be positive but it is needed to hear to grow and get praise

The learners category explaining how a classroom functions probably isn't a huge aspect of academic diversity but I am undecided on this one.

I feel that all of these indicators in all categories are positive to successful learning no matter how diverse. The ones I explained are the only ones I could try to dispute but am unclear on these being unimportant.

3)I feel my teaching is strongest is treating everyone with respect, feeling safe and valued, working together collaboratively, flexible grouping, units and courses reflect a design, multiple ways of instruction, I use a variety of resources(especially in first aid), Inform students of big ideas and essential questions, use variety of instructional strategies, pre assessments in p.e. with goal setting to re assess at new term, using a variety of resources, feedback to parents and students on progress, students can describe big ideas of unit, full class engagement on activities to better understanding, all students have opportunities to generate questions and share interests

4) I would like to improve in the areas of not allowing disrespectful work, need more high level thinking for over acheivers, allowing students to revisit and rethink important ideas to deepen understanding, i don't routinely provide for students difference in readiness and interest, could be better with feedback, could be better with group work criteria,

Chapter 9 Reflection
1. All four categories (environment, curriculum, teacher, and learner)of indicators are essential in supporting the success of academically-diverse students. To comment on the learning environment, if students don't feel safe and respected, they will not work to their full potential. As for the curriculum, I like the idea of using a variety of resources in the classroom, having peer and self-evaluations, giving multiple assessments, and demonstrating "authentic" performances. Each student is unique in how he or she can learn and in which way he or she will demonstrate understanding of the curriculum. When looking through the teacher indicators, I felt that a key point that Tomlinson and McTighe made was to "provide meaningful feedback to parents and students about students' achievement, progress, and work habits" (p. 164). If the teacher and students don't have parental support, it's tough to motivate students to put forth 100% effort. Finally, from the learner perspective, active engagement, justification of their work, regular reflections, and goal setting seem crucial to student success.

2. One of the indicators that would be difficult to achieve without a strong emphasis on understanding-based curriculum is the one that states, "All students have respectful work tasks that are equally appealing and engaging to learners" (Tomlinson & McTighe, 2006, p. 162). The word that bothers me is "equally" because what is apealing to one student doesn't necessarily hold true for another student. From the curriculum standpoint, it is a difficult and time-consuming job for the teacher to "include clear criteria and performance standards for the group as well as attention to individual needs and goals" (Tomlinson & McTighe, 2006, p. 163). When teachers have 100 students or more a day, individual attention to each student seems nearly impossible! As a teacher, it also seems like a tough task to "hook and hold students' interests (Tomlinson & McTighe, 2006, p. 163). Because of the diverse backgrounds of students, it isn't easy to capture every students' interests. Also, on page 164 when Tomlinson and McTighe state that "students can explain what they are doing and why", once again depends on each student. Sometimes it doesn't matter how many times a teacher explains the importance of what students are learning, the students refuse to go beyond the shallow reasoning of "I have to do this because the teacher says so". One of the indicators that seems to be just a part of desirable teaching practice is that "each student is treated with dignity and respect" (Tomlinson & McTighe, 2006, p. 162). However, I've known many students who didn't want to go to a certain class because the teacher would belittle them in front of their classmates.

3. On a personal level, I try hard to make students feel safe and valued while still holding high expectations for them. I go as far as incorporating some human relations activities in some of my classes so that students know I care about them beyond the academic level. Another strong area for me is trying to connect the curriculum with students' backgrounds and interests. This is predominantly done through journal writng and reflections. This has brought up some very thought-provoking discussions over the years! Lastly, I like to incorportate a variety of teaching strategies (cooperative learning, projects, higher-order questions, etc.)in all of my classes. I would never lecture for an entire class period!

4. As educators, we always have room for improvement. Teaching in the 21st century has a lot of challenges! One area I need to work on is letting students know at the "beginning" of a unit how they will be evaluated. Another area I could improve upon would be "helping students establish and achieve personal learning goals in addition to important content goals for the class as a whole" (Tomlinson & McTighe, 2006, p. 163). It's a critical component of teaching Second Chance Reading, but I need to do more goal-setting in all of my classes, not just one. Teaching is a life-long learning experience that hopefully helps us become more effective teachers each year we work with and guide our students to become successful citizens in a globally-diverse world.

Chapter 8 Reflection
1. Our current grading system gives a letter grade according to a grading scale. In my class the grades are weighted according to several categories (tests, daily, quizzes, etc.) Once a week I update my grades, so the students and parents can see the most current grade. In this system, we are allowed to put in comments of concern and postivie comments. If I do have concerns, I contact the parents about the grades to keep them informed and work together to get better results. This method communicates what the grade is and what the teacher feels needs to be done to improve grades.

2. If the grades are kept current, they are accurate as to how the student it doing. It may or may not tell a parent where the student is struggling and how to help the student. It is simply a grade reflecting how much knowledge the student has on a subject or even a particular area that is being covered at that time. If a student does not hand in an assignment, they get a zero. That zero indicates that the work was not completed. It is not a fair way to monitor the student's knowledge of the content. If the grade is updated, then it would be considered accurate, even though it may not be a fair assessment of the actual knowledge.

3. I grade my students all the same. Their grade is figured on the number they got right out of the total possible points attempted. Some students are given more time to complete assignments, and some are given extra help to get the assignment completed. The assessement for tests and daily work are the same for all students. In some case extra credit work is available. If a student has an IEP, the guidelines set up are followed. Usually the high achievers just don't get the same help as the other students. I attempt to answer all the questions posed by any type of learner.

4. This current grading system works best for the high achiever. Looking at it closely, the current grading system gives the low achiever a greater chance for failure. They simply grade on what the student knows or does not know. It does not take into account the effort or improvement that a student shows from the beginning of a chapter to the end. It just shows how much knowledge has been attained during the time that the chapter has been covered. It shows who can best memorize, but it does know truly show the amount of effort put into the learning process.