In a way that is what we are doing when we backward plan. We are unpacking standards to develop learning intentions and success criteria that mark your path through a unit of study
Teachers are designers. It is essential that we design curriculum and learning experiences that are intended for specific purposes. We are also the designers of assessments to diagnose student needs to guide our teaching and to enable us, our students, and others (parents and administrators) to determine whether our goals have been achieved; that is, did the students learn and understand the desired knowledge. Grant Wiggins
Backward planning asks you to start with the standards rather than textbooks or favorite activities. You write the goals and assessments using the standards and then utilize instruction and activity (learning evidence) called for by the standards. This process provides the framework to help us identify teaching and learning priorities that correlate to the needs of our students.
I'm very excited to begin this journey with you. The research around clarity in teaching is solid. You have the opportunity to double the rate of growth within one year when you consistently present content in clear and concise ways.
Today as you work together look for the cairns in your work. You and your team are the key in the journey. Mark your path with progressions and learning intentions/success criteria. Find your way through assessment and discussion of student work.
This year I feel I am progressing along side my team in a few areas. One area is refining our learning intentions to be more standard based versus activity based and therefore refining success criteria, as well. We are also working to use student work to guide decision making and reteaching when needed. Our collaboration and open communication has been key to our progress as a team.
ReplyDeleteRachelle - I think I have improved alongside my team as we have begun diving deeper into student work in order to identify what students have an understanding of, and where the gaps are. I think I have improved in starting with the standards first in developing our lessons, rather than the resources that have been given to us. I think this has helped the students in working towards success and deeper understanding of the standard, rather than success of the activity. I also think this has helped refine the direction that the students are headed, which helps them have a better understanding of what is expected.
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ReplyDeleteBackwards planning gives us the opportunity to unpack the standard. This is beneficial to students and teachers because it can help us assess how a student is progressing through the standard. If the student can do part of the success criteria, than we can react and work with them/create a group, working on the other parts of the standard. This also helps us better navigate using wonders and bridges to highlight activities that work towards mastery of the standard. We can use the standards not only during assessment, but through daily work as well.
The 4th grade team is looking deeper at the standards we are teaching in math. This is helping our students reach achievement because we are then looking deeper into the Bridges lessons to eliminate the parts that don't correlate to the standard being taught. This allows for more time to focus on the standard that is being taught.
ReplyDeleteBackwards planning gives us the opportunity, alongside our team, to dive into the standards. This allows us to see the end result for the students and the roadmap to get there. This guides our teaching along the way, learning intentions & success criteria, for a deeper understanding.
ReplyDeleteBackward planning starts with the big picture. It has been beneficial to focus on the end goal and then discuss with my team what it takes for our students meet or exceed the standard.
ReplyDeleteDew: Our team has been working through our math standards and it has been beneficial for us to identify the steps "cairns" along the way as they work to meet the overall standard.
ReplyDeleteMillar- Something that I think that I have grown in along with my team is looking at the standard that we are working on instead of only looking at the resource. I think that this is helping me be able to better understand what is expected of the students and when it is expected. It is also beneficial when we bring student work in while we are looking at the standard to see where possible misconceptions are. I think overall backwards planning helps me to better understand where students are heading and not just focus on the day to day lessons.
ReplyDeleteEngaging in the process of backwards planning has been so beneficial. Taking the time to truly understand the standard by unpacking it helps ensure that each lesson is taught with the true intent. It also helps to filter out things in the resource that might be unnecessary (and we might have otherwise been caught up in them and taken our lessons in a different direction). It's a work in progress, but time well spent!
ReplyDeleteLooking at standards helps to deepen my own understanding of what students are able to do, and how they can progress through the learning to arrive at the end results (proficiency of the end of the year standard). This allows for focused teaching, and collaborative conversations about what it means to be proficient, possible misconceptions, back pocket success criteria to use with some students who either need to be challenged or need more support. Discussing standards with others helps to increase individual understanding and create shared understanding to provide equitable learning for all students within a grade level. The collaborative piece has really helped to further my understanding of grade level standards by considering perspectives and ideas of others to blend into my own understanding.
ReplyDeleteBackwards planning has helped both myself and my team look at the bigger picture by looking at the standard rather than get caught up in the story or lesson. I am anxious to continue this journey as we analyze student work and do the work ourselves to find the misconceptions students may encounter along the way.
ReplyDeleteIt has been so beneficial for my team and I to really dig deep into the standards and start unpacking them. We have realized how wrapped up we were getting in the task at hand versus looking at the bigger picture (the standard). I am anxious to start diving deeper into backwards planning as I now have a new outlook on planning in general and the overall goal we are trying to reach. It is helping me change my focus from a task based one to a standards based on, which effects all aspects of my teaching in a good way.
ReplyDeleteI feel like I'm progressing with my team when we read and work together at unpacking the standards. It helps to focus the whole lesson on the standard, and decide if parts of lessons are necessary. This makes such a clearer picture for me and with help me be clear to the students with the learning intention and success criteria.
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