During the learning the process it is very common to face up all kind of questions referring, for example to our knowledge and the lack of it. Those questions give meaning to our learning which could be focused on stimulate thought, to suggest inquiry and to give space to think about more different questions. Besides, those questions suggest emphasize the big ideas which allow learners to find out their own way of learning throughout theories, concepts, topics, issues, problem solutions, etc.
Firstly, the idea of questioning tries to make the learner focus on the reasoning than in answering with short answers to yes or no questions. For example, the teacher suggests a History test about the economical crisis the world is facing today. Here the teacher could review the contents with students during a certain time (two classes). After that the students have to face a test with content questions such as; does the economical crisis affect every country in the world? However, even that question is according to what they reviewed during the lessons; it does not suggest critical thinking from students. What is more, an essential question pointing out to the focus on the critical thinking of students should be one like: how does the economical crisis affect your normal family life? With that kind of questions students will be able to think beyond what they have learned in classes and try to think how they relate that topic with their own lives.
On the other hand, we have some ideas to describe essential questions. For instance, we can think of the questions which give us knowledge for the rest of our lives and such as questions which can be discussable by generations. Besides, we have those questions which point out to the main ideas or contents that are common knowledge and which can be debated by too many different fields. Then we find those kinds of questions which refer to idea if being helpful for students to realize about some topics and make a “click” in their knowledge. In the last place of essential questions association there are the kinds of questions that call the learners’ attention and invite them to learn more about it.
Finally, learners are able to develop their own learning skills throughout questions which try to evidence the learner comprehension. For instance, there is a kind of question that focus on the key concepts showing if the student is able to say that comprehended certain content. Then, there are questions related to the purpose and values of contents, to the strategy the learner can take from the content and how the learner can place the context according to the reality it is facing at.
In conclusion, the essential questions enable the learner to build his/her own knowledge by putting in practice the critical thinking each one of us has.
sábado, 16 de mayo de 2009
domingo, 3 de mayo de 2009
Chapter I: Backward Design
This is the first chapter of the book “Understanding by Design”. We have been reviewing different chapter of this book by giving some explanations and our perceptions about each chapter. The chapters reviewed before allow us to place the design in validity and criteria concepts into the teaching and learning process.
Now, this chapter tries to place us in the idea of teachers as designers of understanding. This text proposes ideas such as the teacher is a designer of education who must be mindful to their audiences and the most important idea is that a pertinent design has to do with the fact that learning should be more thoughtful and specific according to the objectives and purposes. Besides, this chapter provides three stages of backward design which focus on the main points in order to have a good design of a class.
The backward concept has to do with the challenge of focusing the lesson on the desired learning that a teacher should follow. On other words, it is the same to say that a good designer obtain backward from the learning expected. When we have the specific desires results we are able to focus on the contents, methodology to use and activities to practice in order to achieve the results.
Here we can find a real fact according to what happens with some teachers. For instance, the text explains that some teachers prepare their lessons in an inappropriate way focusing on what they will do, the material they will use and what students will do, before thinking on what the learner really needs in order to achieve the goals thought before by the teacher. When teachers do not have clear their purposes students realize about it, but they just hope the meaning will emerge on time.
The three stages of backward design are the followings: the first one is identify desired results, the second one is determine acceptable evidence, and the third one is plan leaning experiences and instruction. Those stages drive the teachers to make their goals specific and concrete in terms of assessment evidence and the lessons planning.
The text explains that the first stage of identifying desired results focus on the idea of think on the goals, examine the students’ background and review curriculum expectations in order to have clear our purposes. The second stage, determine acceptable evidence, refers to way how teachers get the evidence that students are learning and understanding. Here it is important that the teacher should collect the assessments made throughout the course which could show that the desired learning has been approached. The last stage, plan learning experiences and instruction, give us the conception of knowing the exact kind of activities or procedures students should take in order to perform effectively and achieve expected results.
On the other hand, the chapter provides a backward design template which helps teacher to have an overall view of the design, to know if the assessments and learning activities have to do with the identified goals, and finally it helps to place the teacher into the learners’ interests.
In conclusion, this chapter provides us interesting ideas of the backward design which allow the teacher to have better ideas at the time they have to design and plan a lesson. The three stages of backward design are based on: first of all think of the desired results of a lesson, and then determine what are the suitable ways of assessment of that learning and finally the planning of meaningful and activities in order that students could achieve the teacher desired result.
Now, this chapter tries to place us in the idea of teachers as designers of understanding. This text proposes ideas such as the teacher is a designer of education who must be mindful to their audiences and the most important idea is that a pertinent design has to do with the fact that learning should be more thoughtful and specific according to the objectives and purposes. Besides, this chapter provides three stages of backward design which focus on the main points in order to have a good design of a class.
The backward concept has to do with the challenge of focusing the lesson on the desired learning that a teacher should follow. On other words, it is the same to say that a good designer obtain backward from the learning expected. When we have the specific desires results we are able to focus on the contents, methodology to use and activities to practice in order to achieve the results.
Here we can find a real fact according to what happens with some teachers. For instance, the text explains that some teachers prepare their lessons in an inappropriate way focusing on what they will do, the material they will use and what students will do, before thinking on what the learner really needs in order to achieve the goals thought before by the teacher. When teachers do not have clear their purposes students realize about it, but they just hope the meaning will emerge on time.
The three stages of backward design are the followings: the first one is identify desired results, the second one is determine acceptable evidence, and the third one is plan leaning experiences and instruction. Those stages drive the teachers to make their goals specific and concrete in terms of assessment evidence and the lessons planning.
The text explains that the first stage of identifying desired results focus on the idea of think on the goals, examine the students’ background and review curriculum expectations in order to have clear our purposes. The second stage, determine acceptable evidence, refers to way how teachers get the evidence that students are learning and understanding. Here it is important that the teacher should collect the assessments made throughout the course which could show that the desired learning has been approached. The last stage, plan learning experiences and instruction, give us the conception of knowing the exact kind of activities or procedures students should take in order to perform effectively and achieve expected results.
On the other hand, the chapter provides a backward design template which helps teacher to have an overall view of the design, to know if the assessments and learning activities have to do with the identified goals, and finally it helps to place the teacher into the learners’ interests.
In conclusion, this chapter provides us interesting ideas of the backward design which allow the teacher to have better ideas at the time they have to design and plan a lesson. The three stages of backward design are based on: first of all think of the desired results of a lesson, and then determine what are the suitable ways of assessment of that learning and finally the planning of meaningful and activities in order that students could achieve the teacher desired result.
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