Understanding by Design

It requires intentionality to prepare learners to have curiosity and a questioning disposition. As stated in Rethinking Learning: The 21st Century Learner, no student naturally produces media and behind every digital native, it can be traced back to a parent or a program that inspired them (2010). We need to create those opportunities and those programs for our learners. Providing discovery-based lessons and collaborative environments is an effective way to create strong 21st-century learners.

A great way to ensure we are creating a significant learning environment that supports students in becoming successful digital natives, is by using Wiggin’s and McTighe’s (2005) Understanding by Design Model. This model provides an excellent framework that supports planning with the end in mind. The design model does a fantastic job of framing the unit so that st our learners and teacher both are aware of how the learning contributes to the end goal.

I previously created a 3-column course map (Fink, 2005) which supported teachers in ensuring students were receiving what they needed throughout each stage of the learning process. The Understanding by Design Model (UbD) and Fink’s 3-column course map both lead teachers to success in organizing meaningful content for students. The UbD model focuses on supporting teachers through each stage of backwards design (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005, p. 23). In contrast, Fink’s 3-column course map provides learners with what the course will require of them and it allows students to take ownership over meeting the course expectations. The UbD model provides a lot more details and requires teachers to hone-in on learning goals while they work through identifying each step of the learning process.

Utilizing both frameworks will provide educators with a strong foundation for ensuring we create strong 21st-century learners through our significant learning environments. As I work towards implementing my innovation plan, designing meaningful courses and significant learning environments will be a necessity in order to succeed with the innovation plan. Intentionally spending time creating and designing the courses and each unit I teach will really allow me to make sure I am laying the foundation to allow for students to reap the most benefit from the innovation plan.

See my unit organized in UbD’s three stages below:

.

References

Fink, L. D. (2005). A self-directed guide to designing courses for significant learning. Retrieved from: https://www.deefinkandassociates.com/GuidetoCourseDesignAug05.pdf

Lichtman, G. (2013, March 20). What 60 schools can tell us about Teaching 21st Century SKILLS: Grant lichtman at TEDxDenverTeachers. Retrieved March 27, 2021, from https://youtu.be/UZEZTyxSl3g

21St century education vs. 20th century education. (2009, April 02). Retrieved March 27, 2021, from https://youtu.be/HiD1UqLPrOg

Rethinking learning: The 21st century learner: Macarthur foundation [Video file]. (2010, December 01). Retrieved March 27, 2021, from https://youtu.be/c0xa98cy-Rw

Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.