So what? That made the most sense to me when reading the chapter on “Crafting Understanding”. If you really think about it, what difference does it make what we teach students unless there’s an answer for the, “So what?” question. Reading Understanding by Design handbook really makes me reflect upon what I am teaching, why I am teaching what I currently teach and what I should be teaching.
I teach three different classes, English to special education students, Algebra with some special education students in the class and an academic support class for all special education students. As bad as it sounds, I am one of those teachers who instruct what I was given to teach. I follow the curriculum. Do I think my students understand what they should? Like Bob James, there are those students who can ace my quizzes and tests, but when given something to perform that challenges their understanding, they are not the students who would be the best performers.
Enduring understanding requires making inferences drawn from facts. Many of my students have a very difficult time making connections. Many students do not have the knowledge or skill (yet) to analyze information and create new knowledge from it themselves. They are so used to being given facts to use, memorize and spit back. One supervisor even told the staff that we make “better special education students”. Although I was angered at the time, I have come to realize that there is a time for these students must be able to learn how to learn, to learn how to think independently and how to hopefully create understandings that are designed by the teacher.
Who knew that there was so much in creating lessons. When I was initially trained to be a teacher here at Montclair State we weren’t taught much in regard to methodology (early 90s). Now that I’m here again, being trained on how to be an administrator, I think I’m becoming a better teacher. Many of these classes have helped me change what I currently do in the classroom. Hopefully, this new “understanding” of what it takes to be an effective teacher (designer) will help me lead teachers to their own understanding of how lessons and units can be designed to assist students in their own learning process.
I’m looking forward to redesigning a unit on writing a research paper. I’m going to try to design it using the UbD method. While reading this information, I always have that topic in my mind. So what? So why do special education students need to research and write a paper? Students should understand that other experts’ research can assist them in proving a point. (That’s my first attempt at framing understandings for a research paper.)
“Because existing misconceptions get in the way of understanding, and they have to be recognized and rooted out” (Wiggins, 142). This statement, although hidden within a paragraph in Chapter 6, resonated with me. My own misconceptions are in the middle of being weeded, the roots are slowly getting pulled out.
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3 comments:
Too often students write research papers and they do not know the reasons why they are writing it. You made a good point in explaining to students the reason why they should use other people's knowledge to better their own knowledge and understanding of certain issues. It is definetely important that students understand the importance of doing whatever task they are assigned to do.
Mary, you always make good points and relate the issue at hand to your own experience. I had to agree with you when your supervisor came to you and said, "we need to make better special ed students." What exactly does that mean? And how?
I think sometimes we lose sight of what really matters in education, that we are imparting knowledge that students can actually use in their own lives, not just for the present, but hopefully down the line into the future. For what is the purpose of teaching kids anything if they will forget it ten minutes later?
Great points!
I feel that making connections is something that is essential for a student in a classroom. Making connections and transferring knowledge is probably the most important thing a students can learn how to do. I feel that when students make connections they show their teachers that they are listening and learning.
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