Course Reflection

This class challenged me way beyond what I could have imagined. This is a good thing. The readings were essential to the concept of adapting our curriculums to meet the needs of our students today. I was hesitant at the thought of having to read the books but once I began reading, I realized how pertinent they were to the topic. As far as the hybrid concept, I walked out of the first class wondering how I was going to pull it off, being as unsophisticated on the computer as I am. With each assignment, I gained more confidence and self-esteem as I was able to interact with my classmates using 21st century technology. I also liked how Dr. B. made us collaborate with other classmates on the specific assignments. This prevented me from procrastinating on the projects, as I didn't want to let my classmates down. (That was a neat trick, by the way, Doc.) Another thing about taking this course is that it provided stimulation for my teaching, once again proving that you CAN teach an old dog new tricks.

Curriculum Reflections

When I began my research for this assignment, I asked my building principal for a copy of the Physical Education curriculum for Harrison High School.  He sort of chuckled and told me to call the Curriculum Coordinator.  I put in a call to the Coordinator and his reply to me was, "Oh, that was the one we got in trouble for during a state evaluation."  To make a long story short--we had NO curriculum for Health and Physical Education Grades 9-12.  How is this possible that an Abbott School District, frequently monitored by the state, does not have a curriculum?  I was flabbergasted to say the least.  Then my emotions began to change to that of being outraged.  It was like a slap in the face to me as a professional with thirty years of teaching experience that this omission could be possible.  Would this have occurred in the areas of English, Math, or Science?  I think not.  I certainly understand the importance of these fields, but Physical Education is no longer glorified recess!  There is nothing more vital than educating students in the life skills needed to sustain wellness throughout their lives.

So the "change" in our curriculum would begin from the ground up.  I went about establishing the curriculum by using the theory of essential questioning as in the UbD approach.  What would the students need to know in regard to learning how to formulate a personal fitness plan for life?

My new curriculum plan, which I will indeed present to the building principal and Central Office, will steer P.E. away from the predominance of team sports and games to one that stresses  more vigorous individual activities.

In researching this assignment, I have found model programs that exist in the United States that have integrated technology into the gymnasium.  These programs have taken advantage of grant money that exist for P.E. programs.  We should look into this.

Three years ago,the State of New Jersey built a new Harrison High School, with computers in every classroom, sixty-inch flat screen televisions in every classroom (except the Health class-- we just got a smaller television installed this year.)  In the P.E. wing they gave us an unfurnished weight room that cannot accommodate the average sized P.E. class.  Doesn't anybody realize that our students are at risk.  They are heavier and less active than ever before. Just as they employ all the tactics and techniques to enable our students to pass the HSPA, why can't we have the necessary tools and equipment to enable our students in P.E. to pass fitness assessments?

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Our readings in class sound the alarm for educators to adapt or we will perish in the global economy.  If our children do not get more fit, the economic price tag will be staggering from the health problems that obesity causes.

      

Results Now

Dear Faculty,

As your building principal, I am implementing a change in regard to our monthly faculty meetings.  In lieu of these meetings, I will now be requiring each department to meet so that faculty members can collaborate during this time. Careful, collective planning is bound to result in lessons that will produce far better assessment results (p.112 ).  We need to communicate with each other to discuss effective teaching techniques. For instance, modeling and step-by-step demonstration of new skills is essential and should be addressed during your meetings. Colleagues should work together to come up with effective models to present to their students.  This team approach hopefully will get you to see the big picture; that teamwork, not training, fosters continuous, targeted attention to the details and the impact of effective lessons and units (p.111 ).

This common planning time should allow teachers to collaboratively improve lessons and assessments-- which would have a direct and immediate impact on student learning (p.32 ). 

With this change in procedure that I am instituting,  I am looking for exceptional leadership, teaming, clear standards, and accountability.   In combination, these factors guarantee that any school will make rapid, substantial improvement (p.45 ).

I believe that working together as professionals we can collaborate between veteran teachers and novice teachers. We should be able  to incorporate the experience of the veteran teachers combined with the latest techniques and strategies that novices coming out of college can share. " If we leave virtually every instructional choice up to individual teachers who work alone, then inferior practices will dominate most schools." ( Haycook, 2005)

We must remember that as the needs of our students change, we as educators must be able and willing to change in order to be effective.  

Respectfully,

Lawrence J. Manning

What a difference a word makes

Two little words, for and of, switch them in a statement and wow, what a difference it truly makes.  I agree that yearly testing is not the answer for assessing student performance. There must be other measurements throughout the school year so that students that are falling behind could be remediated rather than waiting to the end of the school year and fail a standardized test.  It isn't realistic to have more summative testing.  The monetary aspect alone would be too costly.  The time spent testing takes away from classroom instruction.  

I agree with the assessment for learning approach because "students and their teachers become partners in the classroom assessment process, relying on student-involved assessment, record keeping, and communication to help students understand what success looks like, see where they are now, and learn to close the gap between the two." ( Stiggins & Chappuis, 2006, p11)  This format shows the students what they need to learn and how their progress is going to be measured.  This should make the students more accountable for their success and fosters a positive relationship between teacher and student.

The authors claim that research has shown that the assessment for learning approach         " ' has yielded remarkable, if not unprecedented, gains in student achievement, especially for low achievers.' " ( Stiggins & Chappuis, 2006, p11)   This format has been successful at different grade levels and subject areas.  How about that for No Child Left Behind.

  Unfortunately, I agree with the authors in that the skills that a teacher needs to implement this format are not taught at the college level.  In addition, administrators aren't taught assessment training either.  Where are we going to get these skills?  Currently there is no easy way to fix this problem.  According to the authors, workshops and professional developments aren't effective methods of learning this approach. I agree that a monumental change such as this will require much more time than a few workshops or professional developments.  It can only be integrated by a combination of factors such as having education majors learning the assessment for learning method, and new teachers entering the profession mentoring experienced teachers.  Hands on learning can be just as effective for teachers as well as students.  

Reference:

Stiggins, R. & Chappuis, J. ( 2006). What a Difference a Word Makes. National Staff Development Council, 27 (1), 10-14.

Comments on UbD Plan

After being relieved that I wasn't the reason that I couldn't publish my plan on the class wiki, I can now reflect on the association between Ubd and T.W.I.F. and " Did You Know."  Putting together this unit plan involved a great deal of thought process on my part.  I will admit that I am an old school "Chalk and talk" type of classroom teacher who is usually satisfied when students are able to spit back information to me.  Times have changed.  Students have changed.  My teaching day has changed ( block scheduling).  I have to come up with ways to engage my students because if I am going to continue to teach these students today the way I did yesterday, I will not be doing them or myself any good.  One of the positives of teaching in a block schedule is that i have become more creative in my teaching approach in able to keep my students entertained, for lack of a better term.  If we can get them to use more critical thinking skills and participate in meaningful class discussion, among other essential tasks, we stand a greater chance of preparing them to be able the challenges that lie ahead of them in the 21st century.  Furthermore, I agree with the NJ CCCS phraseology that includes accountability on a global scale. 

Ubd Plan

Understanding By Design Lesson Template

Title of Lesson	The Six Essential Nutrients		Grade Level	11th Grade
Curriculum Area	Health Education		Time Frame	3 Blocks
Developed By	Lawrence Manning
Identify Desired Results (Stage 1)
Content Standards
2.1.12.B.3 Students will analyze the unique contributions of each nutrient class to one’s health.
Understandings			Essential Question(s)
Overarching Understanding			Overarching		Topical
How the food that you eat affects your health in many ways—how you look and feel, how well you resist disease, and even how well you perform mentally and physically.			In many cultures, people get little protein from animal sources. How might these people obtain the protein they need? If a person’s diet does not contain enough iron, his or her tissues may not get all the oxygen they need . Explain why this is so. How can your diet today affect your future health?		How does diet affect cholesterol levels in the blood? What does it mean to say that food is nutrient-dense? What roles does water play in the body? What are some ways that people with high blood pressure can reduce their sodium intake? How is metabolism related to the nutrients in food? Why is it important for teens to get enough calcium?
Related Misconceptions
Fats are “bad” because of all the talk of low-fat diets. Foods that are high in calories are unhealthy. Vegetarian diets are low in protein. As part of a healthy diet, people need to take dietary supplements.
Knowledge Students will know…			Skills Students will be able to…
The three classes of nutrients that supply your body with energy. Identify the two main classes of vitamins. List seven minerals your body needs in significant amounts.			Explain how the body obtains energy from food. Describe the roles that fats, carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, minerals, and water play in your body.
Assessment Evidence (Stage 2)
Other Evidence
1.In their journals, have students list foods they typically eat that are high in saturated fats. Have students make another list of foods that are high in trans fats. Then challenge the students to list some changes they could make to their diet to lower their intake of fats. 2.Have students bring in empty food boxes from a variety of foods that students typically eat. Distribute the items to small groups of students. Each group should analyze the foods’ carbohydrates content and determine whether each food group is a better source of sugars or starches. Groups should also compare the amount of fiber in each food. Using the empty food boxes, identify foods that are enriched with vitamins. Have students identify which vitamins are added to foods and in what amounts. Discuss why food manufacturers might add vitamins to foods. 3.Present students with this scenario: You are thinking of becoming a vegan, but you are concerned about how to include enough water-soluble vitamins in your diet. Ask: Which water-soluble vitamin might be most difficult to obtain from your diet? Where would you go for trustworthy information about the safety of vegan diets? What foods would be important to include in your diet?
Learning Plan (Stage 3)
Where are your students headed? Where have they been? How will you make sure the students know where they are going?		Students recognize what nutrients are. How does the body get these from the food we eat.
How will you hook students at the beginning of the unit?		Survey students knowledge of food and nutrition. Address any misconceptions while teaching this section.
What events will help students experience and explore the big idea and questions in the unit? How will you equip them with needed skills and knowledge?		Have students prepare a menu for one day that emphasizes the need for the essential nutrients.
How will you cause students to reflect and rethink? How will you guide them in rehearsing, revising, and refining their work?		List vocabulary terms on the board, and have students give facts about each term.
How will you help students to exhibit and self-evaluate their growing skills, knowledge, and understanding throughout the unit?		Students will write five questions that relate to section objectives. Have students exchange questions with a partner and answer them.
How will you tailor and otherwise personalize the learning plan to optimize the engagement and effectiveness of ALL students, without compromising the goals of the unit?		Have students find and share recipes for dishes that have complementary plant proteins, such as rice and beans. Have students create a bulletin board display of simple and complex carbohydrates.
How will you organize and sequence the learning activities to optimize the engagement and achievement of ALL students?		Cooperative learning, Differentiated instruction,Teacher demo,Class discussion, Guided notes, Active learning

FrAdditional commentsom: Wiggins, Grant and J. Mc Tighe. (1998). Understanding by Design, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development

ISBN # 0-87120-313-8 (ppk)

Reflection questions:

Well, I must say that this was not an easy assignment. There was a lot of thinking that I needed to do to address the areas presented by the UbD format. I currently prepare a lesson plan daily that includes an assessment that generally takes me about ten minutes to construct. This unit plan,which incorporates three block classes, took me about three hours to complete with the assistance of the teachers edition and the teaching resource book on my lap. Keep in mind that I have been teaching this content for 31 years. Not an easy assignment!

Assessment for Learning Around the World

In reading Darling-Hammond and McCloskey (2008), one gets the notion that the onus on a child's academic assessment in highly ranked educational systems around the world is where it should be--in the hands of the teachers.  The methods used in these countries "turns out to be an important way of enabling strong teacher participation and ensuring high-quality local assessment"(Darling & McCloskey, 2008, p.264).  This format has also been found to improve curriculum.  The main reason for this success can be attributed to one factor in my opinion-teacher involvement!  Here in New Jersey, it would be nice to see some control over student assessment given to the classroom teacher. 

"Assessment abroad involves teachers in developing and scoring intellectually challenging performance tasks that are embedded in and guide instruction, providing grist for feedback, student self-evaluation, and learning"(Darling & McCloskey, 2008, p.271). I strongly believe that more control of assessments should be made locally, definitely within the guidelines of the state.  The United States is too diverse to impose national standards of achievement. There are students from every corner of the globe here in Hudson County alone that present a challenge to educators in regard to language barriers, cultural differences, and where English is not the primary language spoken at home. Many times these children come from families where there is a lack of formal education at home.  My point is that these students may be deemed not proficient by standardized testing because of the reasons listed above, but may stand a chance academically  if their knowledge would be assessed in another format.

  The authors contend that the high-achieving countries "rely largely on open-ended items that require students to analyze, apply knowledge, and write extensively (Darling & McCloskey,2008, p.264).  After reading Thomas Friedman and Daniel Pink, it is clear that these are essential attributes that American students will need if we are to remain competitive in the global marketplace.

In Sweden, teachers are required to do post graduate work in content and in education that is financed by the government.  I would like to see this intense training instituted beginning with all undergraduate education majors.   The changes that need to be done must start from the ground up. We have to teach tomorrow's teachers to be able to provide a new vision for assessing our students other than standardized tests. 

While I agree that we need to change our methods of assessment to improve curriculum, I am also concerned about the subjective grading of the assessment.  Who is to assess the assessors?

In many other countries, the teachers are developing their assessment tests.  These "classroom tasks ensure that students have the kind of learning opportunities that prepare them for assessments"(Darling & McCloskey, 2008, p.269).  Here in New Jersey, teachers can't even see what is on the standardized test under penalty of death.  Every test is sealed and secured until the student breaks it open on test day.  How does a teacher know if they have been preparing the students properly if they have no input into formulating the assessment?  What about feedback?  You don't even get the scores back until the following school year (ASK 4) or late in the school year(HSPA).

This changing of our assessment method will be a monumental task.  It will not be easy or quick.  Perhaps it can begin in schools today through meaningful professional development where the focus of teaching changes from teaching to the test to developing greater learning.

Reference:

Darling-Hammond, L., & McCloskey, L. (2008). Assessment for Learning Around the World:  What Would It Mean To Be Internationally Competitive? Phi Delta Kappan, December, 263-272.