Core Practice #3 |
|
It’s been a little while since I’ve had a free moment to sit and write. I hope everyone’s school year is going well and your students are making progress toward proficiency!
Core Practice 3 is: “Design lessons and tasks that have functional goals and objectives, to include specifying clearly the language and activities needed to support and meet the communicative objective” (Glisan, PowerPoint, 2015). This can best be summarized by the term Backward Design.
If you haven’t implemented Backward Design into your planning yet, I highly encourage you to start! In the grand scheme of things, Backward Design is a fairly easy practice to put into place. A lot of organizations, like ACTFL, have done a lot of work so you don’t have to. All you need to do is change your perspective and reap the benefits! As always, start small. Decide to plan one unit this way, or even one lesson. If you want to see how effective they are because you aren’t convinced, find some units that people have posted online and try those. You won’t regret it!
According to Wiggins and McTighe in Understanding by Design (2005), there are three steps in Backward Design. They are:
Planning with these steps in mind, one can’t help but guide students toward proficiency! The map for success is laid out; students and teacher know the final destination and what needs to be done along the way. It’s a drastic change from the past when planning started with the vocabulary and grammar to be covered. (Culture was usually an additional element, thrown in along the way.) Teachers knew what had to be taught, had their favorite learning activities, and probably used assessments that were vocab and grammar-rich. Students learned about the language with this method, but their proficiency didn’t necessarily improve. Culture may have been an afterthought and learning experiences were likely more presentational speaking (think presenting on a project from class), interpretive reading (literature, almost exclusively), and presentational writing (likely essays and dialogues). Notice that the learning experiences mentioned were neither real-world nor truly communicative. More on this later.
To put Backward Design into more relatable language, think about the following. Imagine that you find yourself at a farmer’s market on a crisp autumn Saturday morning. All around you there are fresh vegetables and fruit, artisanal breads and cheese, grass-fed meats, and other seasonal foods. During the course of the morning, you manage to procure a bag of apples, some honey and jam, fennel, beets, a loaf of spicy cheese bread, some beef jerky, and goat cheese. There was so much wonderful food, you had to take advantage, right? While it was a wonderful morning spent outdoors, you return home tired and hungry. You have some wonderful things to eat, but how will you prepare them? Without planning ahead of time, you are left with a fairly strange lunch!
Now imagine you had several recipes and a meal plan in mind, and then went to the farmer’s market. Not only would you be able to make some wonderful, fresh purchases, but they would all serve a purpose, produce tasty results, and you will save time and money!
I don’t know about you, but with the increased emphasis on testing, district initiatives, snow days, field trips, etc., planning to get the most bang for your buck is increasingly important! Because my goal is to increase my students’ proficiency, I know I have to provide a culture and language rich environment with a variety of activities in which they use the language and not just learn about it.
Getting back to Backward Design….
Dr. Eileen W. Glisan, in her Leadership Initiative for Language Learning (LILL) PowerPoint presentation (2015), provided world language teachers the following stages for planning from Teacher’s Handbook: Contextualized Language Instruction (5th ed.), 2016, Shrum & Glisan:
Stage 1: Identify Desired Results-What will learners know and be able to do by the end of the lesson?
The “Big Idea”
Wiggins and McTighe state this is a “concept, theme, or issue that gives meaning and connection to discrete facts and skills.” (2005, p. 5) What is at the heart of your subject? Keep in mind that the most successful Big Ideas are things that can be investigated. Students will find themselves engaged in discussion, inquiry, and learning!
If you can’t think of a Big Idea, go to the AP or IB themes. Identity, family, the arts...these are all Big Ideas, with many smaller ideas that might be used for planning. These ideas can be many things, according to Glisan. They can be a word, theme, question, or opinion.
Other things to consider are goals, understandings, and essential questions. Glisan (2015) reminded us that they need to be “stated in terms of learner-based performance objectives.” In other words, be specific in what students can do with the language.
**Side-note: As many of us are asked to write our learning targets on the board for students to see or write down each day, it is important that we also put these in learner friendly terms. If the students don’t know what we want from them, it is much harder for them to determine if they are hitting that target.
Keep in mind what students will know concerning grammar and vocabulary. Remember, planning a unit around these components is a more traditional way to plan. The unit’s Big Idea should be a vehicle for instructional delivery of culture, grammar, and vocabulary.
Objectives are what students will be able to do. Do they need to greet a specific person or group of people? Will they need to react or explain? Give their opinion? Share or ask questions? The NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements are perfect for objectives. As Glisan pointed out to LILL participants (2015), the Can-Do Statements:
-represent real-world tasks
-are meaningful and occur in a larger context
-are NOT expressed in terms of grammar and/or vocabulary
-can be assessed
She went on to say that teachers can use the Can-Do Statements, not only for planning, but for modeling goal setting for learners. They can also benefit students as they self-assess, engaging them in talking about their learning.
Additionally, Glisan reminded us that students can use the Can-Do Statements as well. For them, they can serve as a record of what they have learned and evidence of what they can do in the target language, as well as goal-setting and self-assessment.
Glisan warned that there are caveats when incorporating the Can-Do Statements. These caveats are:
-Can-Do performance must always occur within a meaningful context, not in isolation.
-The Can-Do Statements focus on the Communication Goal Area only. Teachers can easily extend them to other goals areas
-Performance at a particular level in one mode (interpretive) will often occur at a different level than performance in another mode (interpersonal). Progress does not occur across the modes.
While planning, educators need to answer several questions about learners, They are:
Another thing to consider is materials. Having a variety of resources is wonderful, but make sure you are selective about what you use. Just because you have it in your possession doesn’t mean that it will benefit students and move them toward reaching the goals of the unit.
**Just a side note from me: I have been planning with a Big Idea, but I have made it a point to select a cultural context that students will find interesting. Instead of just choosing family, I might choose how families are changing in France since gay marriage was made legal, adding in information about surrogacy for couples who cannot have children of their own (and the recent legal issues that have come from it in France) and even referencing how francophone countries provide for maternity/paternity leave and other benefits for families. These are just a few examples, but I have learned in my experiences that students prefer this. Culture is SO interesting to them and it’s what is going to keep them in their language. Students who may not be the most proficient in the class will stay in your programs because they recognize that to be culturally competent, they need to know culture AND language.
Stage 2: Determine Acceptable Evidence-What evidence will show that learners have produced desired results?
Glisan (2015) stated that Acceptable Evidence should:
-be determined before instruction is planned, rather than being something one does after teaching and learning are over.
-inform and guide classroom practice and should blend seamlessly with instruction
-include both formative and summative
-reflect authentic tasks that learners might encounter in the world beyond the classroom
-engage learners in self-assessment
**Another note from me: Don’t forget to assess culture. As I worked on my National Boards last year, I struggled with the cultural component. Yes, all my lessons had culture, but I was almost a separate entity. I needed to teach with it in mind all the time. And, a friend of mine, also a National Board Certified teacher, reminded me that I need to make culture so much of the lesson that I need to assess it too. My brain exploded and it seemed too difficult, but after talking out and hearing one example, I know I could do it for all units! It’s a mindset.
Stage 3: Plan Learning Experiences- What activities are part of this lesson? What are the learners doing? What am I doing? What is the instructional sequence?
-Consider brain-based research findings (Sousa, 2011 or Shrum & Glisan, 2010)
-Bloom’s Taxonomy of Thinking Processes (Shrum & Glisan, 2010)
-Role of the textbook (later in this article)
**The learning experiences should prepare students for the assessment. If the ultimate goal is to have students describe their class schedule with classes, times, and teachers, it’s probably not ideal to have them fill out a class schedule and do a worksheet on the verbs to have and to be. Get them talking to a partner about similarities and differences. Then have them summarize what their partner said in a real world context. (Interpersonal activities are most successful when there is a culminating activity that students need to do with the information they gleaned from their partner!) Have them write an email to an exchange student comparing their schedules, incorporating their cultural knowledge. Then assess them appropriately. Instead of a multiple choice test or vocab/grammar test, make them perform! Develop an Integrated Performance Assessment (IPA) or other performance assessment. Make it real! (This does not mean that we shouldn’t teach grammar or vocabulary. The students should hear the language often--Core Practice 1. They need to read it, speak it, and write it too! All of this should be in context!)
Stage 4: Reflect on Lesson Effectiveness- How effective was this lesson?
To reflect on the efficacy of a lesson, ask these questions:
**Another note from me: I frequently have my students reflect on lessons/units, in addition to my reflections. This can be in the form of an exit ticket, a question on an assessment, or even just a quick “thumbs up/thumbs down” check-in. The meta-cognition component is important for our student. Having students talk about their learning is a skill that they will need to be lifelong learners.
The Brain Seeks Novelty
The brain is constantly seeking novelty, and therefore scans its environment for stimuli. Brain research has shown that with unexpected stimuli adrenaline closes down unnecessary activity and focuses the brain’s attention. With predicted, repeated stimuli, the brain’s interest lowers its interest level and it is tempted to turn within for novel sensations. (Glisan, 2015)
How does one introduce novelty?
-vary the classroom routine
-integrate humor!
-package lessons in 15-20 minute components
-involve students in hands-on, active learning
-play popular target language music
-use visuals, PowerPoints, objects
-integrate the target language through authentic materials, realia, guest speakers, field trips
-use technology-internet, skype, cell phones
-incorporate “truth Value” in activities & discourse
**Me, again. I love to laugh and I love to edu-tain my students. It’s how I connect with students, especially those who hate school. One of my favorite things to do is to associate something funny with a new vocabulary term, which makes it more meaningful to students. Let’s face it, all student stumble upon words that they can’t remember, but keep popping up. A few years ago, this term was faire du jardinage (to do gardening). Since it came up a couple of times without recognition, I attempted to act it out. I acted out pushing a lawn mower and trimming shrubs. The two motions put together was like a new dance craze and kids thought it was awesome. To this day, they still do the “jardinage.” (P.S. If that becomes a thing, I think there should be some royalties coming my way.) Another thing I do is plan with a variety of activities, especially on block days. Students cannot sit still for 86 minutes! It’s good to see my colleagues moving to more station activities, but it’s a terrific opportunity to add technology, lots of realia and authentic materials, music, and yes, use of their cell phones for Kahoot and ClassCraft. I still include games likes Spoons, Grudgeball, and La Bombe to reinforce vocabulary and to build a classroom community. I used to be the teacher who started class with vocabulary flashcards, moved on to a grammar point, and then had students do some sort of activity. Those days are gone! I spend a minute or two with each student individually, I pre-assess and assess, activate prior knowledge, incorporate authentic text and media, and provide a culture and language rich environment. The best thing I heard from a student today was, “I learn something new everyday in this class.” It was said with a sense of bewilderment, so it was extra special. What? They don’t learn in other classes?
Role of the Textbook
-The textbook is ONE tool of MANY
-The best programs do not follow at text closely
-The danger is that the textbook drives the curriculum instead of teachers
-Look for “ancillary” or “supplementary” materials that accompany a text program. These include: authentic materials, cultural materials, audio & visual texts, and engaging activities.
**Me...again. I’ve heard teachers say time and again that they stick to the textbook because the authors clearly know more about language learning than they do. I don’t agree. They are a wonderful resource with activities that can benefit students and ready-made vocabulary lists or grammar charts. However, the textbook is not the curriculum and students who go to a country where the language is spoken cannot be expected to get by on only what they encounter in the text. They need strategies for all the words that they will see that were never on a vocab list. They need to know how to use contextual clues and derive meaning. Textbooks are great, but they can eventually do a disservice to students.
Take-aways
References
American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language. (ACTFL). (2013c). NCSSFL-ACTFL can-do statements. Alexandria, VA: Author. Retrieved from http://www.actfl.org/publications/guidelines-and-manuals/ncssfl-actfl-can-do-statements.
Anderson, L. W., & Krathwohl, D. R. (Eds.). (2001). A taxonomy for learning, teaching and assessing: A revision of Bloom’s Taxonomy of educational objectives. New York: Longman.
Glisan, E. (2015). Leadership Initiative for Language Learning [PowerPoint presentation]. Columbus, OH.
Shrum, J. L., & Glisan, E. W. (2010). Teacher’s handbook: Contextualized language instruction. 4th ed. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
Sousa, D. A. (2011). How the brain learns (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Wiggins, G., & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Core Practice 3 is: “Design lessons and tasks that have functional goals and objectives, to include specifying clearly the language and activities needed to support and meet the communicative objective” (Glisan, PowerPoint, 2015). This can best be summarized by the term Backward Design.
If you haven’t implemented Backward Design into your planning yet, I highly encourage you to start! In the grand scheme of things, Backward Design is a fairly easy practice to put into place. A lot of organizations, like ACTFL, have done a lot of work so you don’t have to. All you need to do is change your perspective and reap the benefits! As always, start small. Decide to plan one unit this way, or even one lesson. If you want to see how effective they are because you aren’t convinced, find some units that people have posted online and try those. You won’t regret it!
According to Wiggins and McTighe in Understanding by Design (2005), there are three steps in Backward Design. They are:
- Identifying the desired results
- Determining the acceptable evidence
- Planning learning experiences and instruction
Planning with these steps in mind, one can’t help but guide students toward proficiency! The map for success is laid out; students and teacher know the final destination and what needs to be done along the way. It’s a drastic change from the past when planning started with the vocabulary and grammar to be covered. (Culture was usually an additional element, thrown in along the way.) Teachers knew what had to be taught, had their favorite learning activities, and probably used assessments that were vocab and grammar-rich. Students learned about the language with this method, but their proficiency didn’t necessarily improve. Culture may have been an afterthought and learning experiences were likely more presentational speaking (think presenting on a project from class), interpretive reading (literature, almost exclusively), and presentational writing (likely essays and dialogues). Notice that the learning experiences mentioned were neither real-world nor truly communicative. More on this later.
To put Backward Design into more relatable language, think about the following. Imagine that you find yourself at a farmer’s market on a crisp autumn Saturday morning. All around you there are fresh vegetables and fruit, artisanal breads and cheese, grass-fed meats, and other seasonal foods. During the course of the morning, you manage to procure a bag of apples, some honey and jam, fennel, beets, a loaf of spicy cheese bread, some beef jerky, and goat cheese. There was so much wonderful food, you had to take advantage, right? While it was a wonderful morning spent outdoors, you return home tired and hungry. You have some wonderful things to eat, but how will you prepare them? Without planning ahead of time, you are left with a fairly strange lunch!
Now imagine you had several recipes and a meal plan in mind, and then went to the farmer’s market. Not only would you be able to make some wonderful, fresh purchases, but they would all serve a purpose, produce tasty results, and you will save time and money!
I don’t know about you, but with the increased emphasis on testing, district initiatives, snow days, field trips, etc., planning to get the most bang for your buck is increasingly important! Because my goal is to increase my students’ proficiency, I know I have to provide a culture and language rich environment with a variety of activities in which they use the language and not just learn about it.
Getting back to Backward Design….
Dr. Eileen W. Glisan, in her Leadership Initiative for Language Learning (LILL) PowerPoint presentation (2015), provided world language teachers the following stages for planning from Teacher’s Handbook: Contextualized Language Instruction (5th ed.), 2016, Shrum & Glisan:
Stage 1: Identify Desired Results-What will learners know and be able to do by the end of the lesson?
The “Big Idea”
Wiggins and McTighe state this is a “concept, theme, or issue that gives meaning and connection to discrete facts and skills.” (2005, p. 5) What is at the heart of your subject? Keep in mind that the most successful Big Ideas are things that can be investigated. Students will find themselves engaged in discussion, inquiry, and learning!
If you can’t think of a Big Idea, go to the AP or IB themes. Identity, family, the arts...these are all Big Ideas, with many smaller ideas that might be used for planning. These ideas can be many things, according to Glisan. They can be a word, theme, question, or opinion.
Other things to consider are goals, understandings, and essential questions. Glisan (2015) reminded us that they need to be “stated in terms of learner-based performance objectives.” In other words, be specific in what students can do with the language.
**Side-note: As many of us are asked to write our learning targets on the board for students to see or write down each day, it is important that we also put these in learner friendly terms. If the students don’t know what we want from them, it is much harder for them to determine if they are hitting that target.
Keep in mind what students will know concerning grammar and vocabulary. Remember, planning a unit around these components is a more traditional way to plan. The unit’s Big Idea should be a vehicle for instructional delivery of culture, grammar, and vocabulary.
Objectives are what students will be able to do. Do they need to greet a specific person or group of people? Will they need to react or explain? Give their opinion? Share or ask questions? The NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements are perfect for objectives. As Glisan pointed out to LILL participants (2015), the Can-Do Statements:
-represent real-world tasks
-are meaningful and occur in a larger context
-are NOT expressed in terms of grammar and/or vocabulary
-can be assessed
She went on to say that teachers can use the Can-Do Statements, not only for planning, but for modeling goal setting for learners. They can also benefit students as they self-assess, engaging them in talking about their learning.
Additionally, Glisan reminded us that students can use the Can-Do Statements as well. For them, they can serve as a record of what they have learned and evidence of what they can do in the target language, as well as goal-setting and self-assessment.
Glisan warned that there are caveats when incorporating the Can-Do Statements. These caveats are:
-Can-Do performance must always occur within a meaningful context, not in isolation.
-The Can-Do Statements focus on the Communication Goal Area only. Teachers can easily extend them to other goals areas
-Performance at a particular level in one mode (interpretive) will often occur at a different level than performance in another mode (interpersonal). Progress does not occur across the modes.
While planning, educators need to answer several questions about learners, They are:
- What do I need to know about the learners to plan instruction?
- What background knowledge do they need? What experiences, if any, have they had with the content?
- What special needs of my students must be addressed in instruction?
- What adaptations need to be made for special needs students in my class?
- What adaptations will I need to make to differentiate instruction to meet the diverse needs of my students?
Another thing to consider is materials. Having a variety of resources is wonderful, but make sure you are selective about what you use. Just because you have it in your possession doesn’t mean that it will benefit students and move them toward reaching the goals of the unit.
**Just a side note from me: I have been planning with a Big Idea, but I have made it a point to select a cultural context that students will find interesting. Instead of just choosing family, I might choose how families are changing in France since gay marriage was made legal, adding in information about surrogacy for couples who cannot have children of their own (and the recent legal issues that have come from it in France) and even referencing how francophone countries provide for maternity/paternity leave and other benefits for families. These are just a few examples, but I have learned in my experiences that students prefer this. Culture is SO interesting to them and it’s what is going to keep them in their language. Students who may not be the most proficient in the class will stay in your programs because they recognize that to be culturally competent, they need to know culture AND language.
Stage 2: Determine Acceptable Evidence-What evidence will show that learners have produced desired results?
Glisan (2015) stated that Acceptable Evidence should:
-be determined before instruction is planned, rather than being something one does after teaching and learning are over.
-inform and guide classroom practice and should blend seamlessly with instruction
-include both formative and summative
-reflect authentic tasks that learners might encounter in the world beyond the classroom
-engage learners in self-assessment
**Another note from me: Don’t forget to assess culture. As I worked on my National Boards last year, I struggled with the cultural component. Yes, all my lessons had culture, but I was almost a separate entity. I needed to teach with it in mind all the time. And, a friend of mine, also a National Board Certified teacher, reminded me that I need to make culture so much of the lesson that I need to assess it too. My brain exploded and it seemed too difficult, but after talking out and hearing one example, I know I could do it for all units! It’s a mindset.
Stage 3: Plan Learning Experiences- What activities are part of this lesson? What are the learners doing? What am I doing? What is the instructional sequence?
-Consider brain-based research findings (Sousa, 2011 or Shrum & Glisan, 2010)
-Bloom’s Taxonomy of Thinking Processes (Shrum & Glisan, 2010)
-Role of the textbook (later in this article)
**The learning experiences should prepare students for the assessment. If the ultimate goal is to have students describe their class schedule with classes, times, and teachers, it’s probably not ideal to have them fill out a class schedule and do a worksheet on the verbs to have and to be. Get them talking to a partner about similarities and differences. Then have them summarize what their partner said in a real world context. (Interpersonal activities are most successful when there is a culminating activity that students need to do with the information they gleaned from their partner!) Have them write an email to an exchange student comparing their schedules, incorporating their cultural knowledge. Then assess them appropriately. Instead of a multiple choice test or vocab/grammar test, make them perform! Develop an Integrated Performance Assessment (IPA) or other performance assessment. Make it real! (This does not mean that we shouldn’t teach grammar or vocabulary. The students should hear the language often--Core Practice 1. They need to read it, speak it, and write it too! All of this should be in context!)
Stage 4: Reflect on Lesson Effectiveness- How effective was this lesson?
To reflect on the efficacy of a lesson, ask these questions:
- Did I achieve my lesson objectives? How do I know?
- What worked especially well and why?
- What SIA theories/theoretical frameworks are reflected in today’s lesson or could be reflected with changes to the lesson?
- What would I change if I were to teacher this lesson again?
**Another note from me: I frequently have my students reflect on lessons/units, in addition to my reflections. This can be in the form of an exit ticket, a question on an assessment, or even just a quick “thumbs up/thumbs down” check-in. The meta-cognition component is important for our student. Having students talk about their learning is a skill that they will need to be lifelong learners.
The Brain Seeks Novelty
The brain is constantly seeking novelty, and therefore scans its environment for stimuli. Brain research has shown that with unexpected stimuli adrenaline closes down unnecessary activity and focuses the brain’s attention. With predicted, repeated stimuli, the brain’s interest lowers its interest level and it is tempted to turn within for novel sensations. (Glisan, 2015)
How does one introduce novelty?
-vary the classroom routine
-integrate humor!
-package lessons in 15-20 minute components
-involve students in hands-on, active learning
-play popular target language music
-use visuals, PowerPoints, objects
-integrate the target language through authentic materials, realia, guest speakers, field trips
-use technology-internet, skype, cell phones
-incorporate “truth Value” in activities & discourse
**Me, again. I love to laugh and I love to edu-tain my students. It’s how I connect with students, especially those who hate school. One of my favorite things to do is to associate something funny with a new vocabulary term, which makes it more meaningful to students. Let’s face it, all student stumble upon words that they can’t remember, but keep popping up. A few years ago, this term was faire du jardinage (to do gardening). Since it came up a couple of times without recognition, I attempted to act it out. I acted out pushing a lawn mower and trimming shrubs. The two motions put together was like a new dance craze and kids thought it was awesome. To this day, they still do the “jardinage.” (P.S. If that becomes a thing, I think there should be some royalties coming my way.) Another thing I do is plan with a variety of activities, especially on block days. Students cannot sit still for 86 minutes! It’s good to see my colleagues moving to more station activities, but it’s a terrific opportunity to add technology, lots of realia and authentic materials, music, and yes, use of their cell phones for Kahoot and ClassCraft. I still include games likes Spoons, Grudgeball, and La Bombe to reinforce vocabulary and to build a classroom community. I used to be the teacher who started class with vocabulary flashcards, moved on to a grammar point, and then had students do some sort of activity. Those days are gone! I spend a minute or two with each student individually, I pre-assess and assess, activate prior knowledge, incorporate authentic text and media, and provide a culture and language rich environment. The best thing I heard from a student today was, “I learn something new everyday in this class.” It was said with a sense of bewilderment, so it was extra special. What? They don’t learn in other classes?
Role of the Textbook
-The textbook is ONE tool of MANY
-The best programs do not follow at text closely
-The danger is that the textbook drives the curriculum instead of teachers
-Look for “ancillary” or “supplementary” materials that accompany a text program. These include: authentic materials, cultural materials, audio & visual texts, and engaging activities.
**Me...again. I’ve heard teachers say time and again that they stick to the textbook because the authors clearly know more about language learning than they do. I don’t agree. They are a wonderful resource with activities that can benefit students and ready-made vocabulary lists or grammar charts. However, the textbook is not the curriculum and students who go to a country where the language is spoken cannot be expected to get by on only what they encounter in the text. They need strategies for all the words that they will see that were never on a vocab list. They need to know how to use contextual clues and derive meaning. Textbooks are great, but they can eventually do a disservice to students.
Take-aways
- Backward Design is planning with the desired outcomes in mind.
- There are 4 stages of Backward Design: Identifying desired results, determining acceptable evidence, planning learning experiences, and reflecting on lesson effectiveness.
- The NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements can be used by teachers and students for real world tasks.
- Assessments should be real-world and planned BEFORE the instruction takes place.
- Learning experiences should prepare the students for the assessment.
- Include novelty in your lessons.
- Use the textbook as a resource.
- If you have never used Backward Design, why is that? What is preventing you from doing it?
- How could you transition or encourage others to transition toward Backward Design?
- What are the benefits of Backward Design versus traditional planning?
- The last step in the planning process is Reflection. Why is this important?
- Do you currently use the NCSSFL-ACTFL “Can Do” statements? How do they benefit you? How do they benefit your students?
- How do you implement novelty in your classroom? What things would you like to incorporate that you haven’t yet tried?
- What is the role of your textbook? Is it your curriculum? Is it a guide? If you didn’t have one, where would you be? What are its benefits?
References
American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language. (ACTFL). (2013c). NCSSFL-ACTFL can-do statements. Alexandria, VA: Author. Retrieved from http://www.actfl.org/publications/guidelines-and-manuals/ncssfl-actfl-can-do-statements.
Anderson, L. W., & Krathwohl, D. R. (Eds.). (2001). A taxonomy for learning, teaching and assessing: A revision of Bloom’s Taxonomy of educational objectives. New York: Longman.
Glisan, E. (2015). Leadership Initiative for Language Learning [PowerPoint presentation]. Columbus, OH.
Shrum, J. L., & Glisan, E. W. (2010). Teacher’s handbook: Contextualized language instruction. 4th ed. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
Sousa, D. A. (2011). How the brain learns (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Wiggins, G., & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.