Caroline+Brackmann

Name:Caroline Brackmann Email: cbrackmann@isgdh.org Unit: Writing [| CarolineBrackmann-UnitDesign-Stage2.doc] Clearly linked to standards TB || B.Doogan || The "what " and "why" essential questions are especially good. TB ||  || Definitely TB ||  || Great start, I'd like to teach it too. :0) TB ||  ||
 * **Question** || **Response** || **Posted By** ||
 * **Stage 1 - Identify Desired Results : ****//To what extent are the targeted understandings... //** ||  ||   ||
 * Aligned with appropriate goals (standards, benchmarks)?    || They provide a direct link to assessment. You've been selective...you could have included many more. But less is often more in this respect. BD
 * Big ideas at the heart of the discipline (as opposed to basic facts and skills) in need of // uncoverage? // || Definitely. I think the first four are particularly strong examples, while the last three are somewhat narrower. 'Big' enough for grade one though! BD
 *  Framed by provocative // essential // and // unit // questions?    || Well crafted and aligned with your goals. BD
 * Linked to valid and relevant knowledge and skills? || You show restraint here. This may expand as your unit develops. Looks good! BD
 * **Stage 2 - Determine Acceptable Evidence** || Response || Posted by ||
 * **//To what extent are...//**
 *  Students asked to demonstrate their understanding through authentic performance tasks?
 *   A variety of appropriate assessment formats used?
 *  Assessments used as feedback for students and teachers, as well as for evaluation?
 * Students encouraged to self-assess ||  ||   ||
 * **Stage 3 - Plan Learning Experiences and Instruction** ||  ||   ||
 * **//To what extent will...//**
 *  Students know //where// they're going (the learning goals) and //why// the material is important, and //what is required of them// (in terms of unit goals, performance requirements, and evaluative criteria)?
 *  Students be hooked and //engaged// in digging into the big ideas of the unit (through inquiry, research, problem solving, and experimentation)?
 *  Students receive explicit instruction on the knowledge and skills needed to //equip// them for the required performances?
 *  Students have opportunities to //rehearse//, //revise//, and //refine// their work based on feedback?
 *  <span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA">Students //self-assess// and set goals prior to the conclusion of the unit? ||  ||   ||

Journal Entry #1

My name is Caroline Brackmann. I am a first grade teacher with a bachelor's degree of Science in Elementary Education. I have a major in Behavioral Science with a Psychology focus. I have been wondering about how I would create my own curriculum or use one provided by my school district using it appropriately so that I may enrich the learning of my students. I believe using the backward design as a tool to modify and change my instruction will help me better meet the needs of my students. I think it is important to really know where our students are in their learning. Scaffolding students learning and using appropriate assessments that show us which area a student needs more support and possibly further instruction will also help make me an effective teacher. My goal as an educator is to adopt best practices. My expectation for this class is to learn how to not get caught up in the details of a lesson but to have the end goal in mind.

Journal Entry #2

__Knowledge Alive__

The author's belief is that as educators our goal is to not be so focused on teaching content but to provide our students with the skills and strategies they need to transfer and apply knowledge to different arenas of their life. The knowledge arts according to the author is about creating knowledge, communicating, organizing and applying it. During my math lesson it is necessary for students to remember certain math facts. I can teach students to remember the facts through memorization which should later on help them work out some more advanced math concepts. The student's memorization of math facts does not mean they have fully understood them. Students should be allowed and encouraged daily to ask questions, to investigate the interaction of numbers and the results of those interactions. This will give students the bigger picture not limiting them to just facts but creating a flexibility for math applications in other subjects. Before curriculum designers decide on a particular curriculum they must first design it with the goal to create a community of lifelong learners, they should then communicate their ideas with other groups of curriculum designers, review their design by adding, removing or changing parts of the curriculum. Once that is done they can move on to organizing the curriculum and finally have it applied and tested for its effectiveness. Curriculum designers need to organize curriculum that will help improve teacher effectiveness, encourage student enquiry and improve student productivity.

__Preparing for Today and Tomorrow__

Judgment, critical thinking, meaningful literacy and collaboration are the aims Eisner's believes are appropriate for preparing students for today and tomorrow. Every school has a curriculum which needs to be followed closely for a school to feel they are meeting certain expectations. I think that trying to meet the standard can get in the way of actually making a meaningful learning experience for students. Teachers stress over covering content and how there isn't enough time to do it all. Us teachers work on the premise that checking off weekly lessons and standards to be met is where we can find out fulfillment as educators. We are only wasting our time, our students time and in the end there is no fulfillment for either. The article points us to some very valuable questions we should be asking ourselves. Are we teaching subjects relevant to our students? Are we teaching to help develop student's minds? I think I can focus Eisner's aims in my daily classroom, in all subjects taught. For example in my math lesson I can encourage students to think about addition and how they can apply it when adding money to see if they have enough to buy something at the store. I could recreate a store scene in my classroom where students can role play themselves shopping. This will teach them addition that is not only for the classroom but outside the classroom in their everyday present life.

Journal Entry #3 Constructivism, is student centered, allowing for the development of thinking skills, social skills and communication. It also develops learners who are intrinsically motivated and don't learn because they want to be rewarded but learn solely for the purposes of fullilling their own curiosities of the world around them. Students in a constructivist classroom learn to self-assess to check how much they have truly understood a topic or not. Constructivism provides students with the skills to transfer knowledge learned in to the real world. The drawbacks of constructivism are hard to find. The only drawback would be if the teacher is not very successful at coaching students in the right direction through the inquiry based method. This could leave students feeling frustrated and less confident when taking risks in the discovery of new knowledge.

Journal Entry #4 <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'"> 1. People learn what is personally meaningful to them My philosophy as an educator has been very constructivist. Last year was my first year teaching and I very quickly realized that my philosophy was not shared by the teachers I worked with closely. This sent me a very different direction which I realized early in my second year of teaching was not the best for students. I think it makes it easier for me to understand the articles I read in this class about student based learning because I truly wish to grasp the concept and strengthen my facilitation of it in my classroom. My attention has been grabbed and I feel I am engaged in the learning as I constantly read the research on constructivism and replay the examples of what it would look like in my own classroom. <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'"> 2. People learn more when they accept challenging but achievable goals This summer I took on the task to teach myself how to knit using a knitting ring/circle. It was challenging to me because I had never done it before yet I knew it was achieveable because the book I bought were easy steps for beginners. I did end up knitting a hat and scarf very successfully. <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'"> 3. Learning is developmental Before I rode a bicycle I had to learn how to walk. Once I was confident walking I was ready to learn how to ride a bicycle. <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'"> 4. Individuals learn differently I believe every individual has their own way of receiving and processing information. I am a visual as well as a tactile learner. I need to see demonstration of instructional practices, read about it and then demonstrate it for me to fully grasp how it works. <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'"> 5. Much learning occurs through social interaction I have found it important to have discussions about things I don't fully understand. It helps me brainstorm ideas with someone else and hear what their thoughts are on a subject. <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'"> 6. People need feedback to learn As a first year teacher I found it very frustrating to not recceive feedback. It kept me wondering how I was doing and whether I needed to change my teaching instruction or continue practicing what I did well. <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'"> 7. Successful learning involves use of strategies I have found that students don't always remember everything they've learned but if you teach them strategies, they can take those strategies and apply it in their other classrooms to help them continue to be expert learners. <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'"> 8. A positive emotional climate strengthens learning I remember disliking my Hindi language class because the teachers were always very serious and scolded you when you didn't do well on your spelling test. When I know it will be okay to make mistakes the more I am willing to take risks to understand and learn. I encourage my students to share their ideas. There is no right or wrong answers when we are asking questions, discussing and sharing our own ideas. I have found this is a daily possibility because I make sure my students know their thoughts are valued and that I am interested in hearing them. I teach my students how to show respect to each other when one of their classmate is sharing. When students say they think someone's answer is wrong, I use the opportunity to inform them that every idea is important and even though we may not agree we can still give our friends a turn to share their part. This encourages all students to share, not feeling nervous about being told their idea was inappropriate.

Journal Entry#5

It makes perfect sense to me that a successful and meaningful lesson for students begins with a clear goal in mind. Creating lessons around learning activities may make learning fun and engaging but does not guide students through the activity having a clear uderstanding of what they are learning. For example if my topic or unit was about building structures and my activity was to have students build structures using play dough but I didn't give them a purpose to ask the appropriate questions that will guide them to the learning outcome, then I have not been successful in reaching the intended result. As a teacher my success depends on whether or not students are performing better. Using the backward design will help me focus my planning, clarify goals for students and make successful learning experiences for students.

Journal Entry #6

What behaviors are associated with student understanding? This is the first time I have actually had to ponder and formulate my thoughts on this question which makes me realize I've been skipping a big step in my teaching practice. So here's my thinking about what behaviors might be associated with student understanding. If my learning result is for students to show me they understood the addition concept in math, they will show me they have understood by counting forwards when adding and/or their result will be a number bigger than the numbers added. That wouldn't be behavior though would it so I guess it would be the twinkle in their eye, the look that expresses contentment because they have understood and made some connections to their own life. It could be sharing examples of how they could apply their understanding to their life.

<span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)"> <span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">How do you distinguish between students "knowing" and "doing" versus understanding what they are studying?

When reading the story 'Brown Bear, Brown Bear!' by Bill Martin Junior, students are introduced to how authors use repitition in language. Knowledge - Students will show me they know authors craft of using repetitive language by picking out the repetitive lines in the story. Doing and Understanding - If they apply the very same lines to their own writing, they would be doing, but if the student changed the repetitive words and used their own repetitive words in their writing and evaluate whether or not it makes sense they would be showing understanding.