When it comes to our classes design, we, as teachers, tend to focus on how to get the class through without sometimes thinking about all the different needs, learning styles and complications our students may have in the same class we are teaching. To plan a lesson may be more complicated than we think the process is. Therefore, all the aspects mentioned before must be considered. Backward design tells us how to make a change in the starting point when we plan our curriculum paying specific attention to the aspects mentioned before.
Following the reading and thinking about my experience as a teacher, I could not help but wonder, Are we really doing this? I mean, Do we take the necessary time to do this? And Do we follow and care about students’ needs and learning styles?
If I analyse the Backward Design and compare it to my experience as a University Teacher, I realize there is a big distance from what it is and what I do in my classes. It is really my interest to focus on the need of the change in our own minds from contents to results.
I agrre with you. Although it may not be still proven, UbD appears to be a very useful tool for teachers since it contributes to provide reference to a standardised design to create curriculum, thus, it helps teachers assess their own teaching and build effective units according to important qualities..
ReplyDeleteEvery teacher wonders if he/she plans according to his/her students' needs, learning styles and so on. As you stated, in our context is quite difficult to put into practice the so called Backward Design. Even though we are conscious that we have to change the way we design and assess our classes, educational institutions must help us with the required time to promote the three-stage design aka UbD.
ReplyDeleteI think every Backward design have to do general things to fullfill, but all of them have to adequate to the needs of every context. It is a hard job to do, but I think it will be one of the ways to have really success...
ReplyDeleteWe don`t have to give up to do our job as teacher and we have to take ideas given, as the bacward design.
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ReplyDeleteI really didn't ask myself those questions because I'm very aware of my lack of good planning. The question I asked, and continue asking myself is, is it possible to do that considering the time available to design? Will that worth the effort?
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