When creating a significant learning environment, it is necessary to create significant learning experiences and opportunities that are learner-centered with inquiry, collaboration, digital learning, COVA, evaluation, and more. In doing so, development of a plan should take into account how that plan will align with specific outcomes, assessments and activities, to enhance the learner's ability to make meaningful connections while learning authentically. In the 21st century, educators have a responsibility to help students develop 21st century skills that include collaboration, communication, critical thinking, problem solving, creativity and innovation, which set students up to be lifelong learners. These concepts align with my innovation plan, where students develop and utilize an ePortfolio to showcase their connections to learning while being able to reflect and provide authentic evidence of their skill development. In building and using Portfolios, students will have the creative freedom of choice, ownership, voice, and authentic learning opportunities.

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Before developing my UbD template, I created a 3-column table, which utilizes details outlined in L.D. Fink’s PDF, A Self Directed Guide to Designing Courses for Significant Learning, which serves as a valid resource to plan out units for students creating and managing projects to add to their ePortfolio. After reading through Wiggins' and McTighe's book Understanding by Design (UbD), I used their backwards design template to develop parts of my lesson further, initially unveiled in my 3 column table. The 3-column table and UbD Template both align outcomes, activities, and assessments and contribute to creating significant learning environments through backwards design.

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Fink’s strategy and approach towards backward design, includes the use of a 3-column table, and of a broad view in connection to an overarching goal. Using the information in my 3-column table, I could dig deeper into my outcomes to create a specific plan, which is an UbD Template. Completing the Ubd Template allows for a deeper look into how the outcomes shown in the 3-column table would be reached, and is broken down into 3 stages, desired results, assessment evidence, and learning plan. 

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With the UbD template, importance is placed on the establishment of long-term goals, which emphasize understanding rather than simply knowing information. Wiggins and McTighe (2005) argue that "We cannot stress enough the importance of long-term priorities in planning. Justifiable decisions about what to teach, what to leave out, what to emphasize, and what to minimize can be made only if there are agreed-upon priorities related to exit-level objectives. With no long-term goals, there is no perspective—hence no check on the teacher habit of merely teaching to short-term, content-related objectives" (p. 58). The UbD Template emphasizes the goals and reestablishes the need for learning to be both meaningful and memorable for authentic connections to be made.

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I found benefits in using both designs to develop and explore my unit planning process. With both templates, the goal is examined first, and the planner or teacher then works backwards to develop their plans. However, with the Ubd Template, the focus is narrowed to specific learning goals, while diving deeper into them. It is also more detailed and focuses on the student's thought process. On the contrary, the 3 column table takes into consideration background information, such as the learning environment, situational factors, and questions for formulating significant learning goals to get educators thinking, which is helpful in developing a course from a more holistic view. Personally, I liked using both tools. Starting with the 3-column table allowed me to consider all factors and develop a BHAG, that outlines my outcomes, assessments, and activities that will be used. While creating the UbD Template gave me a closer look at my goals and a more profound development of my initial plan. Both frameworks work together to help create a significant learning environment for my students.

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References

 

 Fink, L. D. (2003). A self-directed guide to designing courses for significant learning. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

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Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design (expanded second ed.). Alexandria, Virginia: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.