The third chapter of Integrating Differentiated Instruction and Understanding by Design discussed content, and specifically the way that guiding standards in content can overload both teacher and student. Though the standards are "intended to focus teaching and learning, guide curriculum development, and provide a basis for accountability systems" (p. 24) they are still too many, according to the book, we would have to add about nine more years of school in order to teach each benchmark for only thirty minutes each. The textbooks, and the extent of information in them, progress the problem.
This is where the backward design method would be useful, as teaching this much information tends to lead educators to push information in order to meet standards, and not focus on actual student understanding. The proposal is that teachers start with an explanation of the big ideas, and work back, deciding on acceptable evidence and integrating learning experiences. Knowing this method and how to facilitate actual content understanding in the classroom is really important, as there is nothing more frustrating to a student than just having information thrown at them. Exploration and creative learning is so important in the classroom, as it not only helps students really learn, but it keeps them interested in a way that lecturing, or textbook teaching at them absolutely does not. This chapter made me think about how to tackle those standards that I will be facing in a new and pretty exciting way, as backward design is a much more inventive and creative method than some of the alternatives.
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